Blue is a Sleepy Colour

1- Blue Boy

Connie was proud of herself for choosing such a nice spot to read. Usually people tried to avoid the beach due to the 'strange magical women' that lived in the temple. However Connie decided it was ridiculous to assume that these people were strange. She'd seen them around town before, and they seemed like perfectly nice ladies.

She had placed herself underneath the overhang of the cliff in an attempt to shield herself from the sun's hammering heat. Once comfortably in the soft sand, she delved into her book. It lasted for like ten minutes.

"Excuse me, miss?"

The voice came from in front of her, and Connie fought back a shiver at how sweet and gentle it sounded. She begrudgingly looked up from her book, and saw a teenage boy stood sheepishly. He had floppy black curls and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Her eyes landed on what looked like a blue gemstone embedded in his chest. Weird. He stood just taller than her, his thin frame slightly hunched.

"I just wanted to tell you that I don't think it's too safe for you to be sat there. This spot has a history of crushing people with falling boulders." He smiled quietly, and Connie blushed.
"Oh, yeah, thanks! I'll keep it in mind."

He nodded and turned, ready to walk away. Connie hesitated. This boy interested her. He seemed like a gentle soul, and that gemstone raised more than a few questions.

...And he was cute.

"Hey!" She called out, and he quickly turned around with a raised brow. "What's your name?"
She smiled at the blush that blossomed on his cheeks.
"Oh! My name's Steven. I live in the temple, just round there." Steven pointed at the ginormous stone sculpture that overlooked the beach, carved into the mountainside. Connie stood up and tucked her book under her arm.
"I'm Connie. I live in town. I was just coming here to find a quiet place to read."

"I understand. The beach is really peaceful. What're you reading?"
"'The Unfamiliar Familiar'. It's like 'The Golden Compass' with a bit of 'Harry Potter' thrown in."

Steven gave her a confused look.
"I've never heard of any of those."

Connie gave a mockingly shocked gasp.
"No way! How have you never heard of Harry Potter? It's like the most popular book series in existence."
Steven laughed.
"I guess I'm not really much of a bookworm."

Connie couldn't help but want to get to know him better. Steven had some sort of mysterious air to him, and she felt like a moth drawn to a flame. She appreciated his shy smile, and revelled in the aloofness of his manner.

Their conversation was cut short as she heard a crack from above her. Steven must have heard it too, as he looked up with a very startled look on his face. They both stared up, and they both saw the very sizeable shard of debris tumbling towards Connie.

She barely had time to react before she felt herself being swept off of her feet, suddenly feeling herself gliding through the air in a pair of lean arms. For the first few moments, it was a blur of rocks crashing, strong winds, and a blue light. When she looked up, she couldn't believe it.

Steven, holding her tightly, was floating above the fallen boulder, a pair of stunningly beautiful wings, seemingly made of water, extending from his back elegantly. He drifted down and gently placed her back onto her feet.

He turned to look at her, a worried expression on his face. The light of the sun reflected off of his wings, perfectly accenting his features in a striking blue hue. His hair appeared to float around him as if he were underwater, and his blue eyes seemed to glisten like diamonds. Connie thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Are you okay?"

She snapped from her trance.
"Oh! Oh, yeah, I'm... I'm fine. Thank you."
His wings retreated into his back as he grinned sheepishly.
"I'd assume you have some questions..."
"So many."

The next thirty minutes were spent sat in the sand, Steven trying to explain what gems were in as much detail as he could. Connie listened intently, every piece of information intriguing her even more.

She didn't realise how complicated the temple's past really was, and the connotations it had. The Temple of Obsidian had been there for as long as she could remember, overlooking the shore like a protective guardian.

She learned of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, and how they lived with Steven in the small beach house built into the temple's entrance. She learned of how they lived for thousands of years, and she learned of Steven's hybrid status among the gems.

She learned of fusion, corruption, teleportation, and things she couldn't begin to comprehend. Despite this, Steven still stood as an icon of mystery to her. Despite the prolonged explanation, she wanted more detail from the hybrid himself. She wanted to get to know him over more than just a conversation.

For years, her only friends were books. Could Steven be the one to change that? She had learned to live independently for fourteen years of life, not relying on friends or acquaintances. Her parents had made sure of that. Not that she minded, at this point that's just what life was.

She pondered if this boy's stickler life was the thing that attracted her so much- the action, adventure, and anything differing from her painfully normal, boring life.

"That's... a lot." She tried to summarise her opinion. Steven rubbed the back of his neck timidly.
"Yeah I guess it is... it's pretty normal for me, considering it's what I grew up with. I'll be honest though, it's actually kind of a mystery to me too. The gems don't really reveal a lot to me, so I'm pretty clueless most of the time."

Connie giggled.
"You have to admit, it is pretty cool."

Steven smiled.

"Yeah. I guess it is."

***
Two years ago...

"How is this going to help me use my powers exactly?" Steven looked over the edge of the cliff worriedly. Garnet crossed her arms.
"Well the first time we saw your wings was in a life or death situation. So if we put you in that situation again, your powers should kick in."

Steven glanced at her sceptically.
"I seriously doubt this..." he looked over the edge again, wincing slightly at the sight of the ground hundreds of feet below them. There was no surviving that fall. Unfortunately, Garnet had other plans.

Before he knew what was happening, he toppled over the edge as a harsh shove pushed him forward.
"GARNEEEEEEEEEET!" He screamed, falling rapidly through the air, plummeting towards his doom faster than he could comprehend.
"You'll be fine, just fly back up." He glanced to his left to see Garnet falling beside him, looking as calm as ever. Steven shut his eyes tight, desperately trying to concentrate on his wings. Nothing. His eye opened a crack, and he began to panic as he saw how close the ground was getting.

"I can't! Garnet you've got to get us out of here!"
"You can do it, Steven."
"Noooo, I'm very sure I can't! GARNET WE'RE GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE?!"

Garnet sighed. In one swift movement, she swept Steven up in her arms and landed on the ground with a colossal thump, leaving a small crater in the dirt. She placed a frazzled Steven onto the floor.

He placed a trembling hand in his ruffled hair and exhaled.
"Let's never do that again."

"We'll see."