Paralyzed

Road trip!

Your POV

Noon eventually, and you groaned in pain as you felt an iron grip around your waist. You could tell it was Steven, and you knew better than to move in fear that his grasp would only get tighter. You attempted to ease back into sleep, only to fail miserably.

You poked his shoulder, and he mumbled something that you didn't hear. "STEVEN!" you shouted into his ear, and he jumped, you still in his arms. You both went flying. You sent him a playful glare. He laughed, and it took you a full ten minutes to get you and him back on the ground.

You lifted your shirt up to see that your stomach was blue and black. (A/n: Inspired by the pain in my ribs for no reason.) He shrieked, licking his hand and slapping it lightly on the giant bruise. You winced as you felt some ribs being repaired. "You truly have an iron grip." you mumbled as he continuously apologized. You repetitively said, "It's not a problem." and "Don't worry, I'm fine now." or "I don't mind." he didn't seem to get it, but he eventually stopped.

You two went into the kitchen, newly cleaned silverware in the counter waiting for you. He filled it with microwavable meals, which you had learned to love. He got out the silverware, handing you a fork so you could eat your (whatever food is microwavable that you actually like) at the kitchen table. 

You set your food down, Steven joining seconds later. There was a silence as you at your food, but it wasn't the usual uncomfortable silence you had at the hospital. Piercing and head pounding, this was different. There was a candle (that Steven must have lit as you walked up to him earlier) in the middle of the table and it was producing that beachy scent.

He noticed you looking at it and explained, "I grew up in a beach house, so burning this candle helps calm me down slightly. It's a familiar scent." your eyes flashed in excitement as you said, "We should go there!" his face lit up as he stood from his chair, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him.

You weren't hurt by his actions, and you continued to eat your food. When you finished, you went to clean your plate. He came in, seeing you humming as you applied soap to the sponge in your hand, a smile on your face.

You look up to see him, "What? I wasn't able to do this before." he chuckles in return, saying, "I remember when I was younger and I absolutely hated doing household chores, opting for dangerous missions with the gems instead while Pear did everything."

You gave him a warm smile, asking, "So, are we going or not??" stars entered his eyes, "YEah!" his voice cracked, and you both laughed as he cringed. "When?" you ask, and he smiles. "Better start packing; were going on the road now!!" he yells at thin air, and you smile broadly.

You run out of the room, collecting all of your bought clothing along with your phone and put it all on one shopping bag. He came in the room, spotting your bag and saying, "Geez, we really need to get you more stuff." you shrug and say, "I don't need much. I'm not picky like you."

You see his fake hurt expression as the answer caught him off guard. You pounced on him, ruffling his hair as he struggled against you. Steven's face was suddenly wet. You saw an empty cup of water. His face turned fearful as you smirked.

You turned to the sink and bolted; making it before he did and turning it on. Water came out and rushed to his face. "Get em'!" you shouted as gallons of water came to soak him. Everything turned into a shade of pink, but the water still splashed him.

"Come on!" he groaned, and you laughed. He turned to you, shook his head, and blinked. Everything turned back to normal, and as a last-ditch effort to make everything seem normal (which it worked) he walked away to his room, grumbling gibberish.

"You're welcome!" you call after him, and as he had nothing to reply as, he didn't yell anything back. You cleaned up the water on the floor with ease. He came out of his room with a new black shirt and pair of pants, original pink jacket around his waist.

You untied it, taking it from him. He didn't have the energy to protest as he watched you absorb all the water from the clothing, putting it back into the sink. You handed it back to him, and he gave you a smile in return.

He paused and then asked, "Then why didn't you do that to the rest of my clothes???" you both burst out into hearty laughs, eventually stopping and walking out the door, luggage in hand. You set it in the Dondi, and you buckled into the seat next to him as he drove off.

You looked out the window for an hour, wishing you were able to drive so you could trade seats with him. You could tell he was tired, as he put on rock music to keep him awake, paired with the constant yawning.

Eventually, you saw a sign: 

'WELCOME TO BEACH CITY, HOME TO THE CRYSTAL GEMS!' 
In bold, red paint.

You smiled.
Today, you were going to meet Steven's family.