Summary:
Steven tags along as Wendy and her friends check out an abandoned convenience store
Today was a slow day at work. Most people that had taken the Mystery Shack tour had either spent less than five minutes pursuing the gift shop, or didn't even spare any of the merchandise a passing glance. Wendy leaned against the counter, reading a magazine, Soos was wiping down the shelves, Dipper was writing in the Journal, and Mabel was spinning on a giant globe of the Earth. Steven stood behind the counter, tapping his fingers against the polished wood, going out of his mind with boredom.
"Mabel, do you believe in ghosts?"
"I believe you're a big dork, haha- aah!"
Steven looked over at the two twins and saw that Dipper had stopped the spinning globe with his pencil. And Mabel was now on the ground on her back.
Steven smiled. He never had siblings, it was only ever him. Only he had to shoulder his mother's legacy… and problems. Steven frowned. Best not to think of that right now. He looked over to Wendy flipping through her teen magazine. He never had much time to be a 'normal' teen. He had spent a good amount of his teen years either fighting, or acting as ambassador and helping the Diamonds dismantle their tyrannical rule. There was even a year that he had spent exclusively away from Earth. He had a lot of work to do, and so he did what he needed to do to get it done. Then he went home, and Spinel tried to destroy the Earth. So yeah, a lot of fighting and diplomacy. He never really hated that part of his life… but still, a part of him wished he had had a normal teenhood. But, other than Connie, there weren't many people in Beach City his age. He had gotten to spend time with other teens, yes; but they were older than him. And when he turned 16, they had already graduated highschool and were doing their own thing. Kiki spent most of her time at the pizzeria, Sadie had her own thing with Sadie Killers and the Suspects, and Lars was busy being a… actually, Steven didn't know what Lars was up to. Probably something cool.
The bell above the gift shop door rang, drawing Steven out of his thoughts.
"Soos! Wendy! Steven!"
Soos ran over from where he was wiping shelves, dropping his spray bottle of cleaner. Wendy didn't look up from her magazine.
"What is it Mr. Pines?" Soos asked.
"I'm headin' out. You three are gonna wash the bathrooms, right?" Stan asked.
"Yes, sir," Soos saluted
"Absolutely not," Wendy saluted.
"I'll get back to you on that," Steven saluted.
He didn't like cleaning the bathrooms at the Shack. The one in the house part of the Shack, fine, but the guest one? No sir.
Stan laughed before squinting at them, "You stay out of trouble."
With that, Stan shut the door. Steven watched through the window as he walked away. To where? He didn't know. And with Stan, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He clearly had secrets that he didn't want to share, and Steven wasn't about to stick his nose into places it didn't belong.
Once Stan was out of sight, Wendy turned and walked over to a curtain jutting out from the wall.
"Hey, guys, what's this?" she pulled back the curtain, "Secret ladder to the roof?"
Sure enough, there stood a ladder with a trapdoor above it.
"Uh, I don't think Mr. Pines would like that," Soos said.
Steven was about to agree, but stopped himself. He should see where this goes.
"Can we actually go up there?" Dipper asked.
Wendy was already on the ladder, "Sure we can. Roof time! Roof time!"
"Roof time! Roof time!" Mabel and Dipper chanted, following her up the ladder.
Steven watched as the three disappeared into the trapdoor above.
"Think they'll be okay?" Soos asked.
"Eh, it's just a roof," Steven said, going back to tapping out tunes on the countertop.
He heard a car alarm go off, and he looked outside just in time to see Wendy hop into a van before it drove away. Guess he was working the rest of the shift alone.
______________________________________
"Random dance party for no reason!"
Mabel pressed play on a small stereo box, which started to play dance music. The kind where it's mainly percussion, with a steady beat.
Mabel, Wendy, and Steven pulled out their best moves, jumping around as Wendy chanted, "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
Dipper stared at them from across the room, writing something down on a clipboard.
"Dipper!" Wendy called.
Dipper fumbled with the clipboard before catching it and hiding it behind his back. He seemed startled.
"What? Yes? Yeah?" he stammered, not doing a very good job at staying casual.
"Aren't you gonna get in on this?" Wendy said, snapping her fingers along with the beat.
"Yeah! Come join us," Steven waved his hand, gesturing for Dipper to join them.
"I, uh, don't really dance," Dipper said sheepishly, walking towards them.
Wendy had settled on a stool, and Mabel stood on the stool behind the counter.
"Yeah, you do!" Mabel said, "Mom used to dress him up in a lamb costume and make him do…" she waved her hands as if making an imaginary rainbow. "The Lamby Dance."
"Now is not the time to talk about the lamby dance," Dipper said through gritted teeth, a blush starting to creep across his face.
"Lamb costume? Whoa! Is there, like, little ears, and a tail, or-"
"Moms, amiright?" Steven cut Wendy off. He could tell Dipper was getting embarrassed, and he wanted to change the course of the convo anyway he could, "Some make you wear lamb costumes and dance around, other's leave their entire legacy for you… to shoulder… haha…"
Steven internally cringed. Okay, maybe he should have stayed out of the conversation.
Just then, a cuckoo clock chimed.
Steven sighed in relief, saved by the bell. Now he can go into his room and think about his life choices. He unclipped his name tag, putting it in his pocket.
"Hey look at that," Wendy said. She unclipped her name tag from her flannel. "Quitting time. The gang's waiting for me."
Steven turned to walk towards the 'Employees only' door, quietly excusing himself as he processed that last exchange. Hopefully everyone will forget his mini trauma dump. When he reached the door, he heard a voice call after him.
"Steven, wanna come?"
Steven turned to see Wendy talking to him.
"Me?"
Wendy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you. Dipper and Mabel want to join me and my friends tonight, so might as well ask if you wanna come too."
Steven thought for a moment. Hanging out with Wendy and her friends. Her teenage friends. Older teens, around his age. He never really got to do that before. It was always him and Connie; or the older teens from Beach City. But he was young; an early teen. He never got to do late teen things. He heard a honk and saw a van out front.
"Well?" Wendy asked.
Steven looked back at Wendy.
"Yeah, let me just change my shirt.
_____________________________________
Outside, One of Wendy's friends was handstanding shirtless; while two other friends held his legs, keeping him upright. They were throwing jelly beans at his stomach and chanting, "In the belly! In the belly!"
Wendy picked up a jelly bean that had bounced close to her feet, and beaned it right into the kid's belly button. Steven may not have a belly button, but something told him that probably wasn't the most pleasant feeling.
"Wendy!" they all called once they saw her.
"Hey, guys, these are my pals from work, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel," Wendy said, gesturing to each of them as she said their name.
"Hey everyone," Steven said, smiling brightly at them.
"Guys, this is Lee, and Nate. Tambry. Thompson, who once ate a run-over waffle for 50 cents. And Robbie," Wendy said, pointing at each teen.
"Steven's dad is Greg Universe, and, he personally knows Sadie Killer and the Suspects," Wendy nodded her head towards Steven.
Robbie scoffed, "Yeah right, and I'm the lead singer of BABBA,"
"Robbie, I'm serious," Wendy said.
Steven chuckled, "Wendy is right, my dad is Greg Universe and I'm Steven Universe. I'm from Beach City."
"No way," Lee said, "So, like, how do you know them?"
Steven thought for a moment.
"Sadie used to work at the donut shop I would go to all the time as a kid. Sour Cream's mom is friends with my friend, Amethyst, and her other son, Onion, would follow me around sometimes. Jenny worked at her parent's pizza's shop with her twin, Kiki. They are the only pizza place in town, so everyone knows them. Well, everyone who likes pizza. And Buck is the mayor's son," He said, listing off the band members.
"Woah," Nate said.
Steven smiled, "And, I play electric guitar for them sometimes."
Tambry looked up from her phone, "Wow,"
She looked back down at her phone and continued texting.
"Alright," Wendy said, "Let's go, I have big plans for tonight!"
A chorus of 'alright!' and 'lets get out of here!' rang from the teens as they all piled into the van
________________________________
The group of teens stood in front of a chain link fence, hands clutching at the wire as they all stared at the building before them.
"There it is, fellas. The condemned Dusk 2 Dawn," Wendy said.
Before them stood what looked like a convenient store. It was run down, and looked like no one had even come near it in decades. The only light that shone from it was the neon of the 'N' in 'Dawn.' Puddles from a recent rain littered the parking lot, pooling in potholes that didn't even dare hope to be filled. A proper run down building.
"Why was it shut down?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, w-was it a health code violation or…" Dipper stammered.
"Try murder!" Nate said, clearing being dramatic.
"Some folks died in there. The place has been haunted ever since," Lee said.
"This town has such a colorful history!" Mabel chimed in.
Steven looked at Mabel and smiled. Of course Mabel would put a positive spin on this. She wasn't one to let something like murder get her down. Steven looked back at the building. Of course, it had to have been just a story, right? Something to scare kids from trespassing. But right now, it seemed to be having the opposite effect.
"What? Are you guys… serious?" Dipper asked.
"Yeah! We're all gonna die!" Wendy said, feigning terror. "Chill out, man. It's not as bad as it looks."
Wendy's words offered Steven little relief. He was just about as nervous as Dipper, but he seemed to be hiding it better. No pink.
"Come one," Wendy said before starting to climb the fence.
The rest of her friends followed suit, showing that this was not their first time hopping a fence. Steven and Mabel were next. He easily scaled the fence, slipping through the break in the barbed wire at the top. He hopped off the top, turning to see Dipper clutching to the top of the fence for dear life, clearly distressed.
"Come on, Dipper!" Wendy called up to him
Dipper laughed nervously, "Okay, okay. Just… just gotta get a foothold,"
"Dude, your sister did it," Robbie chided.
Steven walked back over to the fence, "Here, let me help,"
He jumped, letting himself go higher and higher until he was level with Dipper. Grabbing him under his armpits, he lifted Dipper off the fence, and they both floated down together.
'Woah," Nate said, "Eight foot vertical leap."
Now it was Steven's turn to laugh nervously. He didn't exactly plan on exposing his powers to a bunch of new people, but having people know you can jump really high isn't that weird, right?
"Thanks," Dipper mumbled, clearly embarrassed that he needed help.
The group walked to the front of the store and Robbie tried to open the doors.
"I… I think it's stuck," Robbie grunted.
"Let me take a crack at it," Dipper said.
Robbie rolled his eyes, "Oh, yeah. I can't get in, but I'm sure junior here is gonna break it down like Hercules."
"Come on, leave him alone. He's just a little kid," Wendy said.
Ouch. Steven could tell that hurt Dipper's ego just a bit. But before Steven could say something, or offer help, Dipper got a determined look on his face. He marched around the corner of the store and disappeared from sight, reappearing on the roof. He walked over to a vent and forced it open, slipping inside and disappearing from sight once again. Shortly afterwards, the front door to the shop opened, revealing Dipper.
"Good call, inviting this little maniac!" Lee said as he walked past Dipper into the store.
"You're new name in Dr. Funtimes," Nate said, following Lee.
"Nice work," Wendy said, giving Dipper a small punch on the shoulder.
Steven followed Wendy inside, and shut the door behind them.
They all looked around the dark store in wonder, like kids in a candy store.
"Do you guys really think it's haunted?" Thompson asked.
Robbie scoffed, "Nah! Thompson, are you kidding me? Come on, shut up man!"
Steven laughed along with them when movement caught his eye. He looked back to see the 'Open" Sign was now facing inwards, when he could've sworn it was facing outwards before. He shrugged. He must've been mistaken.
They started to explore around, taking in all the dust and cobwebs. Steven was a good kid. At least, he tried to be. Trespassing wasn't exactly something he did in his spare time, but there wasn't any harm, right? It's not like anyone lived here. He wasn't encroaching on anyone's private space, so why should it matter?
"Oh, man. It's even creepier than I imagined," Wendy said.
Steven saw some light switched on the back wall and walked over to them.
"Hey, guy, check it out. Think these still work?" He said.
He flicked all the switches on and the store flickered to life.
"Jackpot," Mabel said.
Dipper looked around before looking at Wendy.
"So what are we gonna do now?" He asked.
Wendy smiled, "Anything we want."
Cue the montage. That's how it felt to Steven, anyways. They threw expired plastic wrapped pastries at each other across the aisle, watching them burst open when they hit a wall or person. Nate and Lee started pillow fighting with bags of kitty litter, which had to hurt, but they were laughing so at least they were having fun. They all sat in a circle and put mentos into a liter bottle of Diet Pitt Cola, causing it to explode up into the air. Just rambunctious teenage things. And Steven was having a lot of fun. He ducked as a water balloon full of expired ketchup flew over his head. Yeah, a lot of fun.
"Steven, look!"
Steven turned to see Mabel in front of a display.
"It's Smile Dip! I thought this stuff was banned in America!" Mabel said, grabbing a packet from the display.
"Maybe it was for a good reason," Steven said, eyeing the 'Do Not Sell' tape that wrapped around the display.
"Whaaaat, I'll be fine," Mabel laughed, sitting on the ground and opening the packet.
Steven ducked as another water balloon filled with something expired flew past his head. He watched as Mabel downed the whole packet of Smile Dip. Well, no going back now. Better leave her alone. He ran back to the group and picked up a water balloon, chucking it at Dipper, who turned around just in time to get a face full of expired mustard. He laughed and hurled a Twinkie in Steven's direction. Steven easily dodged, picking up a Ding Dong from the ground and chucking it back at Dipper. Now it was Dipper's time to dodge, but the Ding Dong still found a target; Thompson's butt. Steven laughed as Thompson smeared chocolate across his bottom, trying to brush off the pastry.
___________________________________________________
The night was going well. Steven, Dipper, and Wendy were all sitting on top of one of the shelves, eating popsicles.
"This night is, like, legendary," Wendy said, looking over at Dipper and Steven.
"Really?" Dipper asked.
Wendy gestured around the store, "Just look around. The guys are bonding-" Nate and Robbie were filling Thompson's pants with ice, "I've never even seen Tambry look up from her phone for this long-" Tambry glanced up at the boys before going back to texting, "And Mabel seems to be going nuts with that Smile Dip," Mabel was laying on the ground, Smile Dip surrounding her in piles, and dusting her face.
"You know, I wasn't sure if you two could hang with our crew at first," Wendy turned and looked at them, "But, Dipper, you're surprisingly mature for your age. And you," Wendy pointed at Steven with her popsicle, "I thought you'd be a goody-two-shoed sheltered homeschooled kid, but you're, like, the life of the party, man."
Steven blushed a little at the compliment. He knew he was cool, he was just worried his coolness wouldn't translate well to Wendy and her friends, but he's glad that things are working out.
"Hey, sheltered homeschooled kids know how to have fun, my dad is Greg Universe after all," Steven chuckled.
Wendy laughed, "Oh yeah, how could I forget? Did you live on the road with your dad or something?" She asked
"Nah," Steven said, "My dad ran the local car wash and lived out of his van in Beach City. I grew up with my mom's three closest friends. They were basically my moms. But, my dad would still come over and tell me about his time as a rockstar, before he met my mom."
Steven smiled fondly at those memories. Memories of his dad teaching him guitar, those late nights when they sat on top of the van, looking at the vast array of stars above them. Their laughs seemed to echo in his head.
"Hey guys! We need more ice!" Lee shouted.
"I'm on it!" Dipper hopped off the shelf and headed towards the ice freezer.
"So, what happened to your mom?" Wendy asked.
Steven thought for a moment. Should he give Wendy the real story, or the story he tells people when they try to pry. Wendy seemed cool. And she seemed genuinely curious. The twins trusted her, so maybe Steven can too. But how can he tell this story in the least depressing way possible? Humor. When in doubt, be humorous
"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Steven asked.
"'Course dude," Wendy leaned a little closer to Steven, listening.
"My mom was an alien," Steven said, waiting for Wendy's response.
"Like, an immigrant?" Wendy said, confused.
"No," Steven laughed a little at the confusion on Wendy's face. This was a story he didn't need to hide from, so might as well have fun telling it. He thinks his therapist would agree. "Literally an alien."
"From outer space?"
"From outer space."
Wendy laughed and punched him in the shoulder, "Come on man, stop fooling around."
"I'm serious, check this out," Steven felt a pang of anxiety as he grabbed the hem of his shirt, but it was gone as fast as it came. He was having too much fun to be anxious. He lifted the shirt just high enough to show Wendy his gem. "This was her's. She gave up her physical form to have me. Imagine a giant woman with pink hair and pink skin; that was my mom."
"Woah, wicked," Wendy said.
"You can't tell anyone, got it?" Steven said.
Wendy made a motion of zipping her lips and locking them before throwing away the key.
Steven laughed. Normally that story was tough to tell, but right now it seemed easy. He had too many happy brain chemicals in his system to feel sad.
Just then, they heard a scream. It could've been from delight, or terror. Steven hoped it was the first one.
"Should we check that out?" Steven asked.
Wendy looked in the direction where they heard it, "Maybe. It came from where Dipper went. Maybe he slipped on some ice."
"I'm going to go check," Steven said, hopping off the shelf. His good mood was starting to sour.
"Yeah me too," Wendy followed suit.
Steven noticed everyone had stopped their activities and were now all walking towards the noise.
"What was that? I thought I heard some lady screaming back here," Lee said as they all approached Dipper.
Dipper quickly closed the door to the ice freezer, looking thoroughly spooked.
"You freaking out, kid?" Nate said, teasing Dipper.
"No. No, I'm cool. Everything's cool," he said.
Steven could tell not everything was cool. Other than the ice in the freezer, that is.
"Then what's all this about?" Robbie said, pointing at the bag of ice on the ground.
"Oh! That's, uh… uh… uh…" Dipper looked around frantically. He gasped, "Hey, looks!" He pointed at something behind them all, "Dancy Pants Revolution! The game that tricks people into exercising!"
There was a chorus of, 'alright' and 'I'm down' as the group turned their focus towards that. Except for Steven.
"Nice deflection," Steven said, "but you saw something, didn't you?"
"What? No- what are you talking about? Let's, uh, let's go play," Dipper walked past Steven, clearly ending the discussion before it had a chance to begin.
Steven frowned but followed. He glanced back at the freezer. Suddenly, he wasn't having as much fun anymore.