Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!

Title: Absquatulate

Summary: Amethyst is a local legend at the Ocean Town college. She's looking for a new place to crash after the arrest of her sister, and her cousin, Carnelian, is there to help with a party. Peridot, an awkward robotics student who's just barely old enough to strike out on her own, is the one who ends up taking her home for the night.

...

erm (May 15)- Relax, my dude. I'm far from finished with this story. =)

...

"You're absolutely a Hufflepuff," Peridot asserts, twiddling her thumbs. She swirls the good one soothingly around the bad, slower one, feeling the softness on the skin. "I don't know what your friend was thinking. You fit to a tee."

Lapis glances at Peridot out of the corner of her eye, cruising into a turn lane. "I've never read Harry Potter in my life, but that better be a compliment."

"I'm only saying that Mala is loyal and dedicated. That's all." Peridot shared a conspiring look with the young girl. "That, dear Malachite, is a Slytherin at work. Take note."

"Okay, even I know Slytherin are the bad guys." Lapis takes a hand off the wheel to blindly swat at her. "So screw you."

Peridot yelped, shuffling to the other side of the passenger seat with a glare. "Some of the more notable villains happen to be Slytherin, yes, but Slytherin isn't a bad house. Slytherins are ambitious and sly- those aren't bad traits."

"So this is kinda like how ShadowClan is full of evil cats just because their fighting tactics are night-based?" She gave a slow nod. "That makes sense."

"I've never read a Warrior Cats book in my life, but I assume so."

"I have!" Mala chirped, leaning forward eagerly. "Tigerstar got cut open from chin to belly! He died, like, nine times at once. They had a whole page about it."

"...What the fuck, Lapis?"

"Language," Lapis scolded, moving into the outer lane There weren't many vehicles in Beach City- just one sports car that didn't seem to play well with others, and she was fairly certain it might be lowkey trying to run them off the road. "They're kids books. I'm not exactly fond of the sexism and ableism in them- the mild homophobia isn't exactly pretty either; two canon gay couples, none of them were allowed in the books to be canon, s'like fricking Dumbledore, yes, Peri, we all now about Dumbledore- but the side characters are worth wading through the shit."

"I thought cursing wasn't allowed," Peridot protested, feeling cheated.

"I'm her mother. I can do what I like. You're two parties away from stranger danger."

"Touche."

Mala was nodding in the rearview mirror. "I like Hollyleaf. She's gay."

"You're damn right she is, baby." Lapis nodded soulfully, jerking into a parking lot. "Look alive, fellow deadbeats. We're here."

They all only have a box each to their names- in Mala's case, a box and a bookbag- so unloading is easy. Lapis leads the way into the apartment building- it's small, only three stories, but it's only real cash grab was in catering vacationers during the warm months, which is always this close to the ocean- with a saunter that is less confident and more uncaring. They're on the top floor, far back.

"It's only a two bedroom, seeing how you were an unexpected add-on," Lapis explains as she jiggles the key into the lock. "And I wasn't gonna, like, decline an offer with only a few days until the move to spare just to try and find a bigger one. So... yeah, couch is your's."

"No, no, that's totally understandable." Peridot shifted her box awkwardly. "No offense, but could you hurry? My hand doesn't hold weight very well."

"I could carry it," Mala offered.

"Sweetie, you couldn't even see over the two boxes," said Lapis. "Let Peridot carry it. See, now we're in, it's all good."

Peridot heaved, set the box down by the entrance, and flopped onto the couch. She doesn't know how or when it got there, only that it's her's, puke green color and all, and that's all that matters.

"We should've bought Dixie Plates," Lapis mused as she headed down the hall. "Then again, it's not like we have anything to cook something that required Dixie Plates on. Peridot, you got any food allergies?"

"I hate tacos and spices," she called down the hall. "But otherwise I'm good."

"How does Amethyst put up with you?" Lapis called back, sounded amused and mystified all at once.

"She likes my nose."

"It is pretty button-esque," she admitted, reemerging from the far left door. "Mala, you wanna check out your room?"

"Yes!"

Peridot takes a deep breaths and turns out, trying to become comfortable in her new environment. At least Mala takes change well. She closed her eyes. I'll check for jobs tomorrow. We'll work from there.


Amethyst's first priority in the new house is to take a nap. As far as she's concerned, it's not a real home until you've slept in a pile of your own filth in it, and it's best to get that out of the way fast.

They get Rose settled into the only bed while she's out, and by the time she's awake dinner is gone. Amethyst makes complaining noises but otherwise doesn't hold it against them. She'd do the same thing.

Amethyst originally intended to go swimming before dark, maybe peruse the boardwalk for a bit, but Greg's fiddling with his guitar on the porch and that's... it's complicated. She leaves complicated stuff alone.

For all her adaptability, Pearl is the exact opposite of happy in new places. She paces around the house, frowning at the walls like they've personally insulted her honor. Garnet finally convinces her to lay down on their little floor nest around one in the morning, then gets Amethyst to lay with them. Pearl starts braiding her hair, something she's never been fond of, but she lets it slide.

"I hope ya'll realize nobody is gonna hire me," she says conversationally. "I kinda stabbed somebody once."

"It'll be fine," said Garnet, with far too much confidence. Amethyst lets that slide too.

I forgot to give Skinny a call. Shit. She must think I've forgotten about her and the girls already. Amethyst squeezed her eyes shut in lieu of letting them water and hoped they'd forgive her. I abandoned all of them. It's bullshit. I've got no guts. Again, she thought of Greg. That's different. I insulted him somehow; I didn't ditch him. Whatever. We were both drunk as hell. It's probably not even about that. I've said and done worse to pretty much everybody here. Wow, I'm an ass.

Pearl buried her nose in Amethyst's pale mane. A quiet snore vibrated against her neck soon after. Amethyst turns around, pressed her forehead into the woman's collarbone, and went back to sleep. It's always been easy to sleep a lot, for her. More than most people usually sleep. It's a gift.

Author's Note: TFW Slow Start wears off and Insecurity is HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.

I am mildly salty about my kitty books, and now so is Lapis.

-Mandaree1