A List Of Our Firsts

Disciplinary Issues

Steven had never. He had never, ever, ever!

He was embarrassed beyond belief picking up his 14 year old child from the damn police department. Of course he was recognized on sight, of course people recognized him not as a person but as The Savior Of The Universe, and then escorted him to pick up Azalea.

Child Of High Expectations, Child of Savior Of The Universe.

Child Of Lividly Glowing Parent.

Steven sighed and the pink disappeared, but that alone sent a message he wish it wouldn't send. Azalea looked like his kid for sure; they had his eyes (even if they were pink), they were creative and musical like he was, they were a little bit of a smart ass.

Sometimes he loved it. This was not one of those times. "I don't even know what to say to you," He mused tiredly. "What do you think I should say?"

Azalea shifted and tossed their hair. "I think you should take out the big guns and make Stevonnie do it?"

"Damn it, Azalea!" He exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel. "I am doing everything I can to give you the most perfect life I can and you're out–?!"

"I'm sorry!" Azalea started crying and curled up into themself. "Maybe I just wanted you to give a shit for once."

Steven parked the car on the side of the road and sighed. "I hate yelling. I feel awful for making you cry." He pulled them into a hug, then deciding the console was actively bending his ribs, pulled away and did an illegal u-turn. "Don't tell your mom about my driving, she'd kill me."

He glanced over at them hopefully and they cracked a tiny smile. They raised their hand and pulled their index and thumb fingers over their mouth, sealing it and tossing away the key.

He drove until they found a gravel road and gripped the stick shift. Azalea looked over probably to gage if he was going to drop them off and leave them there. He'd NEVER done that, but he and Connie had raised a very melodramatic child.

Azalea wasn't a bad kid, in fact they were incredibly bright and intelligent. Unfortunately, schools don't really calculate smarts based on a massive imagination and creative skill. They were a B student with endless talent that Steven was so proud of. They could sing, they could dance, they were an entertainer in the making. He was doing his Diamonds best to give this child the world.

He didn't know what he was doing wrong and it was breaking his heart. If Steven could be truly, honestly and completely 100% transparent and never feel guilty about it ever, he could admit that Azalea was... his favorite. He loved all his children with all of his being, he didn't have favorites. But Azalea was his. He saw so much of himself in them, so much potential. At certain angles Azalea and their father were twins despite their now blonde shoulder length hair and the pink roots. They had more of their mother's build, and looked way less like Stevonnie than Lucky did, but other than that they were so alike Connie accidentally scolded them with each others' names. Every time his affectionate child ran up to him to ask about stars and planets after picking on their sister, he felt an insurmountable satisfaction with his life.

And then he'd make them apologize dammit, because she was acting out so much recently.

"Get out of the car, Z," He coaxed, turning the it off.

Azalea looked out at the field of flowers and frowned. "Are you going to kill me?"

Steven was so horrified he burst out pink before he could turn on his phone flashlight to shine on them. "You're going to give your father a stroke. Look up, Z. Climb on the top of the Dondai."