Steven doesn't have favorites. He loves his five children the exact same, in the most adoring way possible.

He loves his firstborn daughter, Lakshmi. He loves that Lucky never has to be told of her responsibilities, he loves that she does chores well and is organized like her mother, but musical like he is. He loves how intelligent and innovative she is. He could sit and talk to Lucky for hours and never get tired of her.

He loves Comet, his surviving son of a horrible time in his life. He loves that Comet thinks before he speaks, he loves how passionate and quick thinking he is. He loves his sarcasm and wit, things he likes to blame his wife for. He loves that Comet has a mature air about him even being a bit of a goofball.

And he adores his twin daughters Celine and Seraphine, named all by accident but names that pleasantly fit their personalities. He loves the way they coo at him when he has them on his chest for bonding, he loves the way one has slightly darker hair than the other, he loves that he can tell the difference between the two. He even loves their diapers, because they aren't nearly as bad as some of his other children's had been. At least, not yet.

Steven doesn't have favorites, but if he did (and he doesn't!), it would be his twin: his look alike, think alike Azalea.

Throughout their entire life they had always been a Daddy's child. They broke off from the family for hot cocoa on the porch before school, they went fishing and to pottery classes and cooked together because his Azalea wanted to know how to do everything. They sang songs together, too. He'd taught them to play his childhood ukulele and then had given it to them, because it made him cry every time he found them sitting in the grass playing his father's old songs on it. Azalea was his child, that's what it really was. Of all of his children, Azalea was the most like him to the point that he was scolded with their name and vice versa.

But his Azalea was marked troubled after they came out as non-binary at 10. They'd been arrested once since then, punished thousands of times and was generally the smart ass Steven saw himself as. They were cynical, but not pessimistic necessarily, just more likely to view the more realistic scenario (which Steven could admit was always probably going to be bad. Life sucked).

And now, they were just about 13, and he was 42.

The dread of immortality was lingering now, it didn't ever go away. The other day, Adam had pulled him aside to lift a section of his hair and reveal a soft pink patch growing from the bottom up. His roots were definitely beginning to pinken, too.

"I just thought I should let you know it's been coming and going. Hazel and Jacob have noticed the same thing even with the vitamins. I died so long ago but I think you and Connie might've been right. I think what you gave us just stops time for our bodies right before the death. I'm definitely post mortem now since..." He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Since Jacob and I broke up. The vitamins seem like they're beating back at it but my internal organs are still working... Just..." His eyes moved to Steven's a little humorously. "Very slowly."

Steven had pulled him into a hug. "I tried to warn you, but I couldn't leave you guys. I'm so sorry."

Adam had alleviated his guilt with a short kiss and a horrifying sentence: "Chances are, you'd have found me dead shortly after anyways." The anti-trans restraints had gotten to him badly, he was positive he would've spiraled with fear and self loathing so hard he'd have impulsively ended it had he not died first. Yes, he did lie about not dying, but it was for the greater good.

Azalea was found shortly after hiding in a cupboard in the commons kitchen where the conversation had happened, and Adam had sighed his irritation but jutted out a pinky to make them promise not to tell anyone.

They promised and forged a better relationship with their Pseudo father as they jokingly preferred to call the other dads in the house.

At school, Azalea was on a strict straight B+ streak. They could do the work perfectly but the knowledge completely disappeared before every test. Learning flash cards with their mother made them stressed and turn pink, learning through music with Steven was better but they were always thinking about music and would get distracted with other songs.

But now they were headed toward him reading on Connie's lap. He'd tucked his head there to stare at her stomach and wish for another daughter, and she'd bopped him and handed him her pink notebook full of her organized love letters and observations about him and his mind.

He had learned two new things so far: Connie absolutely loved him being a twin dad, and he was getting single streaks of grey in his hair that came and went as his gem de-aged him.

"Hey, Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He raised his eyes and squinted at his child suspiciously. "Azalea if you tell me you're running from the police—,"

They lit up and cackled like a crazy little warlock. "Oh father, if I were running from the police there would be a lot more bisexual lighting in here!"

Connie snorted and nudged Steven off her lap. "Go on, I knew what you were doing."

He gave her side eye as he accompanied his child to their room to talk. "We can pillow talk about it later."

"Gross, Dad!" Azalea cried. "I know what that means!"

Connie laughed and he wrinkled his nose as he leaned against Azalea's doorframe. "I have so many parental locks on the computers," He sighed painstakingly. "How are you learning these things?"

Azalea shrugged as they rustled through their backpack. "You're the one who wanted us to have a normal life so bad."

"Azalea," Steven warned.

They groaned. "I learned it at public school instead of private school like celebrity children are supposed go to." When their father's eyes turned pink with annoyance they matched it but grinned. Azalea knew damn well he was not having this conversation again. "Anyways, can I do my hero interview on you, Dad?"

His heart stopped in his chest and he smiled largely. This kid drove him nuts and made his heart sing, just like their mother. "Me? Why?!"

Azalea shrugged and readied their pencil. "You're my hero. You and mom have always been my heroes."

Steven surged to hug them and lifted them off the ground to cuddle. "I love you, Z. You make your old man so happy."

They giggled and wrapped their arms around him. "I love you too, Dad. So will you be my hero?"

He pulled back. "Absolutely not."

"What?!" They cried indignantly. "Why?!"

"Your mother is more of a hero than I ever was," He explained lovingly, eyes playing distant memories of war and romance. "Without your mother there are imperative things that wouldn't have happened to save the world. She even saved my life, more than once."

Azalea was his child alright; they sat and watched with starry eyes as their father began to weave a story of friendship turned to something just as wonderful but more tangible.

He kissed their forehead and ruffled their hair. "But your mother will tell the story from her side in a much more organized way. She's in the history books, you know."

"You guys claim to not want recognition but you sure brag about mom a lot," They muttered as they gathered their things. "Thanks, Dad!"

Steven chuckled as he looked over their room. "And clean your room, please."

"No thanks!"

They bustled past him and he barked, "Dammit, Azalea!"

"Yep, I'll get on it after dinner!" They promised with a laugh, pushing into the commons.

That left Steven alone with a son who looked ready to make fun of him and he hadn't even said anything to him yet. "Comet."

"Oh, Connie!" He swooned dramatically, sliding down the wall. "Let's run away together as warrior knight king princesses!"

"Can't be all four at the same time," He laughed as he passed.

"What about Stevonnie?" Comet teased as he walked alongside him. "Technically they're all four of those things."

Steven hated the 'technically' arguments, but he loved his sassy son. "You wanna cook together?"

Comet pumped a fist and got a little louder. "Can I invite my... friend over?"

His father narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He could practically snatch the quotes right from the air but his son was a little young for him to be too suspicious. Sometimes he wondered about his 10 year old. "Gender identity of said friend is...?"

Hazel walked in at that exact moment and dove in for a kiss from Steven, patted his head after he flustered him, and walked out with a high five from Comet.

Steven frowned as his fingers ghosted over his lips. He wanted to complain, he wanted another one. "Are you guys working together?"

"I'll call Forest," He cheered. "Also, you're blushing just a teensy tiny bit, Dad." He grinned and muffled a gag. "It's not noticeable or anything."

Steven glanced at the window and his reflection. He was bright rose pink with a stupid grin that wouldn't go away.

*

Over the weekend Steven found his Azalea and Connie talking in hushed tones and giggling. Sometimes it seemed they didn't quite get along but he knew they loved each other, both were just stubborn in their ways.

His wife would say something animatedly and place both hands over her heart and Azalea would violently gag and pretend to die until Connie demanded they focus on the project. Seeing his family together was so cleansing and beautiful after all the bullshit he had to endure to get even just here.

On Saturday, Jacob and Adam came over to help with the twins. Jacob was a wonderful fusser, he gave Celine so much attention the infant glowed her first time for him. He laughed and glowed back every fiber of love he had. She sneezed at the brightness but gurgled her delight.

Adam took Seraphine and they snuggled skin to skin while both dozed. Adam had a way about him that made children sleepy and content to relax. He loved babies too, when Seraphine woke up he talked to her for hours about Steven and their G rated stories of college and falling in love. Sera soaked it up and made baby noises in response like they were having a conversation. Lucky came and sat next to Adam so she could listen to the stories to ask questions. Her favorite love story consisted of a rag tag team of young adults falling in love with each other.

Everything came to a screeching halt when a heartbroken, "What?!" shook the porch so hard a few hanging flowers fell off their hooks.

Steven raced outside just as Connie tried to backtrack. "Azalea, it was only five years."

"It was five years?!" They shrieked. "You and dad broke up for five years?! That's a terrible love story!"

Steven frowned and lifted Connie into his arms as she froze. "You're upsetting your mother, Azalea!"

Never in his days had he expected Azalea to look more upset than Connie had been about their breakup. They were already flushed with tears streaming down their face to create tracks of wetness and they were hysterical. For the first time in a long time, Steven didn't know what to do.

It felt so random.

"You guys had like, the best love story!" They sobbed angrily. "And then you just threw it all away? Is that who Allison is? And then you almost didn't even get back together?! What was even the point of having kids?!"

Steven stared wide eyed but couldn't bring himself to speak or react past a guilty glow. He hadn't let himself think about Allison for years. He'd told Azalea to drop the topic (sometimes they regretted having a famous band), which only set them off more in the long run.

"Does Lucky know you guys just... settled?"

The word cut like a knife into Steven, even though it was far from true.

"Was..." They looked to their mother sniffling into Steven's chest finally and sighed hard. "I guess I kinda hoped to find love like your guys', but never mind."

Every step they took away broke Steven's heart into pieces. This was the absolute last thing he'd thought would happen today, they were unprepared for turmoil. He tried to turn off his glow but he was stuck.

He looked through the porch window to see Adam hand Seraphine to Jacob and pull Azalea into a strong hug while they cried. He looked to Steven through the window with a tight look of utter confusion. "What the hell is this coming from?"

Jacob nodded to Steven to go out and carefully took both babies away from the chaos. He'd taught Steven how to hold the twins at the same time but he truly made it look so easy. He was such a good father.

"I'm sorry, Steven," Connie finally got out through her weeping. "I swear it haunts me everyday."

Steven looked down at her and realized he was disassociating. He'd text Jacob to let him know they'd be back soon, but he knew where he wanted to take his wife.

The car ride was quiet. Connie looked out the window and sighed shakily. Steven was silent, too. He didn't know what to say at the moment, so much had just happened.

Allison had died of an Ecstasy overdose right around the time Connie had birthed the first set of twins too early and she had died holding the only twin that would survive. Azalea didn't know that because Azalea didn't need to know that, and Connie had recovered from the trauma for the most part.

Steven however, he still hadn't totally recovered from either death. And he hadn't even begun to process Allisons. He was burying it for hopefully when the kids all had graduated, maybe by then it would even be irrelevant to him.

But never had Steven thought Connie still held a massive grudge against herself for their breakup and not her death from birthing his alien children.

He pulled onto Dewey Beach and got out to carry his wife to where they met.

*

Azalea knew they had fucked up.

They'd just been so angry and it came out of them before they could think. Secretly, very secretly, they looked up to their parents so much. It was gross, but it was also kinda nice how in love they were. Their dad was always stealing kisses and smiling at their mom like a big lovesick doofus, and their mom was always allowing it like it wasn't obvious she got sad when he went to Homeworld and wanted to be wherever he went. Azalea and their siblings constantly caught their parents mid kiss, or holding each other close and flirting.

But now watched them drive away from their bedroom window without even saying goodbye or when they'd be back. Their mom always let them know when she'd be back, and their dad always gave them hugs.

Maybe they weren't coming back this time. Maybe they'd had it with Azalea. They weren't perfect like Lucky with her perfect grades and perfect manners always lording it over them and telling them they should be more responsible. They weren't quiet and funny like Comet, and they weren't a baby like the twins either. They felt like they couldn't do anything right, it made sense if their parents just wanted nothing to do with them.

The term "problem child" was definitely thrown around, they'd heard it.

Crying all over again, they tried to keep quiet as they went into the kitchen for a snack. Maybe they were just hungry. Sometimes they felt totally out of control when they were hungry.

When they turned around, they froze.

Jacob and Adam were just staring at them like they'd never seen them in their life. Azalea looked up to their love too, and they were close with Adam but he looked so disappointed in them they couldn't even move.

"Azalea, you may as well have slapped your father in the face," Adam muttered lowly. "That was so mean, and I know you're not mean."

Azalea tried to keep their lip from trembling but Jacob met their eyes. "Do you want a hug before we chat, Z?"

They melted into his arms after he passed Celine to Adam. Jacob just made them feel calmer. He patted their back in a warm, fatherly way and their sobbing slowed down with every passing second. "I feel so terrible. I'm sorry for crying on you."

Jacob chuckled and pulled away to wipe away their tears. "Chin up, Z. I understand feeling... totally out of control."

And Jacob did that, too. Sometimes he said exactly what you needed to hear, even if he didn't join the conversation until the last second.

So they sat and expressed how much they loved their parents and just wanted to be like them someday. They were heroes living a perfect domestic life and had a million people who loved them. They felt like they had such a high standards to live up to being Steven Universe's kid, and the rest of their siblings were so much better at everything than them. And they'd tried to just ask about Allison when they'd heard about it online but Steven told them to drop it and never bring it back up again. It hurt their feelings the way he said it, too. The name in and of itself was one of the locked words on the computers at home, they didn't want them to do any digging at all.

But Azalea was curious about everything and their dad knew that, and he had promised to not treat them like a baby anymore. They didn't need to know everything but they'd thought their dad would be more real with them and it felt like he'd hidden this thing that felt so massive to Azalea. They were only 12, 5 years was a little less than half of their life.

Both men nodded slowly and let them vent and get it out, they used that method with their own kids, too.

When Azalea got everything out, Adam started to chuckle. "Remind you of anyone?" He said to Jacob humorously.

Jacob grinned. "Azalea, you are not only the spitting image of your father, you have the exact same personality." He went on to describe the time Steven had asked the gems to communicate with him more and Garnet just gave him vague answers that made him more angry until Greg got kidnapped because Steven couldn't let it go. "Steven used to struggle with not having any agency. It sucks to feel like you have control of nothing."

"But you do have control of how you decide to react to things," Adam finished simply. "And I don't mean mental health stuff, I mean how you choose to go forward from any initial reaction that might come out before you can think."

Azalea sighed, suddenly exhausted and missing their parents. "They're mad at me now. What do I even do?"

Adam and Jacob met in a lingering, sickeningly sweet kiss and they fused. Azalea had never seen any other people in the house fuse without their dad involved, and their jaw dropped.

"You apologize," A deeper but still very British voice told them through the new body they'd made. "My name is Liam, I'm the only fusion that exists without Steven. I came to be because Adam and Jacob were having a bad fight a little like this, and then they apologized."

Azaleas eyes went starry as they shot up to stand. "I know how to do it!" Then they sagged. "But it's too much work to get done alone."

Liam patted their shoulder. "You're never alone, Z."

All they could think about for the next hour was making their parents love them again, because no matter how unconditional they said their love was, Azalea felt like they didn't deserve it. They hated being a "bad" kid, but hopefully this would make up for what they'd done.

Jacob and Adam had acted really impressed and even tearful but Azalea just didn't see it. Shop class had been a cool class to learn how to build things but these weren't nearly as cool as premade ones.

Together, Azalea and their pseudo fathers crafted and set the paint on Azaleas apology.

*

Steven chuckled down at Connie after half an hour of comforting her and sang in his falsetto, "We are in the future..."

She choked out a laugh and pinched his arm. "Dammit, Steven. Why do we make such passionate children?"

"Honestly I'd kill for an Asher right about now," He lamented through a groan. "That kid is so mellow and calm almost every freaking day." Guilt plagued him as he thought about his polar opposite Azalea. "I love them, but god pre-teens are so full of verbal abuse. This is the worst transition stage."

Connie sniffled and wiped at her face. "I don't blame them for being mad. They'd be wayyyyy more mad if we told them why." Steven leaned back to give her a razzing look and she brushed her fingers over the soft growth on his cheeks. "Let's not do that. Z really hurt my feelings but I love them. It probably does feel like we were keeping secrets, you know they're a realist. And I know they probably feel awful. Especially if Adam and Jacob tore them a new one."

Steven nodded weakly. "Was I this bad when I was a kid?"

She guffawed and nodded. "Oh stars, I'll never forget the Korea argument."

He growled under his breath and nipped at her neck adoringly. "I should've never told them that story and reminded you."

On the ride home they flirted until Connie unbuckled her seatbelt 20 feet from the house and purred up at her husband.

He tapped the breaks until they rolled to a stop. He didn't even have to turn his head to look at her, he motioned with both hands and she climbed over to sit on his lap.

Steven didn't know if it was because he wasn't aging or what, but making out with his wife literally never got old. He grabbed at her bottom until she hummed, then kissed down her neck to make her shiver and murmur his name like she did. "Feel that?" She shifted and giggled. "I can say with 200% certainty that I did not settle."

Connie nipped at his lip and dove in for a deeper, hungrier kiss. "Might I have playtime tonight? I think maybe I'm ready to let you practice getting me pregnant one last time."

He lit up in excitement. Her birth control wasn't out but he loved to practice breeding almost as much as he loved breeding. "Attack me whenever and whenever you want me." His tongue found a home just under her ear to listen to her shuddering breath. "Just know it's been about two weeks and once we start, we're not finished until your head is completely empty."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," She whispered starvingly. "Five more minutes of this and then we have to go parent our children."

Steven moaned and pulled her in for another kiss. Motherhood was so very sexy, and the motherhood Connie exuded practically had him exploding into fireworks.

Azalea greeted them at the door, looking small and anxious. "Hi, Mom and Dad. Did you have a nice break?"

It occurred to Steven only then that he kind of wanted to be a horrible parent and give them the silent treatment. His feelings were still hurt. "Yeah, we did," He answered instead, pulling Connie into him with a protective stare. "Are you going to be nice to my wife now?"

Someone cleared their throat and Steven raised his eyes to see two surprises: Liam perched on their fridge drinking a gallon of milk like it was their life force, and...

"Oh my stars..." Connie whispered as she untangled herself from her husband's arms. "How could you have possibly made these?"

Steven had a hundred and seven instruments. Connie had a simple ten. As Stevonnie they'd played more instruments than they could remember with Steven's music magic and full understanding of anything he could possibly get his hands on that could make music.

But they were both just going to have to add one more on, because Azalea had rocked their very worlds.

A matching violin and guitar set sat on stands near the center of the kitchen island. Connie had grown a new appreciation for the violin because of how much Adam lost himself in it. The sanding was nearly perfect, the etching of stars were so sweet and thoughtful, she was taken aback at this after being so hurt.

Azalea looked nervous and ashamed. "I-I probably could've done a lot better, but I just felt so terrible so I got some help—,"

Connie pulled Azalea into a tight hug, adoring when they hugged her back for once with just as much feeling. This was one of her babies, and she felt herself loving this child even more beyond her comprehension. "I love you, Azalea. These are beautiful."

Steven was still frozen at the front door but his heart felt like it would burst as he forced himself to move past them and stare down at these gorgeous instruments. They weren't perfect by any means, but it was so far above adequate he couldn't even say it wouldn't be playable. Just looking at it he felt its own magic, so he picked it up to tune it.

It played even more beautiful than it looked. Every note he plucked and every cord he strummed, he fell deeper and deeper into love with it. He'd never play another guitar for another track in his life.

Azalea pulled back and watched for a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean to you, I know you didn't settle. I'm just... feeling confused. Do you still love me?"

Steven stopped abruptly and set the guitar down delicately so he could hug Azalea too. "Of course we still love you, Z! No matter what you become or do, we'll always love you through it."

"You promise?" They pushed nervously wringing their hands.

Their parents fused and Stevonnie tousled their hair. "I'm gonna be right by your side,
No matter what."

Azalea gasped. "C-can we...?"

As much as they should really talk first, Stevonnie was a sucker and told them to go grab their uke. The guitar Azalea had made got slung across their back as they rose onto their tip toes to kiss Liam still on the fridge on their way out.