Connie pranced in wearing all pink today, after all it was their anniversary. They'd planned to just spend the day in and be isolated from the world in their own little world.

Steven was reorganizing the living room and turned to greet her. The couch was moved closer to the TV and angled slightly, no longer against the wall. He had put together blankets and a big present along with a small one sat wrapped and ribboned to perfection. 

He smiled big, but then dropped it immediately upon looking at her outfit. "You're... wearing pink."

Connie's stomach dropped at his tone and she looked down at it. It was quite simple really: just a cropped graphic pink top and a pink skirt with darker pink stars he'd once mentioned would look stellar on her. Maybe he'd changed his mind? "Is this okay? Do you not like it?" She'd never cared if he liked her outfits before and he generally seemed to adore her regardless of anything, but the minor panic rose in her throat like bile.

He looked out to the open balcony window and swallowed, then back to her. "You always look... beautiful." Under his shirt, his gem flickered to life as he continued to openly stare.

Connie felt his eyes turn pink. Not actually, but she swore she could feel the heat of his gaze beating against her skin. He scowled unintentionally and blinked, then his eyes were back to brown. "Steven, are you okay?"

"Of course," He motioned her closer and pulled her against his body, his hand twitching at her side. "Have I ever told you that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?" Steven tipped her chin up to look at him and watched her blush. "So fucking beautiful."

His hand was so warm against her chin that she couldn't help but bunt into it. "I was worried it was ugly for a minute."

The grip tightened. "No. You're beautiful every second of every day." Steven kissed her briefly and tried for a smile. "What did you want to do first?"

The tension disappeared and Connie bounced on her toes. "I want to snuggle on the couch, watch whatever we want, or just make out and goof off, whatever." She giggled when he raised his eyebrows at her discombobulated excitement. She grabbed his hand and intertwined it with hers. "I just love spending time with you, Steven. Anything we do is a blessing."

Stevens eyes grew misty and then wet, quiet tears were spilling over his cheeks. "I'm in love with you."

Cooing, she wiped them away with her thumb. "Oh sweetie, I didn't mean to make you cry! I love you too."

He pulled her into a sudden and suave dip, eyes traveling down to where her shirt met her skin. "I– you're everything I've ever wanted. Perfect..." His lips pressed together like he was going to say something else, perhaps a word that started with an M, but nothing escaped.

Connie pulled him down to kiss her, drawing her tongue over his lip and then his own to taste the comfort she was searching for. Sure, he was being romantic to no end, but she couldn't shake the feeling something was off. He groaned and deepened it, gripping the hand still holding hers tightly and then letting go so he could run his hand over her body. Interest seemed to lie in her clothing, he fiddled with it between his fingers like he'd never seen her wear clothes before. Pulling apart he glanced down and rumbled deeply, almost a murmur to himself, "Fuck."

So it was something with her outfit, maybe.

No matter, he pulled her back up and motioned for her to sit just as he did. Then he thought better and pulled her onto his lap. "Happy Anniversary, Connie."

She laughed and squished his cheeks. "Happy 3rd Anniversary, Steven."

Steven's humor was restored and he sighed obnoxiously. "Don't tell me we're gonna start this again."

"Absolutely, I can't let you forget that we dated a full year before you realized we were dating."

~

Steven and Connie had confessed their feelings for each other immediately after a first kiss had turned to him pining her against a wall to keep her in place. He'd lost control of his passion so quickly, and she'd responded in kind. They'd waited far, far too long through too many sexually charged moments and awkward beach days and long nighttime conversations even when one had to be up early. It was obvious to everyone but each other that their feelings were mutual.

So, Steven started taking her out. They'd do fun things together, he'd bring her flowers, they'd have sleepovers and go to the movies, he'd even bought her a hair clip in the shape of a pink star that she adored with all her heart.

One year had passed and Connie had excitedly bounded to his house, her own bouquet of flowers in her hand. "Hi, Steven!"

He dropped his eyes to the flowers and smiled. "Hi, Connie. What's this?"

"A precursor to our anniversary," She'd replied, stepping in when he motioned her to. "I'm going to love the hell out of you."

She turned to watch him blush but was only met with confusion and panic. "Wh-What?"

"Our anniversary. Like, of dating," She explained patiently. Steven wasn't bad with dates, but his life was a little hectic lately. It was a good thing she reminded him.

Now he was blushing at full force as he grabbed the flowers and stared at them, his lips parted in awe. Steven held them like they were the most precious and irreplaceable gift on the planet and looked up at her. "We're dating?"

Connie's jaw dropped in horror as she cupped his cheeks. "Yes! For an entire year."

"Holy shit." He locked eyes with her. "I didn't know we were dating." Panic overtook him and he glowed pink. "Oh my stars I didn't know we were dating!" There was no smile like she would've thought had she known, he set the flowers down delicately and grabbed her shoulders. "Connie, I'm so so sorry! I-I would've been trying so much harder to be romantic!"

They'd been saying the three little words for almost the whole time.

They'd been going on dates the whole time.

Steven had been the best and most romantic boyfriend the whole time!

~

So there was a bit of discrepancy on when they actually started dating. Steven had started trying a hell of a lot harder, to the point where her house was full of flowers and he kissed her like he thought she wasn't real. He couldn't fathom it, so the debate continued.

Steven shook his head at the TV and turned to her, catching her eyes almost instantly. He glanced at her outfit again and licked his lips in such a sexy way she grew wet just at the sight. "I should give you your gifts."

"My eyes are up here, silly." He corrected himself immediately, but the difference was obvious. "I got you maybe too many gifts," She added, jumping up almost obliviously to grab them all. She was happy he liked her outfit so much, it made her proud that he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of it. She felt beautiful like he had told her, even with the one bigger box taking her off kilter a bit.

He scoffed and shook his head. "That's too many, Connie! I thought we said two!"

"We did say that, didn't we?" She teased with a wink. "I'm a rebel, remember?"

Steven motioned for her to hand one over and smiled broadly. "I always forget."

His first gift made him cry almost immediately. A picture of them on the beach hand in hand, one that was not taken by him or her. In fact, he hadn't a clue who it was taken by. Connie was mid laugh it seemed, though it was from behind, and Steven grinned his teenage grin at her, the most in love teen on the planet. He must have told her a joke or said something silly, but he couldn't analyze the picture any further through the tears.

"Do you like it?" She crooned, rubbing at his baby curls. "I can't tell."

He gave her a watery laugh and ran his finger over the frame. It was nearly bubbled in the smooth rise and fall just before the picture started.

"I'll show you the second part of that gift later. Your turn again!" She slid the second into his hand, leaving the biggest one standing proudly.

It was the same size and width he'd expect a picture frame to have, and his thrill reached no ends as he tore into it. But though he was mostly right, it was no picture.

It was a love letter.

If he'd thought he was crying before, he hadn't a clue. He pulled her into his arms and sobbed, thankful she let him cling and rest his lips against her neck. He placed kisses there, soft broken proclamations of love he felt so strongly it was everything he could do not to fuse.

Connie sniffled and pulled him back to look at him. "I know I suck at being romantic, so I wanted to try. You're always doing such wonderful things for me. You deserve it."

Deserve. What a silly word. He nodded and wiped at his eyes, trying to recompose himself as he pushed his hands through his hair. "Oh god, I failed comparatively. I'm not Garnet but I can see the inevitable crash and burn of my perfect record."

"We'll save your last one for later." Connie winked suggestively and he eyed the box nervously.

"Then I guess it's your turn." He grabbed the smallest box first. "Now it's not as eccentric, but I hunted it down like a poacher. I saw it once, and then I couldn't find it."

Her first thought was that it was a ring, and she felt very conflicting emotions about it. College was coming to a close eventually, but not quite. Still she found herself a little excited regardless, and sure enough found a jewelry box. She glanced up at him, and he smiled just a little, nerves written all over his body language. "It's not a ring. Not yet. I promise."

She burst out laughing and slipped it off, still kind of expecting to find one anyways.

"Oh my stars," She breathed, lifting it out of the box to look closer. It hung off a simple thin chain, silver and very high quality. Two tiny little glow bracelets, one pink and one blue hooked together. Her heart swelled so fast she was choking on tears for a moment. "This. This beats mine." She laughed tearfully and shook her head, knowing he was watching her face but she couldn't look away. "I'll never take it off. I'd rob a robber right back just to get this. Screw my social security card."

Steven reached for it and unclasped it. "May I?"

It even hung perfectly. It was them, really truly them. No other human would ever know love and devotion like such given by Steven Universe. He floored her, dazzled her, wooed her and he was barely even trying.

He switched to the floor in front of her and grabbed the second gift, a longer slender box. "This one." He tapped the top of it with his finger. "This is serious. We talked about it, and I think it's time."

Her breathing hitched when he opened it for her, a subtle dominance showing through that almost confirmed what it was. He handed the box to her and smiled. "You may open it, but don't do anything else."

"Of course." Her heart felt like it was going at a reasonable 6,000 miles an hour as she slipped the leather box top off.

She started to cry again, oh she started to sob like she never had before. Her wildest fantasies she'd shared in good conscience with Steven, the parts of her she felt were dirty and wrong, he'd seen promise and hope there.

"It's not like a dog collar," He explained quickly, wiping away at her tears. "I caught you looking at them multiple times, and it spoke to me too. Hey," He held her face as she whined and hiccuped. "Is this okay?"

She nodded vigorously, doing her best to pretty cry. "Yes. It's perfect. Beautiful. I might marry you tomorrow."

He grunted, smirking a little. "Noted. Are you gonna survive?"

"I think I've already died and gone to heaven."

It was sturdy, black and metal with a weight she could feel through the box. Another high quality item she could feel was at least hundreds of dollars over their agreed upon limit. He never listened, he never listened, but the pink diamond shaped center, complete with a padlock hole and another necklace with a key told her why.

She looked up at him, her eyes still brimming with unfallen tears and saw the love she'd been reading about in fantasy books come to life before her very eyes.

"You're mine, Connie Maheswaren." Steven set the box aside and pushed her arms so he could drop a sparkling kiss on her stomach. "We were made for each other. I was made for you–,"

"I was made for you, too," She swore quickly.

Stevens eyes dropped to her outfit again. "Oh, don't I know it." His voice went hoarse suddenly, much hoarser than she'd ever heard it. His thumbs pushed into her sides as if testing her durability. "I've been beside myself almost literally with you wearing so much of my color. Diamonds make gems that resemble them and their color." He nipped her this time hard enough to make her gasp and grab onto his hair to hold him in place. "You look like you're mine."

"Please, let me put it on."

He grinned against her and nodded slowly. "I'll put it on."

There was no suggestion in his voice, he was demanding. She felt the glow under his skin before it came and he grew under her hands until he pulled away and was just above eye level even on his knees.

She swallowed in anticipation and nodded. "Yes, my Diamond. P-please grace me with more of your touch."

His glow brightened but he stayed deadpan, pulling his hands away from her seemed like a task he was loathing with all of his might but he grabbed the collar and ran his thumb over it. He smiled, smiled with all of his heart and lifted it to her neck.

"This will lock around your neck, and I'll have the key on my person at all times. When you want to play, you'll bring this collar to me on your hands and knees and place it next to me." He hesitated before it clasped and whispered, "My Connie. You're all mine now."

The click was quiet, but deafeningly loud. It meant so many things, so many wonderful things. Like magic, everything faded away but Steven, pulling away to gain the full visual. Her eyes slid halfway as she entered a dreamlike state, bliss filling every corner of her being. "I'm all yours."