Onion and his friends climbed on each other to look like a tall man in a trench coat with Onion w the top. "You're gonna pretend to be grown? Can I pretend with you!?" Steven asked with Glee as Labradorite looked at them, confused at the appeal. Onion nodded and Steven jumped up and sat on Onion's shoulders.

The children buttoned up the coat and Onion gave Steven a hat to go with it. "Man we look so grown up!" Steven smiled, Labradorite blinked completely confused. Steven just looked taller. Steven and Labradorite walked the streets as Steven counted off ways to do being 'older' now.

They found their way to Suitcase Sam's and Steven suggested they bump into him to his surprise they walked closer to Suitcase Sam and As Steven started talking the trench coat threw open and a picture was taken making Suitcase Sam run away and shocking Steven a little. They passed the photo to each other and chuckled before passing it up to Steven.

<------>
The photo was posted on a tree back at the clearing where many more were taken just like that one, including Garnet, who just held a thumbs up.

"I always thought when we weren't hanging out you were just sitting alone on the board walk Onion." Steven said as they looked at the countless photos on the tree's bark.

"how long has this been going on?" Steven asked, Onion pulled Steven aside. Onion made a box with six spaces in the dirt.

"What's going on over here? Just drawing in the dirt, eh? That's cool. That's not creepy." Steven said, more reassuring himself than anyone else. Soup came over and sat on the ground, Makin Steven look at them.

"Right Soup?" Steven asked, Soup got up and lifted their pot from their head, bugs scurring from the pot, making Steven unnerved. Soup lifted the pot normally and held them out to the children.

Squash took at bug along with Garbanzo and Pinto and raced over to the box Onion had drawn in the dirt.

Steven and Labradorite walked over to Soup, confused as they held out the pot to them, Onion gave them a nod.

Steven and Labradorite placed their hand in the pot, one more unnerved than the other.Steven grabbed a beetle and Labradorite took a centipede.

They all went back to the box now looking more like a race fit with a twig sticking out of the dirt at the finish line and Onion holding a ruler to stop the bugs from going any further.

"What should we..?" Labradorite started before Soup place their worm on a section and pointed to the two free sections. "Oh, okay." Both gems placed their bugs on the free sections.

"Is this a race?" Labradorite asked, tilting her head, as she looked a the structure Onion had made into the dirt.

"Your racing bugs?" Steven asked, with slight bewilderment. Onion nodded and Steven laughed.  "That's fun!" Steven said with a large smile.

Onion muttered something before removing the ruler from the set, letting the bugs move freely. The bugs moved sporadically, except for Steven's who easily crossed the finish line.

The children cheered for Steven and picked him up, walking over to the tree stump with his beetle in tow. They placed the beetle on the tree stump and Garbanzo gave him a hammer.

Steven thanked him with a smile and all went silent as Soup pointed from the hammer to the beetle wandering aimlessly on the tree stump and punched their fist gently.

"What? You want me to...but- but he won!" Steven tried to defend the bug. The children, except for Onion, started doing the motion, trying to pressure Steven into smashing the bug.

Steven nearly fell into the pressure before falling to his knees saying, "I can't do it!"
"Bugs may be weird, but I don't wanna kill one!" Steven said, placing the hammer down.

"I'm sorry, But I'm going home." Steven ran home, Onion took a few steps towards Steven before stopping.

"I think you added too much pressure on him." Labradorite said softly, making the children looked at her.

"Steven is a very sensitive individual, he wouldn't even hurt a fly, unless it tried to hurt him. Maybe if I talk to him I could perhaps get him back?" Labradorite suggested, the children nodded.

Labradorite went to the edge of the clearing before Onion went to follow, and together they walked to Steven's house.

When they went up the stairs Onion banged on the door, through the windows you could see Steven curled up on the window sill couch.

"No Onion! You don't have to play with me anymore." Steven begrudgingly said, turning on his side. Onion sighed and walked away, Labradorite immediately looked at Onion funny.

"You aren't going to give up so soon, are you?" Labradorite asked, then that's when she realized, Onion was just getting a running start.

Onion rammed into the bottom screen, breaking it on impact and tumbling into the house. Labradorite opened the door.

"Onion! What are you doing!?" Steven asked, looking at Onion as the child approached him, taking Steven's foot and dragging him to the door.

"No Onion! Onion listen." Steven said, taking his foot from Onion's grasp and standing. "I've figured it out. The only reason you hang out with me is cause, you feel bad for me, isn't it?" Steven asked, Onion shook his head, but Steven spoke again.

"You don't have to lie to me to protect my feelings." Steven said, before continuing. "Those kids out there I the woods." Steven pointed vaguely in the direction of the woods.

"You understand each other and you don't even talk! They're your real friends. So just go." Steven said, walking back to where he once was before Onion dragged him, his flip-flops clacking with each step.

"I don't need you to pity me." Steven said. "That's the one thing I can do by myself." Onion sighed and left, placing something inside Steven's home.

Steven was puzzled and walked to the item, or thing. "Hey, you're...the winner of the bug race." Steven said, smiling down at the beetle he picked up in his hands. "Wait..." Steven immediately snapped out of his moping trance and ran out of the door. "Onion! I'm sorry!" Steven apologized as he ran.

He eventually made it to the woods to find the children packing. "What's going on?" Steven asked, Labradorite filled him in.
"With the summer ending soon, everyone has to go back to school, including Onion's friends."

Garbanzo cried as the other kids dropped their bags, all of them reaching for a hug.  "I don't know what to say. I..." Steven said as the children hugged him. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys! You're all swell." Steven thanked, hugging the children back.

They waved at the children as they drove off in their cart. "Goodbye, I'll never forget you all!" Steven said as he waved goodbye.

"I'll make sure to come by next summer!" Labradorite smiled as she waved. Onion walked back to the tree log, sad as he sat down Labradorite and Steven sat beside him.

"So that's why you wanted me to come back here so much." Steven said first, looking down at the ground. "This was the last chance to have all your friends in the same place, wasn't it?" Labradorite asked, Onion placed his hands over his eyes.

"Uh. Onion felt really sad about his friends leaving, but he started to feel a little better." Steven said, making Onion look at Steven with a confused expression, Labradorite hummed before speaking.

" 'How?' Onion thought, 'how could this possibly be better? When my friends are leaving?'" Labradorite said, playing along with Steven's silly narrative game.

"He remembered all the great times he had with his friends. And all the cool stuff they did together. And until next summer, he had his pals Steven and Labradorite to hang out with. If he wants too." Steven said, Onion, smiled, his eyes filling with tears.

"That does make it a little better." Labradorite said as Onion hugged Steven. Then he hugged Labradorite, a warm feeling spreading through all three of the individuals.
How thoughtful.
Though. Labradorite could feel something bad coming. She didn't know what or when or who. But it was bad, and she was very very scared.

[A/N: heyyy you guys! It's been a while, but the school year just started so my story parts might be a little irregular, but I'm trying to get to atleast 4 parts each month, I don't want yall to starve, but anyway, I've thought about what I want to do fro the special, it's going to be a lot of things, but one of theose things is an ask segment and I need asks so if you have a Tumblr go to my FFGR blog and ask some questions for the gems, if you want. Here's the link: https://www.tumblr.com/f0rcedfus1ong0ner1ghtbl0g?source=share anyways that's all the news for now, catch you guys later- Bee]