CHAPTER FIVE

Steven drew the paintbrush carefully across the canvas and then stepped backwards and eyed his handiwork critically. "OK, I think I'm about done here, what do you think?"

Peridot put her own paintbrush aside and came to stand next to him and narrowed her eyes. Then she smiled and nodded with satisfaction. "Much better," she said, her voice filled with approval. "She looks a lot warmer now."

"She does," Steven agreed, looking up at the painting of Truth Coming Out Of Her Well, now wearing a comfortable sweater and pants and holding a flashlight. "Although now I think about it, I think she was supposed to represent 'the naked truth' or something."

"Well now she can represent the naked truth with pants on," Peridot said firmly. "A well is far too damp and cold for her to be running around naked."

"Yeah, I guess so," he conceded. He gave the painting one last look and then glanced further along the room where yet more pictures hung and hoped Peridot wasn't planning to alter all of them. Then he immediately felt mean for thinking that. If Peridot decided she wanted to spend the evening vandalizing every single work of art in the Louvre, then he would happily assist her, and if that was all they did, then that was fine- "Ah, Peri, that doesn't really work properly in here," he said, suddenly spotting the cell phone in her hand.

"Huh?" she jumped slightly and looked at him with wide, startled eyes.

"The camera app, it doesn't work in here. Or rather, it works too well. It only shows what's real," he clarified. "I tried to use it to take a selfie with my mom once and there was nothing there."

Peridot still looked confused, then her eyes widened. "Oh! So that's why you pointed it at me that time!"

"Ah, yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry."

She laughed and put the phone away again. "It's fine. I wasn't actually trying to use the camera anyway, although it would've been nice to keep a record of our modifications. No, I was just looking at the time." A light blush appeared on her cheeks and she turned her attention back to Truth. "We've been in here for almost two hours, perhaps you'd like to rest for a while?"

"Rest?" he said blankly.

"I seem to recall that humans tire quickly," she said, still not meeting his eyes. "I know you're only half human, but still, you've only just been released from hospital, so if you'd like to stop walking around this place and take a break for a while, I wouldn't be opposed."

"Oh! Right!" Suddenly he understood. "Well, um, there's a hotel right next door," he said, gesturing down the hallway with his paintbrush and accidentally spattering the walls with Cadmium Red. "Oops. Or we could see if any of the rooms in this place are furnished. I mean, the French royal family did live here once."

"They did?" Peridot's eyes gleamed with interest. The little information she knew about royalty reminded her of the Diamonds and the thought of being able to enter their private lodgings gave her the same thrill of rebellion she'd had several years earlier on the Moonbase.

"Ah, yeah, well... that was before they were imprisoned and executed in the revolution," Steven admitted.

"Oh." Peridot wrinkled her nose. "Perhaps not."

"Perhaps not," Steven agreed. "Hotel next door then?"

Peridot nodded and dropped her art supplies on a nearby marble bench. "A much better suggestion. Lead the way!"

Steven grinned and tossed his own paintbrush next to hers before taking her hand. "Right this way."

He led her out of the room, around a corner and though a door and despite the fact that the layout of the building should have made it physically impossible, they were back outside in the courtyard, in front of the pyramid, which glowed in the light of the setting sun even though it was the middle of the night in France. And sure enough, right next to the museum was a quaint little little hotel. The couple exchanged quick, almost guilty glances, and then hurried up the steps and into the lobby where they were met by a smiling receptionist.

"Bonjour, monsieur et mademoiselle," she greeted, and then, having exhausted Steven's very limited French vocabulary, she switched to heavily accented English. "Can I 'elp you with anytheenk?"

"Uh, we'd like a room please?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," she said cheerfully, and without asking any further questions, she handed him an old-fashioned brass key. "Room one-oh-four, it is up ze stairs and along ze correedor."

"Uh, thanks," Steven mumbled.

"Yes, thank you," Peridot squeaked. She cleared her throat and smiled nervously. "Thank you," she said again, more clearly.

"You are most welcome." She shot them a charming smile and dipped her head. "I hope you weell have a most pleazant stay."

"So do I," Peridot muttered as they walked away, and broke out into almost hysterical giggles.

"Shh," Steven scolded, but as he caught her eye, he couldn't help giggling as well, and they were still laughing when they arrived at their room. But as soon as they stepped over the threshold, they fell silent. "So, um... do you like it?" Steven asked hopefully.

Peridot turned in a slow circle, taking in the gold patterned walls, the dark wood furnishing, the deep red bedding that matched the curtains flanking the open French doors that lead to a pretty stone balcony, the faint violin music coming from somewhere outside, the breathtaking view of the sunset over the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower... "It's perfect," she breathed.

"Oh good." He sagged with relief. "I've never been to France so I wasn't really quite sure what to do with it, so I Googled some pictures and took a little inspiration from Amelie-"

"I love it," Peridot said happily and draped her arms around his neck. "And I love you." She leaned up and pressed her lips against his, and as he eagerly responded, all her nervous apprehension faded away, leaving only desire.

Completely absorbed in each other, they stumbled across the room and fell onto the bed, kicking off their shoes and picking up at once where they'd been interrupted the night before. The straps of Peridot's dress fell down, and so as soon as Steven's lips left hers, he started kissing her neck and shoulders instead, and she retaliated by twisting her head slightly so she could kiss the faint stubble on his chin while her hands pulled at the buttons on his shirt until she was able to push the fabric aside and run her hands over his chest.

She felt his hands drift up her thighs, pushing up the bottom of her dress, but his body was pinning her down, so she suddenly shifted and rolled them both over, then sat up on his lap and reached down to pull the dress over her head. To her surprise, he grabbed her wrists and stopped her. "W-wait," he panted.

"What?" she asked in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He leaned up and gave her another quick kiss. "I just... I think I should stop now." He blushed and grinned guiltily. "Before we get totally carried away."

"Ughhh." She groaned and flopped back onto the bed next to him. "What if I want you to get carried away?"

"I want that too," he said quietly. "Which is why I can't."

Peridot stared at him for a moment and then her expression softened. "Of course, I understand."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to." She smiled hopefully at him. "But first... will you kiss me one more time?"

"I'd love to." And he kissed her with an intensity that left her breathless.

She sank back among the pillows, her heart pounding and body throbbing, and closed her eyes briefly as she tried to think. Dress on or dress off? Usually she wouldn't bother, but today her intention wasn't to simply get herself off as quickly and quietly as possible-

"So, um, you've done this before?"

His voice cut through her thoughts and she opened her eyes to see him curled up at the end of the bed, watching her. "Not with an audience, no," she said wryly, and observed with amusement as a dark pink blush stained his cheeks. "But yes. Before the gems found out about us and we had those 'dream dates', I would wake up and- and want you." She felt her own cheeks heating up and ducked her head self-consciously.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" he asked softly, shifting into a slightly more comfortable position.

"Nngh..." She squirmed slightly, but obediently closed her eyes and cast her mind back a few weeks. "On one such occasion, we were visiting an asteroid. You'd made it so that my body didn't adjust to the low gravity, and we danced under the starlight. We started making out. But then..." Her brow furrowed. "It all fell apart, and I woke up alone in my room." She sighed. "I wanted you with me so badly, I almost went to find you, but then I heard footsteps in the house. I knew it couldn't really be you, but then I thought... what if it was?"

"What if it was?" he whispered, unconsciously moving a little closer to her.

Her eyes remained closed and the blush on her cheeks darkened. "I... I imagined you came to my room. You locked the door behind you and just looked at me, and- and then you crossed over to my hammock, swept me into your arms and kissed me again. Then you carried me over to the sofa, pinned me down and kissed me some more." One of her hands crept up her torso and gently cupped a breast as she pictured Steven's hands doing the same. "You- you took off my pajama top-"

Here she paused briefly, opened her eyes to look at him, and then took a deep breath and pulled her dress up and over her head before tossing it towards him. He had just enough time to notice that she wasn't wearing a bra before it hit him in the face, and by the time he'd struggled free, her eyes were closed again.

"-And then you began kissing down my neck," she breathed. "Until you reached my breasts."

"Wh-" Steven gulped and tried again. "What did I do next?"

"Mmm..." She cupped her breast again and brushed a thumb over the nipple. "You started sucking on my nipple... and pinched the other one. Not so much that it hurt," she quickly added. "Well... not much. Only a little."

"Uh-huh," Steven said absently, more preoccupied by the rise and fall of her chest than anything else. Her small, dark green nipples were stiffening under her touch as she mimicked the movements of the fantasy-Steven in her head. "Did you like it?"

"Oh yes," she breathed, and then fell silent for several seconds. "You- ah, you didn't stop there, of course."

"I didn't?" He leaned forward, eagerly waiting for her to continue and almost reached out a hand to touch her before he caught himself.

"You... mmm... you moved lower, kissing a line down my belly until you reached my shorts," she murmured, tracing the path across her skin with her fingertips. "And then you slowly pulled them down... and kissed my thighs..." She hesitated for a moment, skimming her fingers along the waistband of her panties and starting to blush again. "And... and then you kissed me through my panties- what was that?"

Steven looked down at the torn dress he'd been unconsciously twisting in his hands and cringed. Oops. "Nothing!" he quickly lied, licking his hand and pressing it against the ripped seam. To his relief, the damage was instantly repaired. "I just... moved. Cramp. Got my foot caught in the sheet. So, what did I do next?" he asked, wanting to get her back on the subject.

"Next?" Peridot huffed. "You moved back up and started sucking on my other nipple. I had to beg you to go back down again!"

"Sorry," he said, biting back the urge to laugh at the cute pout on her face. "I guess I did in the end though?"

"Eventually," she murmured, splaying a hand across the front of her panties, and then fell silent again. "Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, you moved back down, and- and this time, you..." Her hand drifted between her legs and her fingers curled, brushing the gusset of her panties. "You pulled down my panties... and kissed my pussy."

Steven opened his mouth to say something, but somewhere between his brain and his mouth, his voice went missing. It had gotten distracted and taken a wrong turning when she'd moved her hands to the waistband of her panties and revealed a small damp patch where her fingers had been pressing. Any urge to laugh was completely forgotten as she raised her hips and slipped out of her panties, kicking them aside, out of the way. Her hand immediately returned to cup her pussy, pressing gently against the dark green folds hidden away there.

"You- ahh, you licked me," she groaned, running her fingers along her pussy lips, and Steven suddenly found himself irrationally jealous of this fantasy version of himself. He wanted to be the one giving her such pleasure, sitting here watching was agony, and not just because his pants had gotten far too tight for comfort. "Ahh-and you fingered me," she continued, completely oblivious to his growing discomfort. "L-like this..."

He shuffled around again, trying to find a more comfortable position without disturbing her, but he needn't have worried; she was now fully invested in her fantasy and had no intention of stopping, not even if he picked up her dress again and ripped it in half. She'd now given up describing everything to him, mostly because she'd lost the ability to form coherent sentences, and while he watched her roll her clit with her thumb and plunge her fingers into herself, he was struck by how little noise she was making. But of course, he reflected, she'd been doing this in her room in the house, with someone possibly on the other side of the door.

Hoping it was him.

He groaned and pressed his palm against his aching erection, which to be honest, really didn't help much at all. "Oh Peri... you look so beautiful right now," he said hoarsely.

At the sound of his voice, her hips jerked upwards and her legs stiffened. She gripped the bedspread with her free hand, her mouth dropped open and little gasping noises escaped. For several seconds, her entire body twitched, and then all at once, she slumped bonelessly back onto the bed, panting for breath. And then, finally, she opened her eyes again and peeped over at him. "Ah... and then, um, you kissed me and left the room," she finished, almost shyly.

"Well." He laughed a little self-consciously. "I don't think I'll be going anywhere just yet."

"Huh?" She stared at him for a moment, then her gaze dropped to the rather impressive tent in his shorts. "Oh!"

"It's OK!" he said quickly, drawing his knees up slightly. "It'll go away soon." I hope, he mentally added, because he certainly couldn't leave the room in this state, not with Amethyst and Pearl outside.

"Well..." Peridot sat up and reached for her discarded panties. "Why don't you just deal with it here now?"

Steven hesitated. He knew he should really say no, they hadn't discussed it before they came into the room, but it was very difficult to think clearly with his girlfriend sitting almost completely naked in front of him. He briefly closed his eyes, but his brain immediately hit action replay on her performance, which just made it worse. "I guess I could," he mumbled. "If you're OK with it."

Peridot grinned and crawled forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I am very OK with it," she assured him, sitting back down and tucking her legs demurely beneath her.

It was all the encouragement he needed. His hands flew to his zipper and he yanked his pants and briefs down to his knees, and took himself in hand. Peridot's eyes sparkled, and she leaned closer to try and get a better look at him. It was almost distracting, but at the same time, her obvious desire for him just made him even more turned on, and it wasn't long before he reached his own climax. Then he was immediately embarrassed by how quickly he'd come. "Eugh," he mumbled, looking around for something to clean up with so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye, and spotted a pile of towels on one of the chairs. The room really had provided for all eventualities. "Um, could you...?"

"Oh, of course." She jumped to her feet, still only clad in panties, and passed him a towel before returning to the bed again. He glanced over at her, and blushed and looked away, concentrating on cleaning himself up, and Peridot furrowed her brow in concern. "Steven? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" He looked up at her again and smiled sheepishly. "No, I just..." He shook his head with a small laugh. "I usually last longer than that, honest!"

"So?" she asked blankly.

"So..." He finished tidying himself up and lay down next to her. "I guess I don't, y'know, wanna disappoint you."

She smiled fondly and snuggled up to him. "You could never disappoint me," she assured him confidently, tracing little circles on his chest with her fingertips.

"Hmm." He mulled over that for a moment and then sighed and hugged her closer. "Well. I'll do better next time, in any case."

"Next time..." Peridot repeated. "Do you have any suggestions for that?"

Steven opened his mouth to say 'everything you just described' and then stopped himself. "We should talk about it back home," he said instead.

She tilted her head up to look at him. "You still don't trust your room?"

"Not entirely," he admitted. "Not yet."

"That's a pity," she murmured, glancing around the hotel room again. "It's a truly remarkable room, I've never seen anything like it."

"No?" He looked at her in surprise. "Not even on Homeworld?"

"Well, I suppose the technology probably exists somewhere on Homeworld," she said slowly. "But it would belong to the Diamonds and I can't imagine them allowing it to fall into the hands of lower-class gems."

"Bit mean of them," Steven commented, and then smiled wryly. Of course the Diamonds weren't going to let other gems have rooms that could give them anything they wanted!

"I imagine it would have a rather significant impact upon efficiency," Peridot said, obviously thinking along the same lines. "Nobody would ever want to leave!"

"Mmm." He could feel himself growing drowsy and shook himself awake. He definitely didn't trust the room enough to fall asleep in it. "But we probably should." He stretched, sat up, and handed her her dress. "Come on. Let's go and see how Amethyst and Pearl's card game's going."