A/N: I think before I said that like chapter two was my favorite drabble? Well I forgot about this one. It's ever so slightly shorter (which means it's still pretty hecking long) but DANG did I love how this came out. Not to mention how awesomely received this was by the awesomer people that read it!

*Pro-tip: In my experience, it's best to watch the respective episode for episode-based stories directly before reading for optimal levels of fluff. Then again, not a whole lot depends on whether you remember (or have even seen) "Tiger Philanthropist". Have a good one!

(I don't own Steven Universe)

Aftershock

Following the events of "Tiger Philanthropist", the walk back to the Temple takes far longer than Steven anticipates.

"Been a while since I took a hit like that," Amethyst stated, the continuous cheering fading behind her. Whether or not the doors were shut completely, the Gem gladly shifted from her underground persona and into her usual form with a relieved sigh. Somehow, the various bruises and marks of impact stayed with her, though neither she nor Steven pondered it. Amethyst had gotten used to the odd way injuries managed to stay after enduring them for so long, and Steven currently wasn't curious enough to ask about it. A subtle *click* behind Amethyst told her that she was a tad eager to shift back to her normal form, but she wasn't too concerned, thinking that everyone's attention was too focused forward to pay her much mind regardless. Stretching her arm across her front, she offered a question to Steven. "Think they'll last?"

Steven, rubbing his back, gave her a nod, feeling his own bruises and aches settling in. A part of him was tempted to restore himself with his spit, though he wasn't bothered by the pain enough to do so. Not to mention that there was some degree of pride in having such damage, ironically enough. Despite the overall hurt that'd been exchanged alongside their title as Beach City's underground wrestling champions, Steven grinned. Amethyst could feel her own smile, though it was more subconscious than voluntary. "They're tough enough," her friend stated, taking a moment to look at the chip in his mask. He tossed it away with a small chuckle, likely understanding that he wasn't going to need it any time soon. Amethyst agreed. "That was definitely a bang."

"And definitely a big one," Amethyst added. Steven undid the tie of his former persona, though didn't toss it away like he had with his mask. As he tucked the cloth into his pants pocket, Amethyst stretched the rest of her aches away as best as she could. Steven didn't pay much mind, stretching himself to alleviate what pains he could. The moment his back had audibly popped with a matching "Ah," Amethyst had quickly stepped up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Piqued, Steven turned to her, finding Amethyst with that mischievous grin he usually attributed to her. She didn't offer any words, looking him up and down in a manner that he's come to associate with being in trouble. Before Steven could begin to question what he'd done this time (more of a habit gained from Amethyst than one he made on his own, ironically enough), Amethyst pulled him into a headlock with her other arm, giving him a good-natured noogie for good measure.

"Now I really got my nights back," she told him with a laugh. He chuckled similarly, which intensified her grin for a brief moment. Like she would've expected, Steven didn't put up too much of a fight, simply accepting Amethyst's rough-housing nature with a persistent smile. The violet Gem took a moment to appreciate his grin before letting up a little, slowly striding back towards the vague direction of the temple. Steven shook his head, following her. Not that he had much choice; for some reason he had yet to discern, Amethyst's arm stayed around his shoulders in a manner more friendly than usual. He considered questioning it, given the more intimate talk they had shared within the building they were just leaving.

Instead, Steven stepped in silence, the only sound being the subtle crunch of the occasional pebble underneath. A light warmth could be felt on his face; just subtle enough to warrant inspection without being able to be discerned (hopefully). Initially, Steven didn't have much of an idea as to what could cause the blood in his cheeks. A few seconds' worth of thought let him understand the source as his friend, albeit broadly. Curious, Steven looked at Amethyst, finding her with a content smile. It looked rather pleasant on her. More than it probably should've, actually.

"...huh..." Steven thought, blinking. Maybe it was his and Amethyst's recent talk that intensified her aesthetics. As well as... generally speaking, her. Something about the Gem suddenly caught Steven's mental eye in the way of how one usually thought of their passion. That was to say, persistently. Consistently. And... that was about as much as he could tell. Oddly (and soon irksomely) Steven couldn't identify what about Amethyst made her so prominent in his head. Most guesses, ranging from the genial relationship he had with her to the admittedly eye-catching way her hair shone in the moonlight, ended up being true enough to support an offhand thought, though not to any satisfying degree.

Steven was only too aware of his steps becoming a tad stiffer than they ought to be, his brain then latching onto Amethyst's earlier talk of wrestling being "their thing" like a child latched onto Santa Claus. Not that he wanted to, but Steven grew a bit more conscious of the direction of his eyes as he recalled the numerous experiences he'd shared with the Gem beside him. The recent addition to those experiences didn't help distract himself. As to why he should've been distracted from his more personal relationship with Amethyst...

He didn't know about that, either. All Steven could tell was that his friend was suddenly something he was unable to think too clearly about, especially in her own presence. Less ironic than he would've assumed.

Far off in some unrecognizable direction, faint music steadily grew louder as the Gems walked in their mutually accepted silence, likely emanating from some town party that usually occurred on a Saturday night. Amethyst stopped for a moment, glancing at Steven. He looked back, troubled that it took a few moments to register her gaze. After a few moments, the Gem shook her head with a dismissive "Nah," and continued walking, moving from the harsh asphalt to the softer grass of the nearby hill. Steven grew a little further troubled at how he realized what she was pondering after she'd pondered it, since he felt they ought to understand each other better than that. They have, before. What was different now?

"What is it?" Amethyst abruptly questioned, turning towards Steven. Startled, Steven blinked, realizing his ponderous hum after it'd been uttered. He assessed that his brain was working in a timeline approximately five seconds behind the rest of the world before giving a dismissive shake of the head to Amethyst.

"Nothin'," he tried casually with a shrug. A second passed, and he continued just to be safe. "Just thinking about the music."

Amethyst hummed herself, turning back to the hill that blocked the temple from their sight. "Alright," she said, similarly casual. Not entirely similar, because she had sounded genuine in her statement. Steven couldn't really say the same for his, logical as it might've been. Both her and Steven were a little too tired to crash someone's party, for obvious reasons. Besides, while the other Gems had agreed to allow Amethyst and Steven to continue their weekly wrestling journey, they had made a point to also continue enforcing Steven's curfew. Not that Amethyst personally believed in something as arbitrary as a bed-time (especially considering Steven's own age and responsibility; an important distinction she'd made a point of telling him) but the less reasons Pearl could call her a bad influence, the better.

At least, the less reasons Pearl would want her to stop hanging around him, the better. Amethyst was kind of going for a record with how many "bad-influence" reasons she could rack up, according to the Gem in question. Steven had found equal amusement and flattery in that statement.

Thanks to his experience, Steven silenced his second hum of confusion when his brain had attached itself to that word. "Flattery." Before... something, that word would've sufficed and Steven wouldn't have given it second thought. Now, though, flattered didn't seem to fit the bill quite right. The feeling was something in that department, but Steven felt he could get more specific. Somehow.

"'More Than a Thought', by Massachusetts," Steven heard at his side again. Further confused by Amethyst's statement, both for its abrupt nature and odd content, Steven turned back towards her with a fittingly confused expression. She nodded her head as if listening to the music that had long since faded, which created a rather interesting wave effect in her hair. After that mandatory five-second delay, Steven's brain caught up with his mouth, though wasn't any less perplexed. "Huh?"

"The song," Amethyst explained further, now turning to meet Steven's face. It didn't change in the slightest. Amethyst likely took it as a prompt to continue. "You were thinking about the song? Thought you couldn't remember the name or somethin'."

Just as her statement ended, Steven snapped with a matching "Oh!" as he remembered what he said literally less than a minute ago. He didn't take long to continue the charade. "Yeah, I thought that was it. Thanks."

Amethyst gave him a languid thumbs up and turned back forward, humming. The smile that she'd worn since losing their championship belts had faded, which Steven didn't quite enjoy. Rather than think about why her grin was gone or even ask, Steven mourned the loss, finding that Amethyst looked a lot better with a smile. Not to say that she didn't look good period, as she absolutely did, but-

"Nice night out," Steven heard himself suddenly blurt out. Hearing the obvious anxiety that one would rarely attribute to such an off-hand statement, Amethyst glanced back at him, eyebrow raised. Steven found himself looking back at her before coughing and shooting his eyes to the sky above. His hand seemed to be having some kind of spasm with no real input on his part, sporadically clenching and relaxing in a way that usually meant an electrical outlet was working. The Gem didn't have the idea that there was one in the immediate vicinity. Amethyst continued looking at Steven, her brows forming a confused "v". Just as she opened her mouth, Steven awkwardly reached a hand up to un-smooth his hair, as though he just remembered to take his hat off at a cemetery.

As they crested the hill, Amethyst drew out a perplexed "Sure..." Steven didn't give much indication to even hearing her, still staring upwards as his curly hair "bounced" back into place. He wasn't even aware of the sky's clear state, nor the moon's full one. Amethyst seemed to take some note of the fidgeting felt in Steven's shoulder before voicing her concern. "You okay, man?" she asked, scrutinizing Steven at a distance that she usually reserved for a select few. It certainly didn't help alleviate his hand's movements. "You take a hit to the head a little too hard or something?"

"Yep," Steven answered after a delay. A subtle sweat began collecting on his brow, which appeared to intrigue Amethyst as much as it confused her further. The night was more chill than warm, and realizing this, Steven promptly yelled at his body to stop shivering like any sane person would. Then he switched his focus back to reality, realizing his outwardly given answer. Making his own confused expression, Steven changed his answer in a voice anyone would have to call anxious. "I mean, no, I didn't hit my head. Obviously, 'cause other people did hit- but they didn't, really, and... I'm fine."

Amethyst didn't think it was rude for her gaze to linger on him a little while longer, her pace slowing just a tad. "Right...?" she drew out again, unsure of how reliable Steven's answer really was. Steven was a little unsure, too. He didn't recall any blows to the brain. Would he have? Still walking next to Amethyst, Steven attempted to go over the match once more in his head. He made it as far as the "booing" of the crowd following his statement of giving away the belt before Amethyst shifted just a tad closer to him.

She didn't say anything, continuing towards the hill in silence with an unreadable expression. The moonlight offered didn't help Steven's attempt to discern Amethyst's features, though he had a feeling that direct sunlight would've had a similar effect; that is, not any effect. Further inspection had the possibility of warranting questions, so Steven maintained the silence with his friend, hoping that his matching thoughts of her would stay in his head. Not that he was thinking of anything to be guilty of, but he still thought it was a little odd for his attention to be so drawn to a person for as long as it was. Mentioning that length of time wasn't something Steven thought of as a good conversation starter.

Just as they crested the hill, Amethyst stopped abruptly, though still faced forward. She took a hesitant breath, as though she were about to regret whatever she did next. Not too many things came to Steven's mind that matched the sudden change in her demeanor, meaning Steven waited for an explanation instead of asking for one. "Amethyst?" was all he tried saying, still noting her lack of any kind of smile.

Wordlessly, Amethyst moved in front of him, stepping with such care that she almost glided on the soft grass underfoot. Her arm naturally trailed off of Steven's shoulder with a similar grace that she almost never possessed before, gently sliding her hand to Steven's in one fluid motion. The boy's eyes followed her, transfixed on her silent movements. Still without any verbal indication, Amethyst took another step closer, breaching the normal distance between them as though she were about to embrace him. She didn't. Steven's mouth hung the slightest bit open, the boy matching Amethyst's silence with his awed own. Then his eyes broadened as Amethyst moved a tad closer still, reducing the distance between their noses to a mere inch or so. Though the slope of the hill was still a little steep, Amethyst's eyes leveled with Steven's, having a few twinklings that didn't seem to be caused by the stars above. Neither Gem offered a word, gazing at each other in a quiet that was better understood without noise.

For a few moments, they simply stood there, gently grasping each other's hands without any explicit explanation. As casual as Steven tended to be in his friend's presence, he found a lot more trouble than usual in finding something to say. Ironically, he also found her proximity to be at fault. For better or for worse, Steven wasn't given the opportunity to speak, as Amethyst did so for him.

"You do miss those belts!" she suddenly exclaimed, snapping with a satisfied nod. As if broken from a trance (although that was essentially true), Steven blinked with a minor shake of his head. Amethyst placed a hand on her hip, regaining her more common voice in place of the gentler one Steven would've assumed she'd possess about three seconds ago. "Pft, that whole talk about no reason for wrestling was real convincing. Can't fool me forever, though! You ought'a know that by now."

"Wait," Steven uncertainly began, still perplexed by his friend for numerous reasons. He forced himself to focus on one at a time, shaking his head. "What about the belts?"

Amethyst laughed as though they were sharing some inside joke. "You know," she said almost coyly, winking, "'Now that Amethyst actually likes herself, I don't need to do this.' Didn't think you liked wrestling that much, but I don't blame ya."

Steven allowed himself a few more moments to think before speaking again, as Amethyst's hilariously poor imitation of him didn't do much to assuage his confusion. Evidently, Amethyst had seemed to reach some conclusion about him that he doubted he'd reach, meaning that she had apparently misinterpreted something. Trying to figure out exactly how Amethyst reached her epiphany, Steven spoke up again. "I don't like wrestling that much. I think? How much is that much?"

Again, Amethyst chuckled before going to make some further joke about Steven's care for the sport, but stopped when she saw the confusion on Steven's face. Only seconds after that, and Amethyst appeared confused herself. She'd seemed to have second thoughts on her deductive skills. "But... wait," she mumbled, placing a contemplative hand on her chin. After a few moments of silence, she looked back at Steven. "I thought you were all upset about the belts, right?"

"Not really," Steven answered, shrugging. He assumed that was a given, considering the talk they'd shared both inside the wrestling ring and during the day prior. "Should I be?"

Now in her own thoughts, Amethyst waited for a few moments before responding, her confusion staying exactly where it was on her face. "Nah," she waved away, "but aren't you upset about something? Or maybe miffed a little?"

Steven shook his head. The most he might've been upset about was getting beaten rather harshly at the ring, but that was accepted with open arms. Plus, he thought of the damage as more of a badge than a wound or two. "What would I be mad about?" he asked his friend, naturally walking a step or two towards her. He hesitated a little before continuing, trying to reach that earlier ease of talking to his friend that he's so easily had before. "I'm hanging out with you, aren't I?"

"Aw, shucks," Amethyst waved with a flattered grin. Steven was only given a few seconds to appreciate her smile before Amethyst frowned again, stepping towards him a little herself. "But if you ain't bitter or anything, then why're you acting..."

She hesitated a moment, then apparently thought she'd said too much to back out where she wanted to. "Why're you acting so weird, man?"

Under normal circumstances, Steven would've said that he wasn't. However, even he could tell that he didn't fully "act natural" despite his best efforts. The irksome part was that he couldn't really tell why. Steven kept himself quiet, trying to come up with a response that would result in as little futile introspection as possible. Before he could, however, Amethyst stepped a little closer still.

"You don't really look comfortable," she started, listing her reasoning, "Your arm was kinda spazzing out. You're looking a bit sweaty, no offense, and that song wasn't More Than a Thought, either."

Amethyst looked at him expectantly, crossing her arms in a concerned pose Steven rarely found her in. Guilty without knowing why, Steven deflated, feeling that there shouldn't really have been a reason for him to act oddly. Surely thinking about someone was a natural occurrence. As much as he wanted to wave off the notion, however, Steven did have to admit that the effects of thinking about his friend warranted some inspection. Unfortunately, what little inspection he did manage accomplished nothing. Steven wrung his hands, wishing for a moment that Amethyst was the kind of person to forget about such a superficially trivial matter. Of course, if it concerned Steven, she wasn't that kind of person.

Knowing this, Steven sighed, and decided to tell Amethyst as much as he could. "I..." he began quietly, still wringing his hands. Being as inexperienced as he was, Steven didn't have much faith in his words being taken seriously, though did try to answer honestly. "I don't know. It's... weird."

Though he could've added more to his statement, Steven still wasn't lying.Unfortunately, Amethyst appeared to think something along those lines, sighing in Steven's following quiet. He'd hoped that, given his usual character, Amethyst could see that he was telling her the truth. He really didn't know why he was acting so weird, as Amethyst had put it. The reasons for him doing so were as new as they were ambiguous. Heck, just yesterday he was horsing around with Amethyst like it was a part of nature. By this point, it was. Steven didn't know whether to ask what changed in the past 24 hours, or if anything had changed. Nothing came to mind.

"That answer kinda sucks, not gonna lie," he heard in front of him. Sighing in acknowledgement, Steven looked up, seeing Amethyst scratch the back of her neck in some nervous manner. She seemed to ponder another important decision, though also seemed to act on her decision a lot faster than beforehand. At the very least, she seemed to more easily accept her decision, a braced kind of determination settling on her features. Steven didn't ponder it too much, trying to come up with an answer that would at least satisfy Amethyst. If he was lucky, he might get an answer that satisfied him.

Suddenly, Amethyst was in his field of vision once more. This wasn't because she'd moved to where Steven's eyes lay, he noted; she simply moved closer, bringing her face less than an inch from his so that nothing else really occupied his field of vision. A few quiet seconds passed before she spoke up, having that earlier kind of twinkling in her eyes once more. This time, however, it looked a lot more genuine. "It'd be really hard to surprise me, Steven," she stated, sounding noticeably quieter than she tended to be. Her hands were placed on his, also having a touch far gentler than they usually had. "You know that, right?"

About five seconds passed before Steven's brain caught up again. Even then, all it'd accomplished was telling him to nod without really knowing why. In retrospect, Steven would've given Amethyst an honest answer right then and there. He liked to think he was a sincere enough person to be honest rather than build on some unnecessary lies. Amethyst wasn't exactly lying in her statement, either, meaning she was better than most to explain why he was having as much trouble with thinking as he was. She'd even probably be eager to help when she learned that his thoughts were about her. Steven had all the reasons in the world to just talk like a normal human/Gem being to his friend.

Instead, he blurted out the first thing that was on his mind. "You're really close."

Despite Amethyst's statement, she appeared surprised by those three words. Steven didn't blame her. If she wasn't as close as Steven said she was, he probably would've slapped himself more than once. Quietly, Amethyst looked at the proximity between herself and Steven, a small blush filling her cheeks as she realized how true Steven was. Either one of them could count the blades of grass between their feet. "Uh," the Gem started, still quiet. The worrisome part was how much anxiety she had in her voice; Steven was supposed to be the nervous one, not his friend. Amethyst removed her hands and began stepping away sheepishly, somehow forgetting about how Steven was also supposed to be the one put on the spot. "Yeah, sorry about-"

"No!" Steven hastily proclaimed. Instinctively, he stepped forward, gripping Amethyst's hand. Like he was now trying to contradict Amethyst's statement, she appeared startled again, either by Steven's jump forward or the tight contact of his grasp. Steven was only half aware of his own imbalance from stepping down the hill, focusing more on his friend rather than his actions. "That's fine!"

Now Amethyst didn't move at all, as though she was the one unbalanced on the hill. Steven assumed that was his fault (the lack of movement, not the imbalance). Amethyst simply looked at him, having a simultaneously stunned and uncertain expression on her features. Rather than a normal response about how Steven was being weird again, the Gem stared in silence, her minor blush persisting for just a tad longer. Regardless, Steven continued, thinking that anything else would've been far better than just leaving off on where he did. His features softened just a fraction. "I wasn't complaining or anything."

For a few moments, Amethyst kept staring at him, not giving any indication of hearing what he said. Digesting exactly that allowed for Steven to wonder if it was beneficial for Amethyst be momentarily deaf. After an agonizing delay, Amethyst shook her head as if to clear some thought. It ended up reminding Steven of his thoughts, and he subsequently removed his grasp, trying to keep an analytical mind-set instead of a spacious one. What little experience he earned by now was used to get back to the usual friendly interactions he had with Amethyst, admittedly with some difficulty. Amethyst snorted, rolling her eyes as Steven's hand returned to his side.

"Weirdo," she muttered with a noticeable chuckle. Any awkwardness about the situation was obliterated with her laugh, the Gem comfortably stepping back towards Steven. As the surprise on her face melted away, Steven's eyes shot back downwards on instinct, half-consciously numbering the blades of grass between him and his friend. He looked back up when he registered the boots in front of him, and found Amethyst with the wide smile she almost always had. Her transition from nervousness to ease was so quick that Steven was half-certain that it was something of a super power. Ironically, that put him at ease a bit, too.

"That your round-about way of askin' for a hug?" Amethyst asked almost playfully, smirking. The notion didn't surprise Steven, as he was too busy appreciating how quickly Amethyst had stepped back to him to be all that startled. Eventually, Steven opened his mouth, still being careful to talk like a normal person. His friend's casual demeanor made it that much easier. "Not exactly, but-"

"Yeah, it is," Amethyst cut him off with a small laugh. Having proclaimed what was apparently the truth, the Gem complied with it, not having the slightest hesitation to wrap her arms around Steven. Rather than comment on her abrupt willingness to embrace him, Steven kept his mouth shut, not daring to apply any further awkwardness when it was so cleanly removed. The riskiest action he dared was to reciprocate the embrace, and judging by the following tightness, that was a good risk to take. After a few moments, Steven saw the hug as Amethyst's method of helping. Considering she shouldn't have known that he needed any form of help, what with his lacking answers, Steven thought he might've been reaching a tad. Still, that answer felt right, especially since he had reached it without trying to justify Amethyst's embrace. Her "therapy" was effective either way.

For some time, Steven simply stood there, arms clasped around Amethyst. The slope of the hill made him stand about an inch above Amethyst, which Steven thought of as comical, in a way. A few seconds passed. Amethyst sighed, but otherwise didn't move in any shape or form. Most of the time, Steven would be able to tell when a hug lingered on for too long, having more than enough experiences with them. However, Steven could only guess at when he was "supposed" to let go, meaning he was hesitant to try. Amethyst didn't say anything, still just holding onto him contently.

Eventually, Steven relaxed his grasp by a fraction. Amethyst didn't do anything in response; in fact, Steven might've felt her own grasp around him increase. He still wasn't going to complain soon, though the gentle breathing felt through his shirt made that more due to being distracted rather than anything else. Or maybe it was the obvious warmth of her bare arms that was distracting? Probably both. However long they were supposed to be hugging for, the fifteen-second mark did warrant some kind of questioning for the sake of making sure the other person was still awake. "Amethyst?" Steven inquired quietly, tilting his head slightly. In response, Amethyst's head tilted into his, the Gem leaning on him almost like she did fall asleep. A subtle rub was felt on Steven's back.

"Hey, Steven?" she said quietly. Much more quietly than she's been before. Considering that the record was just broken only a few minutes ago, Steven snapped his attention to her (though it already was, really). Hesitantly, Steven hummed acknowledgement, still unsure of what Amethyst was thinking. He was plenty busy becoming accustomed to the new thoughts about her to figure her out, and the constant addition to those thoughts didn't make it any easier on him. Amethyst continued after an audible gulp, though her grasp still didn't relax. "I... really suck at this."

Added to the original surprise of when Amethyst first "figured out" why Steven was acting so strangely, Steven began to lose a little faith in his ability to read his friend, regardless of how busy he was. The grasp around him relaxed in tandem with this thought. Then Amethyst's grasp tightened to a degree that made industrial compressors jealous, and the next moment, Steven's back was attempting to merge with the ground.

"Number one rule of wrestling!" Amethyst was suddenly exclaiming, sounding almost like a military officer. Steven was still too dazed from the impact to find where her voice had emanated from, though he could recognize the Gem above him when the stars in the sky came back into focus. It took a bit longer for the stars in his eyes to clear away. Still disoriented, Steven vaguely registered the hands on his forearms pinning him to the ground as Amethyst shook her head in mock disappointment. Attempting to get back up let him feel her legs pushing on his. "Never let your guard down. Thought I taught you better than that."

It might've been the familiarity that allowed Steven to switch trains of thought so seamlessly. Moreover, it was the familiarity added with a combination of factors, most of which relating to Amethyst's usual character being better understood with time (particularly today). For a fraction of a second, Steven felt his lips turn up in a slight smile, though he reverted to a disappointed expression too fast for Amethyst to tell. Previous experience with Pearl made him confident he had his plan hidden. "Yep," he sighed sadly. Amethyst looked far too smug to feel any shift in his arms, so Steven took the risk, bracing. "Can't believe I forgot that. You got me."

"Darn right I-" was all Amethyst could say before Steven swept his arms upwards through the grass, breaking free of Amethyst's hold. Like he had anticipated, Amethyst had taken his bait and relaxed her grasp in triumph, meaning Steven's arms were now free. He wasted no time rolling to the side, taking advantage of Amethyst's weight leaning more towards her arms than her legs. Of course, since Amethyst was the one above him, he had to move around her. Amethyst gave out a small gasp of surprise as her back collided with the hill, hopefully not too hard. Within seconds, the Gems had swapped positions, albeit about a foot or two to the right. Steven tried to be less forceful in his grasp, though still had a firm hold on Amethyst's arms.

"Tsk, tsk," Steven tutted, now the smug one. The surprise on Amethyst's face was far too priceless for him to be the better man. "I thought you weren't supposed to let your guard down, Amethyst."

Even with a lock of silver draped in front of her eye, Steven could see the glow in her face as easily as he had distracted Amethyst. She laughed for a moment- a sound that Steven had unconsciously attributed to the laugh of an angel- but recomposed herself like she usually did. Her current state of capture seemed to make that a harder task for her, though. "Maybe I have taught you well," she admitted, shrugging as much as Steven's grip would allow. A pause in her admittance let Steven see she was expecting his grasp to relax, and she nodded in approval when it didn't. However, her expression didn't change at all, the Gem looking contently at her friend. "But..."

She trailed off, piquing Steven's interest. He looked at her inquisitively, then felt the smallest indication of movement in Amethyst's arms. Wrestling instincts kicked in, and he tightened his grasp with a continually smug grin. It was when Amethyst reciprocated that smug grin that Steven realized his blunder. Just as fast as Steven had taken advantage of Amethyst letting down her guard, Amethyst took advantage of the decreased balance awarded towards Steven's legs, sweeping her own outwards and causing Steven to drop forward. In one smooth movement, Amethyst pulled her weight upwards, rolling backwards off her head and taking Steven with her. The most evidence Steven had ever gotten the better of her was the flattened patch of grass now resting a little below their current position on the hill.

Now used to the roll-induced dazes, Steven laughed a lot sooner than before, his friend chuckling similarly. "Still got a lot to learn, bud," she teased him, throwing her hair back for a moment to get a better view of the boy underneath her. Steven noted how Amethyst's hands lacked the real tightness they had the first time she'd pinned him, which might've been an invitation for all he knew. For the time being, he didn't quite take it. Steven would've outwardly stated the cause of his delay as making sure Amethyst allowed him to move, but honestly, it was more of that earlier distraction that kept him still. It was her fault for having such shiny hair, anyways. The brief quiet let him understand that something about the distraction was worthy of inspection, especially considering the continuity of it, but the current moment placed that inspection far lower on Steven's priority list.

Just as Amethyst's mischievous grin began fading, Steven forced himself back to reality and performed the same arm-sweeping maneuver that he'd used before. Seeing it work twice in succession solidified the fact that Amethyst wasn't trying to be professional by any means (though that was common knowledge, really). However, just as Amethyst fell forward, an unexpected gap in Steven's train of thought prevented him from actually moving now that he was freed. This resulted in Amethyst unceremoniously dropping onto Steven's chest rather than being put in another hold. The impact had little, well, impact, as Steven was too busy pondering what was supposed to go in the empty space his brain had provided him with. The odd sensation of someone laughing directly on his chest brought his attention back to his friend.

"What was that?" Amethyst questioned through an impressively long series of giggles. She placed her hands back on the ground to lift herself up, chuckling with a wide grin. Steven, after noting how his brain had graduated to being six seconds behind the rest of the world, could only grin sheepishly, asking himself the same question. To be fair, it was probably Amethyst's fault that he couldn't follow through. The Gem only proved that as she waved a stray bang of her hair to the side, her scratchy laughter gradually trickling away. Now quiet, Steven looked on at his friend, seeing a visible blush in her cheeks. His attempt at a mental reboot had little effect, and he put off wrestling for just a bit longer while his brain went on autopilot.

Instead of capitalizing on Amethyst's distracted state, Steven took another moment to appreciate the way that Amethyst's hair waved in the moonlight. Anyone with sense would have, seeing how its light movements had a similar aspect to her laughter. Steven was convinced that it was normal for the rare grace to be described as... heavenly, and his ardor towards the silver promptly broadened to a broader, more welcome acknowledgement of Amethyst's aesthetics in total. His current place on the ground made discerning similar features rather easy, letting him fully appreciate his friend in a pleasant way he wasn't quite used to. Steven found his gaze moving from the fullness of Amethyst's lips to the incredible blue of her eyes, both of which making a persuasive case to be focused on. Even the stout build of his friend was recognized in a manner Steven had trouble describing. Speaking bluntly, she looked good. Her attire, too, had gone so far as to complement her figure, being so casual as to expose-

"Steven?" the young Gem heard, melting his thoughts like frozen glass. It was more of a melt than a shatter, as the first syllable of his name sounded far hazier than the second. Steven blinked for a moment, slowly being torn away from whatever daydream he'd been distracted with. He blinked a couple more times as Amethyst repeated his name, each a tad louder than the last. Whether she'd increased her volume or he just became better at hearing, Steven couldn't tell. Either way, Steven instinctively brought a hand to his ear, thinking that it was plugged up. Then he promptly realized Amethyst had released her grasp on him a while ago, allowing him to move as such. The hand that was previously wrapped around his forearm now snapped in front of his face, ridding the last scraps of adoration from his mind. Or rather, moving them.

"Hey, you alive?" Amethyst tried again. "Did I dislocate your brain or something?" The purple hand in front of Steven moved aside, allowing him to see the worry on Amethyst's features. She looked genuinely concerned about knocking something loose in Steven's head. In retrospect, she might have, though not for the reasons Steven would have assumed. At the moment, however, all Steven moved to do was reassure Amethyst he was fine. Speaking honestly, he wasn't entirely sure he was anymore. It became almost impossible to revert back to his usual casualness he had with Amethyst.

"Y-yeah!" he hastily told her, waving his hands defensively. Steven made a point of sitting up a little, seeing that Amethyst didn't buy his answer in the slightest. She didn't move herself, meaning the distance between the both of them decreased a bit more than Steven intended for it to. "I'm fine. Just some harmless wrestling, that's all."

Amethyst glanced at him, squinting her eyes in a way Steven usually called disbelievingly. Obviously, she still didn't buy his answer, which he couldn't blame her for. Her gaze felt more inquisitive than doubtful. "Sure..." she drew out, nodding not quite cynically, but definitely sarcastically. Even though the action was good-natured, Steven became slightly more aware of the knees pressing into his. "It's just that 'harmless wrestling' usually has a lot less staring. Like, way less staring."

"Staring?" Steven repeated instantly. He hadn't recalled doing as much, though that was more because he wasn't really focused on the act of looking. Steven sat up further, and seeing that Amethyst still didn't move back to a normal distance, he moved back to the ground he was forced against. "I was staring?"

Amethyst snorted, her laugh being heard with almost disconcerting clarity in Steven's ears. It'd almost caused a repeat of his previous break from reality, though he was too wary now to recede back into his mind. "Big time," Amethyst said, a tad of casualness returning to her voice. According to the matching return of her grasp to Steven's arms, she didn't seem to give many dire thoughts towards Steven's daydream. He wasn't sure he could say the same. Amethyst continued, moving back to the pinned position she'd put Steven in just a moment ago. "Now, you gonna give up or what?"

Obviously, Amethyst was inviting Steven to do otherwise, but he still couldn't believe that she'd ignored what might've been a solid minute of silent gawking at her so easily. He certainly couldn't have. Still, Steven forced himself to forget about it; at the very least, he'd ponder the act later. Right now, he had an unspoken title to uphold. Smirking, the boy prepared to move his arms upwards once more; just enough for Amethyst to notice. She feigned a yawn, even letting go of one of Steven's arms to wave her hand in front of her mouth. "C'mon, Steven," she chided, still grinning. "I've seen that trick twice now."

Matching her grin, Steven shrugged, noted how he could shrug, and decided to try something else. The one thing that came to mind was a bit out of the ordinary, but that quality also made it rather reliable. Steven punished Amethyst's removal of her grasp by raising a hand just under her arm. Out of surprise, Amethyst didn't stop the action, allowing Steven to hover just an inch from the side of her ribs. That was a mistake on her part. He didn't do anything just quite yet, though he might as well have been hovering over a nuclear launch button from the way Amethyst's grin faded. In turn, Steven's grew, filled with a mischievousness that he found more often in Amethyst's smiles. The violet Gem was suddenly halted, her arm frozen halfway to returning around Steven's. She stared, wide-eyed. "You wouldn't," she muttered, sounding more like she was trying to reassure herself.

"Wouldn't I?" Steven offered. Essentially, the prospect of what came next was enough for him to emerge victorious now, but both the Gems knew that being proclaimed the "winner" wasn't what they were trying to accomplish. Steven wiggled his fingers menacingly; not that Amethyst could see that much, as she was too busy glaring at Steven to notice his preemptive gloating. "I thought this was just harmless wrestling," Amethyst tried reminding him in a dangerously low tone. Steven moved his hand a fraction of an inch closer to Amethyst's side, grinning innocently.

"It is," he answered with a shrug. Amethyst instantly shot her arm back to capture Steven's as he did so, but she was still too late. Steven's fingers were already drumming against her ribs, moving in a sporadic motion that Amethyst had dreaded to call "tickling." Not even a full second passed after registering Steven's contact when a scratchy laugh escaped Amethyst's lips, far more forcefully than she'd have liked. The following spasms did little to strengthen her hold on Steven's arm, letting him continue with his own laughter. The other arm already holding onto Steven had loosened just enough for him to free himself, though he didn't have any intent to move. All he did with his newly restored freedom was provide symmetry to Amethyst's sides, subsequently intensifying her laughter. Inadvertently, his laughter intensified, too.

"S-stop!" Amethyst tried through her chuckling, attempting to swat away Steven's arms. She wasn't very successful. "T-that's playin' dirty!"

Steven had to admit she had a point, though he also had to admit she was usually the one to resort to such low tactics. He thought it was a pleasant form of revenge. Making an active effort to not get too focused on Amethyst's laughing, Steven moved further, easily rolling over Amethyst. She was moving far too much to maintain any kind of balanced position, and the brief (but lighthearted) glares she managed to slip between bouts of laughter let Steven know she was only too aware of it. He wasn't entirely sure how long he had kept his arms under Amethyst's, but he decided to relent a little when her movements lost what little input they had. The fact that he was losing a bit of his own stamina due to his laughter had nothing to do with it.

Half panting and half laughing, Steven moved his hands to the short grass of the hill, as he certainly didn't trust his balance enough to support him. Most would think he had been the one being tickled, he'd been laughing so hard. Amethyst had the luxury of lying directly on her back, letting her arms splay outwards as she caught her breath. She seemed to start a few sentences, but was about as successful as she had been at forming an authentic frown. Her head raised for a moment before plopping back down in the grass with a *thump*. One of her hands waved in the air almost defiantly. "You," she began with another lingering giggle. The Gem took a breath as her arm draped across her eyes with about as much grace as she had while eating. "You are the worst."

A short delay followed. Then Steven shrugged agreement, telling Amethyst "I learn from the worst." The small break from laughing Amethyst had attempted to take was cut even shorter, and the Gem threw her hand against her forehead with another series of chuckling. If the noise wasn't so pleasant, Steven likely would've followed suit. However, the lingering effect that her laughter had first induced threw his thoughts into an odd sort of haze, and Steven unconsciously returned to the daydream he'd been so eager to ignore. Maybe it was less of a daydream and more of a state of appreciation, as Steven was still very much aware of his friend. Whatever it was called, Steven felt his breaths slowing back down to a normal pace as his grin stayed where it was, reflecting the captivity he'd found in his friend.

Amethyst, being the tortured one, took a bit longer to get her breathing to stabilize. She removed her hand from her face, dragging it off with the same amount of grace she'd used in putting it there. Her eyes wandered for a bit before settling on Steven, and subsequently widened when she witnessed his rather obvious stare. If he wasn't so infatuated with her, Steven might've worried about looking the least bit odd. Still, he couldn't have seemed too creepy, as Amethyst's smile persisted for a little bit longer. "You're doin' it again, bud," she muttered, half-consciously adjusting one tank top strap. The Gem shook her head, resting an arm at her side. "At this rate, you might as well-"

"You're beautiful," Steven interrupted.

That seemed to get Amethyst's attention. About instantly, Amethyst's eyes broadened like she was trying to imitate the size of Steven's eyes. Heck, she probably one-upped him. As he would've expected, Amethyst stared back at him, mouth slightly agape. She didn't really jump at the chance to say anything back, seemingly trying to digest Steven's words. He didn't, being too preoccupied with the Gem beneath him. After about three attempts to respond like a normal person, Amethyst gave up on trying to say something back, shutting her mouth and snapping her head to the side. She'd turned to her left, though, meaning her long bangs did little to cover up her rather obvious blush. In turn, that did little to devalue Steven's statement.

"I, uh-" Amethyst almost choked out the words. She brought a fist to her mouth as if to bite it. Steven was only half aware of his small chuckling, finding some further adoration in Amethyst's reaction. After a few silent moments of one Gem feeling a whole lot more comfortable than the other, Amethyst cleared her throat, then spoke almost carefully. "You... ain't really making this easy, Steven."

Still caught up in his own world, Steven responded half on instinct. The only thing that even slightly brought him away from his daydream was the odd, almost guilty way Amethyst had muttered her statement. "Making what easy?" he inquired, sounding both piqued and mesmerized.

Steven wasn't given any verbal answer, and even then, he only understood Amethyst's answer much later. Just as he finished his question, Steven felt Amethyst's arms suddenly thrown around his neck. The action was abrupt enough to break him from his thoughts, but being pulled so suddenly downward didn't give him any stable thoughts to return to. Steven felt his hands instinctively give way from the ground just in time to register Amethyst's lips. Physically. He discovered first-hand what her mouth's fullness felt like pressed up against his, the violet Gem pushing herself against him. Gravity had helped, but Steven's instincts had, too. He had little else to rely on. Going with the moment, Steven relaxed his arms further and returned Amethyst's kiss with nothing more than what his chest told him to do. There wasn't much space to put his arms around Amethyst's neck, though he had cupped her face softly, acting with little thought.

Barely, Steven felt a hand run through his curly hair, and he reciprocated the action, managing to end up with his other hand around the back of Amethyst's neck. She'd brought herself up further to him in deepening the kiss, which Steven later realized only took about five seconds in reality. His breathing picked up a tad in response. Some of the hill's grass blades brushed against Steven's fingers, as he gave much less thinking towards the act of actually supporting himself on the ground. The most of a coherent thought he had was to avoid going any lower than where his hands already were, for obvious reasons. Amethyst didn't seem to have such a thought, leaning further into Steven while her free hand gripped ever so slightly at his back. It'd incited him to follow, but he was too busy with his mouth to actively think about the specifics of what he was doing.

Steven wasn't sure what he would've done next; at the moment, anything seemed to be in the realm of possibilities, especially without the proper use of his brain. Unfortunately, humans (and subsequently Steven) needed air. As his mouth was currently occupied, Steven wasn't getting a whole lot of that. Admittedly, it took a while for breathing to surpass locking his lips with Amethyst's in terms of priorities, but Steven's brain forced him to break away just as he felt Amethyst's lips part a tad more. Instantly, the young Gem took a deep breath of air, realizing exactly how intimate (and subsequently oxygen deprived) he'd been after a mandatory seven-second delay. He fell to the ground beside Amethyst with a grassy *thump*, his whole body giving up on carrying itself when the full impact of needing air hit him like a truck filled with bricks. As his chest heaved up and down in rhythm to his heavy breaths, Steven heard Amethyst fall to the ground beside him in a similar manner.

Despite Gems apparently not needing air, Amethyst seemed to have suffered a similar fate to Steven, according to her own heavy breaths. She didn't offer any words, though Steven had the idea that her gasps had little to do with that. He wouldn't have said much if he was fine. Both the Gems lie on the ground inactively, the full implications settling in so gradually they were hard to believe. As their breathing returned to normal at a similar pace, Steven tried risking a glance at Amethyst several times, but couldn't find the courage. Instead, he tried bringing that "analytical" mind-set to the past minute or so, and couldn't find the courage for that, either. Rather, it was a sense of awe, maybe with a bit of curiosity sprinkled in, that brought his mind to the past minute.

Not many words could be found to describe his thoughts towards the matter. As many times as Steven went over what just happened in his head, he couldn't put it into any kind of understandable terminology. That might've been due to his mind being a haze during the majority of it, though. Staring upwards at the stars, Steven still tried for something to say for the sake of common courtesy, but couldn't find anything worthwhile. Most statements that came to mind consisted of "Wow."

"Wow," Steven heard beside him. Tentatively, he risked a glance at his friend, finding her staring up at the sky like he just was. Now her eyes were really twinkling. Overall, her expression was almost neutral, but the excessive blood in Amethyst's face gave a fairly good indication of what she was thinking. Not that Steven was going to say it out loud, since that might've also been what he was thinking. Amethyst's lips turned upwards just a fraction as she continued. Or, at least, she tried to continue. "That was... wow."

That was one way to word it. Nodding, Steven returned his eyes above, feeling his own blush like a pair of matches being held to his cheeks. "I know what you mean," he agreed quietly. The rush of the moment was fading gradually, but Steven still understood that rush long after it'd been over with. It was... something else, that's for sure. "Wow" didn't begin to cover it, though that was evidently as far as either Gem could get. Any lasting implications of their "interaction" would have to be pondered much later, for a multitude of reasons (calling it a simple "kiss" didn't really do it justice, Steven found). Steven could blame the late hour for his procrastination, but he didn't think either Gem would believe that. As a result, Steven hummed to himself, trying best to "act natural."

"So," he started, trying to reach the point of normalcy he had with Amethyst literally a day ago. Within 24 hours, that point might as well have been in the next galaxy, so Steven settled on any further exchanges between his friend and him being a bit off. He didn't settle on that fact comfortably, though. Steven thought for something to talk about, thinking that any semblance of a normal conversation would alleviate the awkward air. "What was it that you said you sucked at?"

Well, that didn't exactly lighten the mood. As casual as Amethyst usually was, she seemed startled at hearing Steven's voice, and even more startled at the question he asked. Steven didn't risk more than a brief glance at her, though found more than enough in her expression. Still having that shine in her eyes, Amethyst sat up a little, pulling her legs up ever so slightly. She seemed to mull over her words before even daring to open her mouth.

"Bein' sentimental," she breathed out with a sigh. Now piqued, Steven sat up himself, looking back at Amethyst. The blush on her face hadn't diminished in the slightest, though the Gem seemed to rebound off of their more intimate moment far easier than Steven had. Outwardly, at least. Amethyst looked to the side, waving some of the hair from her face. "I mean, I tried, but..."

Somehow, Steven could feel the guilt on her features despite how she turned away. A minor frown brought his eyebrows together, and the boy scooted himself a bit closer to Amethyst. For obvious reasons, he still tried to keep a respectable distance, though he wasn't sure exactly what that distance was. "How do you mean?" he inquired quietly. "I think you were plenty sentimental."

Suddenly, Amethyst shot him a look, making him realize his poor choice of words. Being careful about his word-choice was less of a worry than making sure he could speak in the first place. Steven quickly raised his hands in defense, trying to explain himself better. "I-I didn't mean... y'know, kissing. I meant... you don't have to force yourself to 'be sentimental' or anything."

Amethyst's glare lingered for a bit, but the evident blush in her cheeks made it far less intense than she seemed to want. Then, the glare melted away, transforming into a patient smirk with a sigh. "I know, Steven," she said, shaking her head. Her smile seemed more subconscious than voluntary, but Steven enjoyed the sight either way. "I just... I guess I thought that was how to help ya."

Steven prepared to ask what exactly she had intended to help him with, but further thought made the answer fairly obvious. After all, the odd behavior around her had been more than obvious to the both of them. Steven nodded, a slight grin of his own pulling his lips upwards. "Nah," he said with a wave, "You don't have to force yourself." For a brief moment, he felt as pleasantly casual as he tended to be around Amethyst in spite of the exceedingly "affectionate" kiss between the both of them. He didn't quite ignore the interaction, instead placing it more comfortably with his other memories of Amethyst. "Just being you is enough."

Amethyst laughed lightly, leaning a bit towards Steven. "You're way better at this than I am, huh?" she admitted. Still, she sighed almost reservedly, looking back up at the clear sky above. "Thing is, though... I don't think I was just tryin' to help you. Y'know?"

Understanding her now more than ever, Steven nodded. He knew a lot more than he had ten minutes ago, and one of those newly gained bits of information involved precisely what Amethyst's intentions were in kissing him. As far as his own thoughts about the matter went, Steven was... content, he'd say. Sure, the newly found intimacy he'd discovered with Amethyst had a lot to work out, but for now, Steven was pleased enough to know that he had that intimacy with her. Later would happen eventually, anyways; now was now.

Living in that now, Steven moved a bit closer to Amethyst and gazed up at the clear night, already becoming accustomed to the Gem's more impactful presence. She had apparently felt similar, reaching over a tad to place her hand on his. Unsurprisingly, her contact held a lot more of a cozy feeling now. A thought occurred to Steven, and he turned towards Amethyst inquisitively. She had taken to Steven's position, lying back down on the hill, but still faced towards him in a manner he had difficulty describing.

Actually... now, he thought he had a pretty good idea of how Amethyst was looking at him.

Reasoning that he likely had a similar look on his features. Steven spoke up, trying best to sound casual. "Hey, Amethyst?" he began, still quieter than he tried to be. Too much felt different for his voice to be spared, he assumed. Still, he wasn't bothered.

As if broken from a trance, Amethyst blinked, then shook her head. She wasted no time in reverting back to the casual state she'd taken to, though the apprehension about her stare was fairly evident. "Yeah, Steven?" she responded after a delay. From the sound of her following hum, Amethyst's voice had been a bit quieter than she would have liked as well. Even if the comfort was slow to settle back in, at least it was there. After another delay, Steven thumped his head back onto the grass, wondering too many things for his brain to accurately think.

"I think I know why I was acting so weird."

An audible snort attracted his attention back to Amethyst, and he found her with a comical smile. "Took you long enough."

A/N: My second kissing scene! And it's definitely a bit more in-depth than the first. Fun fact; it took me like over a month to notice how similar this one was to the first one in chapter two. Ah well, guess I got a thing for tickling? I dunno, lol. Hope you liked this one! :D