After hearing Garnet's song, all you could hear was some sort of ringing sound in your ears. Taking a shaky breath and looking away from the gems that stood below you, you looked up at the sky, and then tilted your gaze downwards a little at the injector.

You suddenly grinned and opened your wings.

It was time to finish this. Once and for all.

Sending a glance to Steven and the gems from over your shoulder, you crouched down and gave your wings a hard flap; sending you flying high up into the air instantly. Once you were close to the top of the injector, you closed your wings and dived: landing perfectly on the poison-filled machines top. When you landed, you stood up, stretched your arms, and blew a strand of hair out of your face before walking over to the edge of the injector and pulling your violin out.

Finish this, A dark voice said in your head, and you listened and began to play an intense tune; which caused all of the poison in the injector to empty itself into the very Earth. Large waves of the pink liquid spread over Beach City as citizens ran for cover. Giant cracks soon began to form everywhere, with the very poison filling them all to the brim. The water that surrounded Beach City shifted, and waves crashed against the island as their once crystal blue color changed into a dark, murky pink.

It was done.

Opening your eyes slowly, you took in the sight before you with a blank stare and a frown.

You started this, The voice in your head chimed as you tsked and turned away from the city, walking to the center of the injector. And it's about time that you finish it.

You hadn't realized it, but you had begun to cry.

*****

"We have to stop (Y/n)." Garnet stated firmly as the gems turned to her, just when Connie was riding up to join them on Lion.

"Wait!" Steven swallowed the breath of air that he hadn't known he needed and straightened up slightly, beads of sweat still falling from his face. With the purple bags under his eyes, it was clear that he was tired (Though, I'm sure everyone already knew that).

"You guys have your powers, you've gotta go save everybody!" The gem-hybrid said, sending a small glance over to the injector behind him before looking back over to the now-broken Beach City in worry.

Steven then clenched his fists and stood up straighter as he turned around to face the injector; keeping his gaze upwards to the top of the giant machine, where the (F/c) gem was.

She was standing up there: alone.

Steven was going to change that.

"I'll deal with (Y/n)." Steven told, his voice serious.

At hearing this, the Crystal Gems immediately walked up to Steven and tried to convince him to not go through with this little 'plan' of his.

"She'll crush you, dude!" Amethyst said, taking a desperate step towards Steven with a frown on her face.

Pearl shook her head and stepped towards the diamond-hybrid as well, her face coated with concern. "You can't fight her." Pearl tried to reason.

Steven frowned and shook his head, turning back to the Crystal Gems with a look of determination. "But I can still talk to her! Please, hurry!"

Garnet smiled at Steven, proud of him for taking charge. She placed her hands on Pearl's and Amethyst's shoulders, and nodded. "Right."

Pearl and Amethyst blinked, and sighed. There was really no way to convince Steven out of this, huh?

Pearl and Amethyst sent eachother a glance, and then nodded before turning back to Steven and smiling; though you could still see the worry flashing through their eyes.

Readjusting her visors, Garnet turned around towards the city and frowned slightly at the state it was in. "Move out!" She ordered before running off down the mountain, with the rest of the gems and Connie soon following after her.

Steven nodded to himself as he watched the gems and Connie run off to go help the people of Beach City, before turning around back towards the injector.

Steven frowned and took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and crouched down, getting ready to jump. It's just you and me now, (Y/n). . .

Snapping his eyes open at his recent thought, Steven looked back up at the injector and jumped; his gem glowing slightly. The teenager continued to fly higher and higher, when his levitation powers stopped working. Grunting, Steven used all of his strength to push himself towards the injector, until he was close enough to grasp onto it.

THUD!

Steven coughed and tried digging his nails into the machines glass, but he couldn't.

And then, he began to slip.

Steven gasped and began to cry out as he continued to slide down the glass of the injector.

No, no, no! Steven pushed himself against the injector and somehow dug his nails into it. He cringed slightly at the loud, unbearable screeching sound his sandles made when he finally stopped slipping.

Get up there, A voice in his head urged him as Steven looked up towards the dark, cloudy sky. You need to do this. Think about the gems, Connie, Beach City!

Steven grunted and he felt himself beginning to slip away, when the voice suddenly added,

Think about (Y/n).

Steven's eyes went wide and he froze in his spot.

The voice apparently took that as an opportunity to continue.

Think about how she cried when she told you of her and Spinel's past.

Steven grunted and looked up as he began to climb.

Think about how lonely she must be feeling right now.

Steven hadn't realized it, but a fire in his chest seemed to have ignited itself as soon as that thought was heard. It all echoed throughout Steven's head like a song: (Y/n), (Y/n), (Y/,n), UGH! Why was he thinking about her so much?!

Because you love her, you idiot.

Steven, once again, froze, and his eyes widened.

.

.

.

". . . I what—" Steven was cut off by the sound of a monstrous roar from behind him. Jumping out of surprise, Steven looked over his shoulder, only to be met with the sight of Alexandrite stomping around Beach City; saving people left and right and dropping them off at the warp pad in Little Homeworld.

Steven sighed and looked away, once again returning his gaze to the glowing top of the injector.

Get going, The voice snapped at him, making Steven blink. She's waiting for you.

Steven took a shaky breath and looked at his reflection in the glass of the injector. The torn up clothes, dark circles under his eyes, bruises, cuts — they had all been caused by her.

And yet, he wasn't mad. Not at all. He wasn't even upset. But why? Was it out of pity for everything she had gone through? Maybe he just didn't have the heart to actually 'hate' someone? Or maybe. . . maybe. . .

Steven sighed and looked down, closing his eyes.

And then, the voice returned. You already know the reason, idiot, It said. All you have to do is admit it to yourself.

Steven remained silent.

Answer yourself, Steven. The voice continued, sounding more firm. Why don't you hate her?

Steven once again remained silent, and a shadow casted itself over his eyes.

.

.

.

.

Steven chuckled and shook his head, a smile surprisingly returning to his face.

"Because. . ." Steven gulped. "Because I love her."

The voice was quiet for a moment.

And then it spoke, sounding as if it were pleased; About time.

And with that, the voice was gone.

Steven chuckled again and slowly looked back up, expecting his eyes to meet with the dark clouds of the gloomy sky.

But they didn't.

Instead, they locked with a pair of (E/c) ones instead.

Steven could stare at those eyes all day, but now was not a time to be distracted. He needed to talk to her: now. Grunting, Steven lifted his hand up, and began to climb once again.

Hey, you, show me that solvable problem~

He sang out to the gem staring down at him, smiling when he saw her eyes go wide.

We can get through this~

Steven held his hand up to her, almost as if he were trying to reach out and grab her, but all she did was stare down at him in shock.

I'll do the hardest part with you~

And with that, Steven looked away from the (F/c) gem above him and returned his main focus to climbing the injector, unaware of (Y/n)'s shocked, flustered gaze still staring down at him.

It's the true, it's the true,

It's the true kind of love~

(Y/n) took a step back from the edge and placed a hand against her chest, her face feeling as if it were on fire as she began to pace around the injector, confused. What was that all about? Just— The way he had looked at her made her feel. . . feel. . .

(Y/n) groaned and buried her face in her hands.

It's the true, it's the true,

It's the true kind of love~

Steven gasped when he felt himself slip once more, but he quickly caught himself and began to climb again; determination written all over his face as he brought himself up higher and higher.

All he had to do was remember that (Y/n) was at the top, and that she was waiting for him.

It's the true, it's the true,

It's the true kind of love~

Unaware to the two, Alexandrite was watching from afar. The large fusion smirked and readjusted her visors as she turned around and began to make her way to Little Homeworld, to drop the many humans standing in her hand off at the warp pad there.

It's the true, it's the true,

It's the true kind of love~

"Are you sure Steven will be okay?" Bismuth asked the giant fusion as she set the last human down next to their family.

Alexandrite smirked slightly and nodded, turning her attention over to the injector.

"Of course he will be."

*****

Steven grunted as he landed face first against the top of the injector. With his arms spread out, the gem-hybrid was quick to pull himself all the way up; to ensure that he wouldn't fall.

Panting, Steven slowly stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Man, that was one heck of a climb. . . He thought to himself with a sigh.

"So, you finally made it?" Came the familiar voice of (Y/n), making Steven look up.

Your back was turned to him and you were slouched over, hugging yourself with both your arms and your wings. Your hair was messy, but still flowed gently with the breeze.

The very breeze that carried your tears away.

Steven frowned. He didn't like seeing you like this. At all.

Quickly walking over to you, Steven held his hand out for you to take. "(Y/n), please, we can talk this out." He said, still panting.

You remained silent.

Steven continued. "(Y/n), please," He took a step closer and placed his hand on your shoulder. "I don't wanna fight you." The gem-hybrid said, trying to reason with you.

.

.

.

"I don't wanna play anymore, Steven. . ." You muttered, still not turning to face him.

Steven's frown deepened. "(Y/n), this isn't a game!" Steven yelled, putting his foot down and rolling his hands into fists at his sides.

You growled and finally turned to him, flaring your wings aggressively. "You think I don't know that?!" You questioned, tears still falling from your eyes as you grinded your teeth.

Steven's eyes widened and he stumbled back. "Huh?"

You couldn't take it anymore — you had snapped. Taking a step back, you opened your wings and suddenly flew into Steven, elbowing him in the face in the process and making him fall off the edge and slide down the injectors top. He was quick to catch himself, though.

"Phew. . ." Steven sighed with relief and wiped his sleeve across his nose, when he noticed something:

Blood.

His nose was bleeding.

Steven frowned and turned to climb back up, when a whip suddenly wrapped itself around him and lifted him up over the edge, earning a surprised cry from him as he looked down from where he was now dangling in the air.

"You know," You began, your voice quiet.

Steven looked over to you, eyes wide.

"I came here to take my anger out on a bunch of strangers," You stated blankly, finally looking up to meet Steven's shocked gaze.

You frowned and tilted your head to the side, wrapping the end of your whip around your finger. "But now that I know you," You chuckled and shook your head.

.

.

.

"I don't know what I wanna do with you honestly. . ." You finished, looking away from Steven and frowning to yourself.

Soon, though, Steven's arm was beginning to slip out of his jacket. Steven's eyes went even wider and he cried out as he looked down at his gem, only to see that it was glitching out.

Steven felt tears build up in the corners of his eyes and he shut them tightly before growling out and shouting towards the sky, "I don't get it!"

You blinked and rose a brow, turning back to him. "Huh?"

Steven sniffled and clutched his arm tightly, still trying to keep himself from falling. "Why aren't my powers back? Aren't I reliving every horrible thing that's ever happened to me?" The gem-hybrid question, making your eyes widen. What? You thought to yourself as concern for the dangling male before you flashed through your eyes.

Steven gulped and looked over to you. "A gem I barely know is trying to kill me." You flinched slightly at those words and guilt began to build up in your chest. "I'm paying for stuff my mom did that had nothing to do with me." He continued, looking out to the messed up Beach City. Steven then looked down, watching the tears streaming down his face fall towards the Earth far below him. "I'm struggling with my powers. The world's about to end!" Steven held back a sob and looked back at you, and you were immediately stricken with grief as soon as you saw his face.

"What piece could I be missing?"

You remained silent; too shocked to say anything or give him a reply. You only stood there, watching as Steven cried and struggled for his life in your whip.

.

.

.

"You changed." You whispered, still staring at Steven.

The diamond-hybrid immediately perked up as soon as he heard you say that and he stared back at you with a shocked expression. ". . . What did you say?" He asked, his tears seemingly coming to a halt.

You gasped at yourself and covered your mouth with your hand, but the damage had already been done.

Steven grinned at you, looking as if he had been given the key to the universe. "I changed." He said, the wind blowing through his fluffy hair. "That's the final piece. All those struggles. I learned from them, and I grew." Steven's eyes widened at his sudden realization. "Oh, my gosh. It's not just my gem powers I've forgotten. . ." Steven looked up, towards the sky once more. "All this happily ever after stuff has made me forget the first power I've ever had—"

Steven smiled and began to swing back and forth in your whip, making you gasp and take a step back.

"The power to change!"

And then, his gem began to glow, and he fell.

You gasped and ran over to the edge of the injector, your eyes wide. "Ste. . . ven. . ." Your words trailed off as you slowly stepped away from the gem-hybrid, who was now levitating in front of you with a bright, pink glow emitting from him.

Steven blinked. He looked down at his gem, and his eyes turned into stars once he saw it back to its bright glow. Grinning, Steven looked over and summoned his shield, before looking over to his opposite side and summoning another shield. He laughed, happy to have found that his powers had returned, and he lifted his hands above his head before bringing them down and summoning a pink bubble around himself.

You watched with wide eyes as Steven did his magic. The bubble around him had went from a plain old circle, to morphing into different sizes and shapes. With your mouth agape, you took a step back as a sudden burst of energy left Steven, who was still laughing out of pure joy.

.

.

.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. . . Your mind told you, and you nodded in agreement with the thought as you watched Steven slowly return to the floor, a heat rising to your cheeks.

And you definitely weren't supposed to fall for the enemy.