DISCLAIMER: Steven is 18 in this story. There's typical romance goofiness, kissy-kissy goo-goo and all that. Hope you enjoy!

Another stormy day in Beach City. They don't come often, but when they come, boy do they leave their mark. The rain pounds unrelentingly; although Steven can't see them, he knows the waves are crashing on the beach with equal intensity. Luckily, he doesn't have to be out there today. No monsters, no emergencies, no extraplanar gems coming to Earth with malicious intentions. Today, it was just them: Steven and Peridot.

The pair were on the top floor of the barn, sitting next to each other on the couch. Lapis was somewhere in the storm. She enjoyed flying during bad weather. Steven guessed it was probably something like surfing for her; riding the currents of air and electricity like some sort of bird. Well, rock bird.

Man, Gems were confusing sometimes.

Steven had to admit that he still occasionally had questions about them, but the Crystal Gems were always so reluctant to talk about those kinds of things. Before he could stop himself, Steven let out a huge sigh.

"Are you okay Steven?" Peridot asked. She picked up the remote, and paused the episode of Camp Pining Hearts they had been watching. "You seem kind of out of it."

"I'm okay," Steven said. "I guess rainy days like this make me feel kind of gloomy."

"Really?" Peridot asked. "I love the rain! I mean, I hated it when I first came to Earth, but when you showed me how fun it could be, I really embraced it."

"Well, I like the rain too," said Steven. "It's weird. Rain can really make me feel happy, but on some days... days like this, I guess it just makes me feel a little sad." Peridot groaned, and laid back on the couch. The back of her head rested on Steven's thigh, and her feet hung off the armrest. Steven began to stroke her hair, something he did automatically.

"Human emotions are so weird," Peridot sighed. "I mean, how can something make you happy and sad at the same time?"

"I don't know," Steven admitted. "Emotions don't make sense, sometimes."

"I wish Earth was more logical," Peridot said. "Everything is so complicated."

"Well, you know I'm always here to answer whatever questions you have," Steven said. He rumpled Peri's hair, and Peri swatted at him playfully.

"Do you really man that?" Peridot asked quietly. Steven nodded.

"Of course," said Steven. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Anything?" Peridot asked.

"Yup," Steven affirmed.

"Well, I do have a question I've been meaning to ask you," said Peridot. "but I don't know, it might be a little odd."

"Oh, come on Peridot, I'm sure I can handle it," said Steven. Peridot took a deep breath in, seeming to steel herself.

"Okay then," she said. "Steven… what's sex?" Steven gasped, and stood bolt upright. Peridot spilled off the couch, and hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Ouch! Steven, what the heck!" Peridot shouted. She sat up, and looked at him. His face was beet red. His arms were locked by his sides, and his breathing seemed quick and ragged. "Um, are you okay?" Peridot asked.

"Where…" Steven gulped. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Sex?" Peridot asked. Steven turned a deeper shade of red, and nodded. "Well, Amethyst made a joke about it. I wanted to ask her what it meant, but I didn't want her to think I was uncool or anything. So I asked Garnet about it, and she told me that she wasn't comfortable talking about it with me. Soooo then I found Pearl, and when I asked her about it, she just straight up fainted." Steven bit his bottom lip, suppressing a giggle. "What the heck is the big deal? Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me about sex!" Steven's face went from red to purple.

"Well Peri, it's just, I don't know, kind of… awkward," Steven said.

"What is, 'awkward'?" Peridot asked, making air quotes as she talked.

"Awkward is when something makes you feel weird," Steven tried to explain. "Sometimes you do something that makes you feel awkward. Sometimes other people make you feel awkward." Peridot pouted.

"So right now, I'm making you feel awkward?" Peridot asked.

"Well, yes," Steven said. "But it's not your fault. You still don't know a lot about Earth's customs. It's just, well, talking about, um… sex is a little difficult to talk about."

"Oh," Peridot said. "Why?"

"Well, because it's, I don't know…" Steven rubbed the bottom of his chin. He thought for a while before finishing his thought. "… intimate."

"You mean, only friends can talk about it?" Peridot asked. Before Steven could answer, her bottom lip began to tremble. "But Steven, I thought we were friends! Are you telling me that, after all this time, you still don't like me enough to consider me, the great and lovable Peridot, your friend!?" Peridot began to tear up.

"You are my friend!" Steven insisted.

"Are you sure?" Peridot asked.

"Positive," Steven said. He lowered himself onto the couch, and patted the seat next to him. "Here, come sit down." Peridot jumped onto the couch, and placed her head back on his thigh. "I'm sorry Peri, I just wasn't expecting you to ask that."

"Whatever sex is, it must be really dangerous," Peridot said. "Nobody wants to talk about it!" Steven laughed, and Peri looked up at him. "What's funny about that?"

"Well, I guess if you don't do it right, sex can be dangerous," Steven said, "but as long as you're careful, it's anything but."

"So, sex is something you have to handle?" Peridot asked. "Is it an instrument or something?" Steven laughed harder, and Peridot crossed her arms. "I still don't know why this is funny."

"I know, I know," Steven said. He wiped a tear out of the corner of his eye, and calmed himself down. "All right, I'll do my best to explain it," Steven said. "But I might get a little uncomfortable, okay?"

"If you get too uncomfortable, we'll speak no more about it," Peridot assured him.

"Okay," Steven said. "Well, you know how Gems make more Gems?"

"Sure," Peridot said. "We use the energy of planets to grow them."

"Well, it's a lot different for humans," Steven said. "See, sex is what makes more of us."

"Oh, it's how you reproduce," Peridot said. Steven nodded. "Well why is that awkward? I don't think it's awkward to talk about how Gems reproduce."

"But you do find it awkward to talk about fusion, right?" Steven asked. Peridot blushed slightly.

"Yeah, but that's a lot different," Peridot said. "Fusion is…"

"Intimate," Steven finished for her. Peridot's eyes widened.

"Oooh," she said. "I get it. So, humans fuse so they can make new humans!" She put up two fingers, then slowly put one down. "But… but that doesn't make any sense. Fusion reduces the number of Gems, it doesn't add to them."

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that," Steven said. "In fact, now that I think about it, most of the time sex doesn't even make babies."

"What!?" Peridot shouted. She grabbed at her hair, and tugged at it. "Oh my stars, this is so confusing!" She sat up, and turned toward Steven. "Why don't you just show me?"

"EXCUSE ME!" Steven roared.

"Well, we have Tubetube, don't we?" Peridot asked. "Why don't you just look it up on there?"

"Thank goodness," Steven whispered. "Well Peridot, sex isn't on Tubetube. It's not allowed."

"Oh for Diamond's sake!" Peridot whined. "Of course it isn't. Well, isn't there anywhere I can look it up." Steven began to blush again.

"Well, it's on other internet sites," Steven said. "I'm sure you could look it up there."

"Yay!" Peridot shouted with glee. She jumped off the couch, and ran to grab her tablet. She returned, and snuggled up next to Steven, whose face was beet red again. "All right, let's look it up!"

"Wait!" Steven said. Peridot's finger hovered over her tablet. "I, uh, I'm not sure I'm super comfortable with us watching it together."

"Why not?" Peridot asked.

"Because, it's embarrassing!" Steven said. Peridot shrugged.

"Okay, I'll go watch it over there," she said. She got off the couch, and sauntered off to another spot on the floor. She plopped herself down, and began to type furiously.

"Hey baby, I got a pizza here for you… with extra sausage."

Steven pulled his hoodie hood over his head, and pulled the strings on it as hard as he could. He clamped his hands on his ears. Still, he could hear Peridot's commentary.

"What does pizza have to do with procreation?" she said. "What a strange ritual. Oh, she must be looking for something in his pants. She seems to be having a hard time finding- GOOD GRACIOUS, WHAT IS THAT!" Steven heard a clatter as Peridot tossed her tablet across the room. She heard her run over to him, and felt him grab her arms. He felt himself being shook violently. His hood fell off, and he saw Peridot's panicked expression.

"Steven!" she gasped. "That man, he… he…"

"I completely forgot to mention that," Steven said.

"Mention what!?"

"Well, boys and girls are, uh, different… down there." Peridot blinked. She slowly sat down next to Steven.

"Oh," she squeaked. "I mean, I know that there was a biological difference between girls and boys, but I guess I didn't really understand just HOW different they were." Steven raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, Peri, haven't you seen me go to the bathroom?" Steven asked. Peridot crossed her arms.

"Of course not!" she said. "I may have used your toothbrush, but I never peeked on you when you told me not to."

"Really?" Steven asked.

"Well… okay, maybe a little," Peridot said quickly. "But I didn't see anything. The sink was in the way."

"Riiight," Steven said. "Still, I'm surprised you didn't know. I figured one of the Gems would have mentioned it." Peridot shook her head.

"They discussed human anatomy with me, but it was always from a female's perspective," Peridot admitted.

"That makes sense," Steven said. "The Gems identify as women."

"So yeah, I guess I know all about how females work," Peridot said, "but I don't know anything about males. What, uh, what does he… do with it?"

"Oh God," Steven groaned. "Well Peridot, he uh… puts it inside of her."

"Puts it inside-" Peridot stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes bugged out of her head. "You're kidding me." Steven shook his head. "But they pee out of there!" Steven stifled another giggle.

"Well yeah," Steven said, "but it's a different hole."

"What are you talking about?" Peridot said. "There's only two holes."

"Well, technically there's three," Steven said. "One to go number one, one to go number two, and a third one that gets used for sex."

"I was never told about this third one," Peridot said.

"Well, it's there," Steven said with a shrug. Peridot frowned.

"I'll have to make a note of that." She picked up her tablet, and began to tap on it. Steven rubbed a hand through his hair. He knew that Gems didn't manifest genitalia until they needed it for something, like after they ate. He supposed that she didn't do it very often, since she ate very little.

"Okay, I got that down," she said. "So, the man puts his, uh…"

"Penis," Steven whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"PENIS!" Steven said loudly.

"Right, his penis, into the woman's third hole."

"Yeah, I guess that about sums it up," Steven said. He realized that he had never been more uncomfortable in his entire life.

"And then what, a baby comes out?" Peridot asked.

"Well, there a few more steps," Steven said. "But let's not get into them. Let's just say that yes, they have sex, and then a baby comes out."

"Sometimes," Peridot said. "You said it only happens sometimes."

"Well, yeah," Steven said. "Sometimes you don't get pregnant from it. And sometimes you use protection, so you don't get pregnant on purpose."

"Why would people want to have sex without getting pregnant?" Peridot asked.

"Because it feels good," Steven said. "Also, it's a way to show somebody that you love them."

"Really?" Peridot asked. "So why aren't people doing it all the time then?"

"What do you mean?" Steven asked.

"Well, I see lots of people who are friends, but I've never seen any of them having sex," said Peridot.

"Well, it's considered very inappropriate to have sex in front of other people." Steven said.

"I see," Peridot said. "Well, why don't you and the Gems have sex?" Steven slapped himself in the face. He was desperately wishing he had never begun this conversation.

"You don't have sex with family members," Steven said. "The Gems raised me, so they're like my Moms. Or my sisters. Momsters, I guess."

"I see," said Peridot. "So then, why don't we have sex?" Steven was blushing so deeply he was turning blue.

"Because… because…" to his utter shock, Steven was having trouble coming up with a reason. "Because we just don't, you know? You're a good friend Peridot, and I really care about you, but…"

"But what?" Peridot asked.

"It's, well, it's complicated," Steven said.

"Well, do you love me?" Peridot asked.

"Of course," Steven said.

"Then what's the big deal?" Peridot asked. "If it feels good, why don't we just do it?"

"Remember when Garnet wanted to fuse with you?" Steven asked. Peridot nodded. "It made you super, super uncomfortable, right?" Peridot nodded again. "Well, that's kind of how I'm feeling right now."

"But that's different," Peridot said. "Fusion is literally becoming another Gem. It's like, joining together with someone. This just sounds like wrestling, or something."

"No, it's a lot like fusion," Steven said. "It's not the same thing, of course, but like fusion, there's a lot of emotions in it. People who have sex tend to grow closer together."

"If you're trying to talk me out of this, you're doing a terrible job," Peridot said. "I'd love to get closer to you!"

"I am doing a terrible job," Steven sighed. He turned towards Peridot, and took her hands in hers. "You're an amazing friend, Peridot. But please, take my word for it. Sex between us would just be, well, complicated. Okay?" Peridot frowned, but nodded.

"Okay Steven," she said. They sat together in silence for a little while, before Steven smiled gently.

"Want to watch some more Pining Hearts?" Steven asked. Peridot smiled back.

"That would be awesome," she said.

Two weeks after the most awkward conversation he had ever had, Steven laid sprawled on his bed. The rest of the Gems were asleep. Steven had been tossing and turning for a while now. With a grunt, Steven sat up, and reached for his tablet. He switched it on, and rang up Peridot. She answered, and the two looked at each other over screens. Peridot waved.

"Hey Steven. Having trouble sleeping?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steven said. "I had about six cups of coffee today. Normally it doesn't keep me up this bad, but for some reason I'm having a really hard time tonight."

"I feel ya," Peridot said. "Lapis is out again doing who-knows-what, so I'm here all by myself again. It's pretty lonely."

"Well hey," Steven said, "I can't sleep, and you're lonely. I think that I have a solution."

"You come over and hang out until you get sleepy?" Peridot asked.

"Exactly!" Steven said. "I'll be over in a minute."

"I'll see you soon!" Peridot said.

"Oh my stars, Lil' Butler's really jumped the shark," Peridot groaned. "I mean, a puppy sidekick? Come on, that's not realistic."

"Nope, not at all," Steven said. He let out a huge yawn. Peridot giggled, and Steven smiled meekly. They had only watched two episodes, and Steven was starting to fall asleep. He felt a little bad, but being here with Peridot was so relaxing.

"Do you mind if I close my eyes, Peri?" Steven asked.

"No, not at all," Peridot said. Steven laid on the couch, taking Peridot's normal position. His head rested in her lap. On impulse, Peridot began to run her hands through Steven's hair. Normally he did that to her, and it felt really good. Steven sighed happily, so Peridot guessed she was doing a good job. Peridot used the remote to start another episode of Lil' Butler. After a few minutes, Peridot heard rhythmic breathing, and knew Steven was asleep. She continued to run her hands through his hair. She hadn't mentioned anything, but she had been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks. Thinking, and researching.

Steven woke up with a groan. He stretched his arms out, and looked around. To his shock, it wasn't even morning yet.

"How long have I been out?" Steven asked.

"Only a few hours," Peridot said. "It's still three in the morning."

"Really?" Steven asked. He laid his head back down on Peridot's lap. "That coffee must have really gotten to me."

"You should lay off that stuff," Peridot said.

"Yeah, but it's just so good!" Steven insisted. "Well, I think maybe I should head back to the house."

"Really?" Peridot asked. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, I forgot that you were feeling a little lonely," Steven said.

"Well if you don't want to spend time with me…"

"Of course I do!" Steven said. "Don't be like that Peri." He playfully punched her in the arm. Peri laughed, but her facial expression didn't match her supposed joy.

"Steven…" Peridot trailed off. She gulped, and continued. "Steven, I need to talk to you again." Steven felt himself tense up. He had done his best to put the conversation they had had two weeks ago out of his head. Whenever he thought about it, he felt a rush of panic and anxiety run through him.

"What about?" Steven asked. Peridot scratched the back of her head.

"Sex," Peridot murmured. Steven sat up, and crossed his arms.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Steven said.

"It's not about the actual act or anything," Peridot said. Steven softened a little.

"Oh," Steven said. "Then what do you want to know." Peridot squirmed in her seat.

"Well, to be honest, I did a little bit of researching on the topic," she said. "I wanted to know why it was so taboo. The more I researched, the more confusing it became. So many people have so many different opinions on it." Steven nodded.

"It's a difficult thing to process," Steven said.

"The one thing that kept coming up though, was that people who are really in love usually end up doing it," Peridot said. "Not always, but a lot of the time."

"That's true, I suppose," Steven said. "Not if they're related, obviously, but when two people really love each other, I think physical attraction is often inevitable."

"Well, I don't really have that urge," Peridot said. "From what I understand, most people literally can't help feeling attracted to a person. It's just a part of human biology Gems don't have."

"That's true," Steven said. "Unless you managed to transform a pretty huge portion of yourself, it'd be difficult to imitate a human's sex drive."

"Well I can imitate most parts of humans," said Peridot. "But we're getting off topic. What I'm trying to say is that, even though I don't have a sex drive, I still want to know what it's like." Steven wasn't sure where this was going, but he was starting to feel a bit uneasy. "So I decided that I'd ask someone I love."

"Peri-" Steven began, but before he could finish, Peridot cut him off.

"So, I asked Lapis." Steven felt his jaw drop. Never in a million years would he have thought that Peridot had that kind of gumption. "I asked her if she'd be willing to transform herself for me, so that I could experience it." Steve thought that his jaw might hit the floor. "But she wasn't comfortable with transforming herself like that, which I completely understand. So, as it stands, I guess I'm out of luck."

"I guess so," Steven said. Peridot looked at him, her head tilted slightly.

"So, I figured that, if I can't experience it, I could talk to someone who has."

"Who?" Steven asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Peridot responded. Steven pointed to himself, and Peridot nodded.

"Oh Peridot, I'm sorry, but I can't really help you there," Steven said.

"Really!?" Peridot asked. "But you and Connie-"

"Are just good friends," Steven finished for her. Peridot leaned deep into her seat, giving Steven the impression that she was melting.

"Well that's just great," Peridot moaned. "Now what am I gonna do?" Steven shrugged.

It happened without warning.

Peridot jumped onto Steven's lap, straddling him. She grabbed his shirt, and pulled him close. Steven felt his nose collide with Peridot's; he was struck by its softness. He could feel Peri's breath on his face. She reached towards her eyes, and removed her visor. Her eyes were a piercing green. Steven wanted to say something, anything, but his voice just wouldn't come. She leaned even closer, and Steven closed his eyes.

Her lips were soft. He hadn't been entirely honest with her about Connie. They had made out a few times, but it had never gotten further than that. Peri was different than Connie- when Steven had kissed Connie, it had felt stiff and awkward. But this felt different. To his surprise, there was very little awkwardness here. Peridot knew what she wanted, and Steven was losing his will not to acquiesce. Would it really be so bad?

Peridot broke off the kiss, and stared into Steven's eyes.

"Wow," she muttered.

"Yeah, that was something," Steven admitted. Peridot shifted in his lap, and he suddenly became aware how close they were. He could feel a kind of heat radiating from her. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he seemed to feel it radiating especially hot from…

"I think I'm doing this right," Peridot said, "because I'm starting to feel… weird." Steven did his best to keep his brain on the conversation, despite the beautiful weight Peridot was putting on him. "I thought it'd be difficult to imitate certain aspects of human anatomy, but I think I've got them right." Steven realized exactly what she was saying, and he felt a strange, primal feeling rush through him.

"Peridot, maybe we should-"

Her lips met his again. This time it was much more forceful. They seemed to be filling a need, a desperate, unspoken need. Steven felt Peridot's tongue pressing against his lips; he met her demand. Peridot was getting hotter, it wasn't his imagination. She lifted herself off him, and pushed herself back down. The unexpected pressure made Steven break the kiss with a gasp.

"Did that feel good?" Peridot asked. Steven nodded. He was really starting to lose his mind here. She grabbed his hand, and began to guide it.

"I think I did these right," Peridot whispered. "Why don't you feel them and tell me?" Peridot put his hand on her breast. He impulsively squeezed it. Peridot hissed, surprised by the sharpness of his touch, but he relaxed his grip. He kneaded it, and Peridot purred with pleasure. He wasn't sure how he knew, but Steven knew for certain that she had gotten breasts exactly right. Peridot closed her eyes, and Steven felt energy radiating off her. She glowed brightly, and Steven realized she was transforming her physical appearance. The light faded, and Peridot grinned devilishly. As if by magic, her top had disappeared. Her breasts were perky, the nipples a little larger than what might be considered average.

"They're a B-cup," Peridot said knowledgably. "I tried out a lot of different looks before I found this one. I think it matches my body type." Rather than answering verbally, Steven gently took them in his hands. Peridot bit her lip, stifling a moan. He took his thumbs, and rubbed them across her nipples. This time Peridot could not suppress her pleasure. She squealed with joy. "I'm guessing you agree," she moaned. With a grunt, Steven picked her up bodily. He placed her horizontally on the couch, and rolled himself on top of her. They were face to face, him on top, her below him. Her breath suddenly became shallow. "S-Steven," she muttered. "Be, uh, be gentle."

This hit Steven like a brick.

He couldn't say why, but suddenly his senses came rushing back to him. Maybe it was because he realized that it was really about to happen. Maybe he sensed something in Peri's voice, something that she herself couldn't really understand. Whatever the reason, the fire went out of Steven. He raised himself off her, and sat beside her. He crossed his legs, trying to hide his hardness. Peridot raised herself up, and sat next to him. There was a flash of light, and she was fully clothed again.

"I'm sorry Steven," Peridot said. "I thought I got everything right, but I guess I must have screwed something up."

"No, you didn't," Steven said. "You got everything exactly right. It's just, well, I'm not sure we should just jump into something physical like this."

"But why not!?" Peridot asked. "I thought a lot about it. You said it yourself: people who love each other usually end up being physical."

"That's true," Steven said. "But Peri, if this is going to happen, I want it to mean something."

"It would mean something," Peridot said desperately. "I promise!"

"Peridot, believe me, I want to," Steven said. "But I'd like to, you know, maybe date first."

"Date?" Peridot asked. "You mean like, go out and stuff?"

"Exactly," Steven said. Peridot scratched her head.

"What does dating have to do with sex?" Peridot said. Steven smiled, and held her hand.

"Well, it's hard to explain," he answered. Peridot frowned, and Steven giggled. "I know, I know, it's complicated. But the truth is, sex means a lot more if you really get to know the other person. Otherwise it's just physical. Peridot, I like you enough where I don't want it to just be physical. I'd really like to get to know you." Steven squeezed her hand. "Is that okay?"

"I guess that's fine," Peridot said. "But I have to admit, I was looking forward to being with you. I know I don't have a biological urge like you do, but I don't know… I felt something. I really wanted it." Steven felt the fire course through him again, and he made a concentrated effort to suppress it.

"Let's just give it some time," Steven said. "I promise you won't regret it."

"Okay Steven," said Peridot. "I trust you." They leaned towards each other, and closed their eyes. This kiss was like the first; gentle, exploratory. Steven hadn't expected this. It seemed to be moving pretty fast. But, as he sat here with Peridot, he felt one thing for certain: somehow, this felt right. Whatever they were starting, in the end, Steven was sure he wouldn't regret it. It wasn't love in the romantic sense- at least, not yet. But it was something really special.

Postscript: If this has enough interest, I will be more than willing to continue the story. Thanks for reading!