Chapter Text
Steven cruised down the roads of the Pacific Northwest in his beat-up old Dondai, taking in the sights. The large pines flew by, and the sky grew darker as dusk approached. He tapped the steering wheel in time with the beat of the song playing from his cassette player while humming along to the lyrics.
“Let me drive my van into your heart~” He quietly sang before returning to humming.
Things have been going pretty good on his many months-long road trip to “reconnect with his human side.” He had traveled to almost every state, stopping here and there to work the odd job, meeting some interesting characters, and he’d even found a few corrupted gems to cure and send to little Homeworld! Now he was driving through Oregon and soon planned to venture through Washington before visiting home.
He glanced out the window, spotting a sign that read “Welcome to Gravity Falls,” with “Nothing to see here, folks!” written in a smaller font at the bottom. Something else caught Steven’s attention, however: a critter that looked like a little bearded man crept up the side of the welcome sign and ambushed a squirrel that was perched atop it. Steven winced and gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“Well that’s... weird,” he muttered, refocusing on the road and the beautiful sight ahead of him. He pondered for a moment and decided that he wanted to take a picture of the landscape. For memories! He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.
He slipped his phone into his pocket, got out, and took only a few steps away from his car when—Crash!
Steven whipped around and stared at his car in horror. One of the thick trees lining the highway had fallen directly atop his Dondai, crushing it beneath its trunk. He dashed over to the wreck, not before snapping a quick picture like he had wanted to. He shoved his phone back in his pocket.
“Oh stars,” he cursed, running a worried hand through his hair. “What do I do...?”
Before he could do anything about his car, he had to get the tree out of the way. He placed his hands on the underside of its trunk, glancing around to make sure nobody was coming. He was glad that this was a road less traveled. Even with his extraordinary strength, it took a bit of effort to move the tree and toss it out of the road, crashing in the grass and startling... yet another gnome. The creature spat harsh words at him before scampering off into the woods, vanishing through the greenery.
“Uh, sorry!” Steven called after it.
Now that his car was no longer being crushed, he could get a good look at the damage. It wasn’t looking good. The windshield and front-side windows were shattered, the roof was crushed, and the hood had popped open. “This is just great.”
He jumped as his phone began ringing loudly, fumbling to pull it out of his pocket.
“Oh hey, Connie!” He greeted, trying his hardest to sound cheerful.
“Hi, Steven,” the girl replied. After a beat of silence, she added, “Are you... Okay? You sound upset.”
“I’m fine,” he replied.
“Steven, we’ve talked about this.”
“Okay, okay—” he relented, “fine, I’m not fine.”
“...Mhm? Why?” Connie asked.
“Uhh,” Steven inhaled sharply. “Well— the Dondai might be... out of service?”
“...”
“...”
“What?! Steven, are you okay? Are you hurt?!” Steven had to hold the phone away from his ear as Connie suddenly began to panic loudly.
“Connie, Connie— calm down, please,” he spoke quickly. “I’m fine, trust me. I was out of my car when it happened, and I was far enough away not to get hit. I’m okay.”
Steven could hear Connie try to calm her breathing before she sighed. “...That’s good. That’s great.” He heard her take a deep breath. “Do you have somewhere to stay? Is there a town near you?”
Steven nodded. “Yeah, I just got to this town — Gravity Falls. I should be able to find someplace to stay. It’s not that dark out yet, either.”
“Okay,” she replied.
“So...” Steven said, wanting to change the subject, “how’ve you been, Con-Con? ...School been treating you well?”
He could hear her smile. “Ah. Yeah, it’s been going well,” she said. “SATs are coming up, so mom’s been making me study a whole lot more.”
The two talked for a little while longer before Steven said his goodbyes. “Well, I’d better get going before it gets dark. Love you, Connie.” He blew her a kiss through the screen before hanging up and sighing.
“Now what am I gonna do about this...” he glanced over at his totaled car and put his phone away. He... better head into town and find somewhere to stay.
He crouched down and lifted his car above his head, a startled squeak escaping his lips as shards of glass clinked against the asphalt near his feet. He really should retire those sandals. He began to walk along the side of the road toward the town — hopefully. His map was inside the car and he believed the doors were jammed, so attempting to grab it was a no-go. He wasn't in the mood to get sliced up.
After a while of walking, it had grown darker, and Steven could see bright stars beginning to pierce through the dark sky. What appeared to be a cabin slowly came into view in the near distance. Taking a closer look at the place, Steven saw that it was the Mystery Shack that had been advertised for ten miles out of town. He set his car back on the ground and began to push it instead. He knew that it wasn’t “normal” for a teenager to be able to carry cars, and he didn’t feel like having to come up with excuses for his superstrength if he were spotted.
He took some time to observe the building as he approached. It looked like a regular house that had been flipped into a tourist trap; it had all sorts of weird decor surrounding it. Totem poles, flags, and many signs reading ‘no refunds.’
Steven sighed, glancing at his reflection in the crooked and cracked side mirror. He grimaced slightly at the sight of the small, crystalline horns protruding from his forehead, left over from his corruption. He really hoped that they wouldn’t be noticed in the dark. In times like these, he was so glad that his horns weren’t as big as some of the quartzes’; still noticeable, but not as much as the others.
Leaving his car on the side of the dirt path, he approached the front door of the shack. He hesitantly held out a fist, knocking on the wood a few times before shoving his hands in his jacket’s pockets to hide his anxious fidgeting.
The lights in the home flicked on, streaming through the front windows. Hearing someone grumble as they approached the door, Steven stood a bit straighter. When the door swung open, He found himself standing before who he believed to be the owner of the house.
“What do you want?” The man asked gruffly, raising an eyebrow at the teenager on his doorstep. He looked the boy up and down, eyes lingering on his horns for a second too long. Crap, Steven thought.
Steven smiled nervously. “Um, hi. I’m sorry for bothering you, but I’m not from here, and my car’s busted and—” he cut off his rambling. “Do you... happen to know anywhere in town where I could stay?”
"No,” he answered. “The motel shut down a few years back. Cuz of a... really bad storm. Yeah.”
“Oh,” Steven’s expression fell. “Well, um... Sorry for bothering you.”
Before Steven could leave, the man in the doorway groaned and ran a hand down his face. He shot the boy a look before opening the door wider and stepping to the side. “…You can stay here for the night. We have a spare room. Now come in before I change my mind.”
Steven was surprised by the man’s offer, but he really appreciated it. He opened his mouth to thank him, but he was interrupted by a man who looked shockingly similar to the one who had opened the door.
“Stanley, who’s there?” The new man asked. The man at the door — Stanley — looked back at him.
“Some kid,” he replied. “Wrecked car, no place to stay, out-of-towner.”
“Oh,” the other man replied, adjusting his glasses and fidgeting idly with his (six?!) fingers.
Stanley glanced over at Steven, gesturing for him to come in. The boy awkwardly obeyed, and the door closed behind him. That made him jump slightly, earning him a curious look from both men.
“I offered to let ‘im stay here for the night,” Stan said, glancing back at the other man.
He — Steven assumed he and Stan were siblings — seemed shocked by this, stepping closer to Stanley. “Stanley—” he said before pulling the other further away from the boy. Steven couldn’t make out everything, but he strained his ears and caught some parts of their conversation.
“Stanley, you can’t just invite random children into our house!”
“I know, Stanford, but do you really want to leave this kid out there? It’s getting dark, and he looks really young.”
“But Stan, the twins are coming soon, we don’t have many rooms to spare.” Stanford pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath that Steven had heard Pearl do many times in the past when arguing with Amethyst.
“He’s only gonna be staying the night,” Stan protested.
“Stanley.” Stanford’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t even know if this kid’s, y’know, human. Do you see his horns?”
“Oh my God, Ford, why are you so paranoid? It’s just a kid! Who cares if he’s some sorta anomaly? If he wanted to hurt anybody, he probably would’ve done it by now.”
It was then that Steven tuned out their conversation. It was clearly getting heated, and he didn’t think he needed to hear it, despite how curious he may be about these people. He didn’t need to be tangling himself in these strangers’ personal drama. He pulled out his phone and shot Connie a string of texts to update her.
💫 steven u: i found a place 2 stay
💫 steven u: i think
💫 steven u: the owners are arguing about if i should stay or not
💫 steven u: lol
He was about to put his phone away when it buzzed in his hands. He looked down at the screen.
⚔ connie m: Oh, that’s not good (?)
⚔ connie m: I hope they let you stay <3
💫 steven u: me too, ttyl <3
Steven sighed, a small smile forming on his lips. He put his phone in his pocket, looking up to see the two men looking over at him. Stanford looked slightly upset.
“Alright, kid. We’ve decided.” Stan crossed his arms. “You can stay, but only for the night. If you haf’ta stay longer, we’ll have to talk more about it.”
Steven let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Thank you so much, Mr...”
“Just call me Stan.”
“Okay.” Steven nodded. “Thanks, Stan.”
“There’s an empty bedroom down the hall,” Stanford spoke up, stepping forward. “I’ll show you.” Steven didn't catch the suspicion in Ford's eyes. He followed behind Stanford as they made their way to the room, glancing around at the decor. It reminded him of his dad's parent's house. His eyebrows furrowed subtly. His focus returned to the present as Stanford stopped, pushing open the door to their destination. It was rather barren — sealed cardboard boxes along the wall, a few spare trinkets on shelves — but it had a bed, and that's all that Steven needed.
“It’s not much, but it’s all we can spare right now.”
Steven smiled slightly. “I get it. It’s better than sleeping outside, I’d know.”
Ford raised an eyebrow curiously, but he didn't question it. “Goodnight, er...”
“Steven,” the boy replied.
“Ah. Goodnight, Steven.”
Steven closed the door to the bedroom, shed his jacket on his way to the bed, and flopped down onto the cheap mattress. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the universe, but it was certainly better than nothing. He set his phone down beside his pillow.
He stared up at the ceiling of the dark room, mapping out all the details: the way the planks were laid, the support beams, the nails, things like that. He liked observing the nooks and crannies of a place; it was something he had done countless times at the many motels he’d checked into and couches he’d surfed. It was a constant that stayed with him as he traveled across the country. A routine, he thought. Now that he thought about it, the shack really reminded him of the temple back home, just more... strange? ...Science-y? He didn’t quite know what word he was looking for, but it had many artifacts that looked similar to the ones Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl kept as keepsakes from missions. He missed Beach City. He was glad he'd be visiting soon. Hopefully.
He yawned, leaning his head back against the surprisingly soft pillow. The dim moonlight streaming through the triangularly patterned window was the only source of light, and a blanket of soft silver draped over Steven's body.
He could feel exhaustion start to creep into his mind, overriding his thoughts of home. He ran a tired hand through his hair and exhaled deeply. Glancing toward his phone, he thought Goodnight Connie, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep