Nothing but Lies and Stories (Steven Universe AU)

"We should having a movie night at my place this weekend" Jeff said, munching on a donut with one hand, the other holding a pencil which tapped against the table restlessly as he looked down at his paper filled with endless words and sentences. "I bought some new scary movies that seemed pretty interesting"

Peedee snapped his fingers, "Cool idea. I have that projector screen we could bring in. It'll be pretty sick". Peedee grinned. The rest smiled at the thought, simultaneously agreeing to the plans. They chatted about who brought what and what time they should meet. All agreeing to just bring any kind of snack and treat. 

"I might have a projector back at home my aunt Pearl might not use anymore, we can go check later" Steven replied, a hand ran through his black curled locks. He had been trying his best to concentrate on what his friends had been discussing, but his eyes wanted to wonder towards the new girl behind the counter. Despite Steven himself catching his own eyes looking towards her, he questioned why he wanted to in the first place. 

Get it together Steven, she's just a girl, why do you even want to look at her anyway? 

"Alright, we've been here for like an hour or something, that's enough studying. Steven, do you still have those books I lent you?" Peedee hummed, picking up his books and shoving them into his bag. The other two did the same, copying his actions. 

"Yeah, if we swing by the beach house we can find the projector too" The boys agreed. After cleaning their area, they turned to say goodbye to Sadie, Lars and Connie. The three of them waved to them politely. Steven was the last to step out of the establishment, taking a last look at the brunette. Connie managed to catch his stare which Steven tried to play off like he wasn't staring. Connie gave a slight laugh seeing Steven's slightly flushed cheeks. 

Shit, she's cute, I can't help it. Steven bit the inside of his cheek. Whatever, pull yourself together, don't get distracted by it. Lars is wrong. 

The boys walked down to the beach, taking almost no more than 10 minutes to reach Steven's house. The group made their way inside to find the dwelling empty. Steven found it a bit odd as he knew Pearl would be around or at least cooking in the kitchen at this time of day, but she was nowhere to be found. 

"The projector might be up in the attic" Steven suggested, pointing upwards. "Though, the only way to get to it is the bathroom" the males stood in silence, contemplating who should speak up. Steven has never been up into the attic before today, though on multiple occasions he has seen his father and the others go up and store things up there. Now he had a reason to go up there. 

He's always been curious. 

"Ight, I'll be right back then. Keep watch, this is the first time I'll be up there" Steven walked towards the bathroom, turning the lights on and looking up to the door on the ceiling. Pulling the string the door sprung open and a ladder hung loosely at the opening. 

"You've never been up there? Bro, how do you know it's even there then" PeeDee speculated, narrowing his eyes at Steven. He gave an apologetic smile at the blonde. "I don't, but they store stuff up there all the time, I'm sure it's up there" 

PeeDee shrugged and crossed his arms. "Alright then, but if you're in any mortal danger, scream for help" 

Steven proceeded upwards, climbing up into the unknown darkness and shining a light with his cellphone to look around. There was a soft light that came from a tiny window on the other end of the room. It was almost as if he came across a secret room, left untouched for ages by human kind. Though, he knew that wasn't the case, he figured Pearl, Garnet or his dad might have come up here at some point during the past few years to put away old christmas ornaments or other unnecessary things. 

The floor creaked as Steven walked around. There are boxes stacked on after the other, some reaching as high as the ceiling. Each box seemed to be labeled, not written with a marker, but labeled. 

Steven snorted, Definitely Pearl's doing. 

He scanned the boxes up and down. Some labeled: Steven's Baby Clothes, Picture books, Books, Instruments, CD's. Nothing that seemed to give hint that a projector was inside. Steven hummed, a finger tapping his chin in thought. There was a box he noticed that was left unlabeled. It was stuffed in a corner by itself, behind a pillar. If he wasn't snooping around at every inch of the attic then he might have missed it. 

Might be in here?

He held his phone in one hand and pulled the box put with the other. The box seemed much more heavy than he initially thought, his hand slipped just as he took a hold of the flap. He began to move things around, hopefully, by a strike of luck he'd find what he was looking for. He came across several journals, some thick yellow, worn out envelopes and a huge pink box at the bottom. Steven pursed his lips. He's never once seen these things before. 

Could they be Pearl's?

He took a notebook from inside the box and shined his light to it. Rose

His eyes widened in surprise. 

Mom?

"Yo did you find it yet!" PeeDee's voice echoed from downstairs. Steven flinched and let the notebook fall back into the box from the heart attack PeeDee had given him. He looked around frantically and opened another random box, not paying attention to the label. That stroke of luck hit, he had found the small projector he had been looking for along with his old video game consoles and games. 

"Yeah! I'll be down in a second" He called out, hurrying towards the stairs. He took one last look at the box he previously rummaged through. His heart ached and his mind couldn't get her name out of his thoughts. But he couldn't be bothered with it tonight, he had his friends downstairs waiting for him. His mom and looking through her things could wait

It'll be here, you can always come back tomorrow and look at it. Steven reminded himself. Be patient. Seeing her name and her stuff caused a turmoil inside him he didn't know existed. The mixture of sadness, happiness, confusion, and anger all in one, it made his skin crawl with goosebumps and his body warmed up, causing a cold sweat. 

Don't let it get to you, everything's fine. 

Steven went down the stairs and gloated about the projector in his hands. "Got it, I'll just go grab those books. You guys can take the projector." Jeff nodded, taking it from Steven's hands. "Sound's good" The curly haired one ran up the stairs and within minutes came down with what PeeDee requested. 

"You know, we should invite more people over. Kinda like a small party? Get some girls to come if you know what I mean" Peedee smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as if suggesting something to Jeff. Both Steven and Jeff smiled but rolled their eyes at his attempt. "Ehh..i'll think about it" Jeffy laughed. 

The boys walked to the front door where they said their goodbyes. 

"I'll catch you guys at school tomorrow then?" Steven asked. His palms gripped the inside of his pockets tightly. He was antsy to go back up into the attic to read those journals before Pearl, Garnet or Amethyst returned from wherever they were. They probably wouldn't like him snooping around his mother's belongings. Then again, he had every right to know about her didn't he?

"Right, see you tomorrow bro" Jeff and PeeDee fistbumped Steven and they were off. Steven smiled and glanced towards the bathroom door and ran towards it. A faint close of a door was heard from just around the corner. 

The backdoor

Steven skidded along the floorboards, trying to halt his running. "Steven! Are you home? I brought dinner!" Pearl's voice echoed within the house. Her shoes clicked against the floor, signifying she was getting closer to the kitchen. Steven rushed to sit on the couch, pretending to be on his phone. 

"Yeah Pearl i'm here. What's for dinner?" he asked. Pearl set down the five bags she held on the kitchen table. With a tired sigh, a hand on her hip she smiled weakly to the boy. "Some pasta, soup and nice bread to go along with it"

Steven hummed in delight. "Thanks," There was a moment of silence as he observed Pearl getting out a few dishes and setting up the table. Steven pitched in to help. His mind begged to ask Pearl about his mother, about the journals about what he had seen in the Attic but he couldn't find the right words. Many thoughts ran through his head about the outcomes of how the conversation can go, most of them ending badly. 

Steven made up his mind, he was gonna go nice and slow, maybe leave out the part that he found her journals. Just a casual conversation about her, that's all. Steven finished setting up the table. Four plates, glasses and utensils. All that's left were the other two ladies. 

"So Pearl, out of curiosity, there wouldn't happen to be any pictures or anything that belongs to mom lying around somewhere right?" Steven gulped. He picked out a few things from the food she had brought and placed even portions on his plate. Pearl stiffened slightly but ultimately relaxed after regaining composure. 

"Your father might have some of her stuff, i think it's best to ask him" She stated plainly,while picking at her food. Spinning a small amount of pasta on her fork then putting it in her mouth. Steven scrunched up his nose, frowning. He didn't know what was more upsetting, knowing Pearl had lied to him or that his own dad failed to mention also having some keepsakes he didn't know about. 

"So all the stuff in the attic with her name on them aren't hers?" He kept the conversation going, keeping his tone unchanged and refusing to let it raise. He wanted a civil conversion. Pearl glared down at the teen and crossed her arms, her cheeks slightly flushed. 

"You went up to the Attic? What could you possibly be looking for up there" She tried changing the subject, her tone more annoyed at the teen. 

"Well i was looking for that movie projector, which i eventually found but then I came across a few of Rose's things, Mom's things. Journals, a box and some envelopes"

Pearl chewed the inside of her cheek, released a frustrated breath through her nose. She turned back to continue eating her dinner. "Steven, I don't think it's anything precisely important. No one has really gone through all the boxes in there. It very well might be something of Amethyst, you know she used to draw" Pearl waved it off, being a lot more stern as she locked eyes with the male. 

Steven frowned back at his caregiver. He stuffed his mouth with the warm food and chewed it slowly. "Right, okay sorry i asked then" he hummed. After the somewhat painfully awkward discussion with his caregiver, the tension in the air remained. That was until Pearl broke and apologized. 

"I know you want to know more about your mother, and honestly I expected you to get more curious but I just thought I'd be a little more prepared to answer your questions" She spoke softly. Steven sat there staring at the platinum blonde for her to continue. "I guess i'm not in the mental stability i once thought it was" 

Pearl sighed again, standing up and putting the dishes into the sink. Steven noticed a sad and painful expression on her face as she walked away. From what he recalled from him and his father's deep conversations they had in the past, Pearl was one of his mother's long term best friends. They had been together for so long, her death was one that affected her greatly. Steven couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for her, but he couldn't avoid the thought that he was to blame for his mother's passing. After all, she died shortly after giving birth to him. 

Not once did Pearl nor his other two caregivers and his father made him feel that he was, it just so happened to be a thought after hearing about the cause of her death. It was just a deep, unsettling feeling in his gut that he refused to acknowledge and just shove in the back of his mind. 

Way to go Universe, you made her upset by talking about mom again .

Still, he wasn't going to give up. He was curious, and that curiosity drove him to look into it all further.

Steven's thoughts got interrupted when a loud "Ayoo Ste-man!" came from the front door. Steven sighed in slight relief hearing Amethyst. "Wanna see what I brought back from the Junkyard?" she laughed. Steven chuckled at her enthusiasm and shook his head. Amethyst always came in at the best time to distract him. 

XXxxXxxxXXxxx

After the evening passed, it was time for Steven to complete his nightly routine and go off to bed, except he wasn't able to fall asleep. He stared at the dark ceiling in his room and groaned in exhaustion. 

His mind wandered to the journals. His fingertips tingle, wanting to get a feel of them again. He wanted to read them, he had to know more about his mother since everyone was so hesitant about giving him more information. 

They probably won't notice if i took them from and took a peek right?  He thought. Steven sat up. 

Just a peek, that's it. 

So commenced Steven's 1AM adventure to the attic to retrieve the journals. The moment he had gotten them into his hands, he didn't necessarily read them right away, but the thought of having them in his possession made him feel a lot better and he was able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night. 

School was easier and went by smoothly for the most part. Each one of his classes in the morning left almost no homework or minimal assignments to do during class. Steven seemed to be a bit out it as it is, having his mother's journals in his backpack and planning on reading them in a private area of school, avoiding confrontation with his caregivers at home. 

Yet when lunch rolled around, his friends had pulled him along to work out in the school's inside gym. Steven had decided to stand and help Jeff lift some weights. Jeff had whined about not being as strong as his other two friends. Steven was a bit bulky but he had the most muscle out of the three. Peedee took second place, he was still a bit skinny. 

"Alright, we'll go easy at first, then we'll increase it little by little. You'll need to put in a good workout though to see results bro" PeeDee snickered, slapping his buddy's knee. Jeff glared at the blonde and groaned. 

"Getting fit sucks" Jeff sighed, laying down on the bench. Steven laughed, placing a few weights on both sides of the bars. "Fitness isn't a joke man, you need it. Besides, you said you wanted this, now you gotta commit" Steven hummed. Jeff nodded in agreement, feeling defeated. 

5 minutes into trying to lift the weights, Jeff was already red in the face, and breathing heavily. The two teens off to the side were seconds away from losing it in laughter. "I'm already feeling like this was a big mistake" Jeff grunted, struggling to do another lift. Steven had removed his pink jacket, being left with only a black tank top shirt with a yellow star in the middle. 

The gym door opened, and someone walked through, whom they didn't expect. 

Connie had walked in book in hand, violin case in the other with her backpack on her back and a strap hanging off her shoulder. She was nodding at someone who stood at the door and proceeded to follow their instructions on where the music room was. 

"Day 2 and i'm still confused on where the music room is" Connie sighed, annoyed at herself for forgetting. She froze in place upon seeing the three males bench pressing during the school lunch hour. Connie wanted to laugh, but she held it in. She didn't expect to see Steven as the kind of guy that seems to always hang out in the gym and work out but here he was with his friends. 

Connie blinked and cleared her throat, averting her eyes elsewhere rather than the two sweaty teens. 

"Sorry guys, just trying to get to the music room" The music room was downstairs from the current building the gym was in. To get to that staircase, cut through the gym and the door was on the opposite side. Jeff's eyes widened as he tried to sit up but in the process hitting his forehead on the metal bar. Connie flinched, as if practically feeling the pain.

"Just through that door, downstairs and it's on the left" Peedee answered. Connie nodded, and made her way through, her steps increasing their pace with every step. Steven stared at the door Connie had walked through. Jeff had gotten off the bench, gathering his clothes and walked towards the girl.

Almost as if he was able to calculate his next move "Wait Connie" Steven said, reaching out his hand, wanting to stop her or as if trying to get to her first. 

The bell rang.

She stopped. 

"Let's walk down together? We're in...the same class" Connie shrugged but kept the smile on her face. Steven grinned and jogged over to her. Jeff pouted slightly but didn't say anything. Peedee stood back, raising an eyebrow in amusement at Steven's eagerness. He kept his lips shut, avoiding making any comments. He kissed his teeth, rubbing Jeff's shoulder as he walked out of the gym in disappointment from not getting to walk Connie to class.

The two walked to their classroom, Steven smiling to himself. He looked at the girl mear inches away from him. 

We're tied Jeff 

That was the last thought he had before opening the room door and closing it behind him.