CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

"Well," Peridot said smugly, watching Pearl and Bismuth talking together on the other side of the room. "I think we've had a very productive day, don't you?"

"We did pretty good," Steven agreed.

"Well... you did OK," Amethyst said critically. "But did you arrange flowers, caterers, seating and photography?"

Peridot rolled her eyes and picked up a magazine. "Did you?" she countered.

"Just the catering," she cheerfully admitted. "Mostly. And the seating. Which you've now screwed up by inviting another gem."

"Mmm." Peridot turned another few pages until she found a double page spread of bridesmaid gowns in pastel shades. She paused and leaned in closer to get a better look at a peach one-

"Oh, Peridot, that reminds me," Sapphire spoke up. "We thought tomorrow might be cutting it too close so we went ahead and chose a dress and shoes for you."

"...You did?" she said warily, an image of the hated ruffled dress popping into her mind.

"Uh huh! Come and look!" Ruby grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into her room and sure enough, laid out on the sofa was a pale lemon dress and a pair of pink shoes. "What do you think?"

Peridot silently examined the outfit for several seconds. Yellow wasn't a color she was particularly fond of, not any more, but she had to admit, it suited her. And there were significantly fewer ruffles and bows on this one. She could stand to wear it for a few hours.

But the shoes... oh dear, the shoes. They were a cross between school shoes, orthopedic shoes and hooves. "I will wear those shoes over my dead body," she declared firmly. It was a statement that made no logical sense, but it sounded dramatic enough to make her point.

"Aww, come on Peridot, pleeeeease," Ruby wheedled.

"You know making your bridal party wear something ugly is an honored Earth tradition," Sapphire added.

"So I assume Pearl and Amethyst will be wearing these revolting articles of footwear as well?" she checked.

"Well... no," Sapphire admitted. "Which is why we need you to."

Peridot folded her arms across her chest. "I'd rather set my teeth on fire."

Ruby and Sapphire retreated several paces and huddled together, speaking in low voices before returning to where she stood. "If you wear the shoes, we'll take Bismuth on a tour of Beach City," Sapphire said in a hushed tone.

Peridot tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Oooohkay... how does that benefit me?"

"We'll persuade Amethyst and Pearl to join us," Sapphire continued.

"Pearl and Bismuth have soooo much catching up to do, and Amethyst knows Beach City better than we do," Ruby said with exaggerated innocence. "No way could we go without them!"

Sapphire took over again. "But what do you know? A karaoke bar has opened up in town. And it's our wedding the day after tomorrow. And we haven't had a bachelorette party. So we'll pop in, order a few cocktails... and whoops, would you look at the time! 3am already!?"

"Such a shame you and Steven couldn't join us," Ruby said with a wink. "But you wanted to make a start on digitizing those records Greg dropped off earlier. And Steven must be so tired after everything that's happened today."

Peridot stared at them both in silence, trying to figure out if they really were saying what she thought they were saying. "Let me get this straight," she said slowly. "If I agree to wear those horrible shoes, you will make everybody else leave the house for several hours so that Steven and I can..." She trailed off, feeling her face start to burn. "Well, you know."

"Oh, we don't know," Sapphire said quickly. "We've made a solemn vow to never, ever look."

"We assume it's just kissing," Ruby added brightly, although there was a steely glint in her eyes. "As far as we know, our innocent baby boy is still a virgin. And will remain one until he's two hundred."

"Of course," Peridot agreed with a straight face. If Ruby and Sapphire wanted to believe that, she certainly wasn't going to tell them otherwise. "Some kissing would be nice."

"So you'll wear the shoes?" Ruby asked eagerly.

Peridot considered it for a few moments. On the one hand, some time alone to do kissing (and the rest) really would be nice. Who knew when they'd get another chance? She certainly didn't fancy returning to Rose's room after being so rudely stabbed to death last time, and she had the sneaking suspicion that Steven wasn't in a hurry to return there either. And she really wanted to have sex with him again.

But they were utterly hideous shoes.

"We'll let you lock the door," Sapphire added.

Peridot narrowed her eyes. "Go on."

"And..." Sapphire looked at Ruby for help. "Uh... "

"We'll pay you," Ruby offered. "Fifty bucks."

"Deal," Peridot said at once. They all shook hands, and then Ruby and Sapphire left the room. Peridot remained behind. She stuck her tongue out at the shoes, and then began typing out a message on her phone.

When they ask, you are very tired and want an early night. Xxx

That done, she stepped back out into the house and picked up the box of records. Steven shot her a quizzical look from the other side of the room, but she ignored him and went straight back to her room to work.

About two hours later, she heard noise picking up outside her room and paused to listen.

"-would not believe how much Earth has changed," she heard Ruby say. "Like, Beach City wasn't even here!"

"They've built quite the community," Sapphire added loudly. "And as for the humans themselves..."

"Not up to our standards, obviously," Pearl said dismissively.

Peridot put down her equipment and tiptoed to the door just in time to see Amethyst jab Pearl in the ribs with her pen, making her jump. "Come on P, admit it, they're not that bad. You even went on a date with one! She went on a date with one," she repeated in a loud whisper to Bismuth as Pearl blushed furiously behind her.

"One date!"

"We should show Bismuth around the town!" Ruby quickly interjected before the conversation could get completely off topic.

"I wouldn't mind a tour of this place," Bismuth agreed amicably. "Didn't really get much of a chance to look around last time I was here."

"And we could all use a break from wedding planning," Sapphire said.

"All right, you've convinced me." Amethyst tossed her pen aside and skipped over to join them. "Come on Bizz, we'll show you all the sights! It'll be the best ten minutes of your life!"

Pearl shook her head with a smile, and then turned to Steven. "Do you want to come with us, Steven?" she asked. "You know Beach City better than any of us."

"Sure! Sounds fun-" In the corner of his eye, he spotted Peridot shaking her head at him and belated realized this was what her text message had somehow been referring to. "Uh, I mean, I'd love to, but I've had a reeeally busy day today. Super jet-lagged." He forced himself to yawn. "So I think I'm just gonna stay here and have an early night."

Peridot quickly abandoned her post by the door and snatched up another record and pretended to be deeply absorbed in her work, just as Amethyst poked her head into the room. "Hey 'Dot! We're gonna take Bismuth out and show her around, wanna come with?"

"No thank you." She pretended to check the cables and then tapped a few buttons on her keyboard. "I have far too much work to do here, go on without me."

"Hmm." Amethyst narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Peridot moved back over to the record player and moved the needle over. "Unless you want Ruby and Sapphire's first dance to be to Rasputin."

"Well... he is Russia's greatest love machine." Amethyst laughed and spun around to leave. "All right, have fun with Greg's records. All one of them, which is how long it'll take us to walk to the other side of Beach City and back."

"Bye," Peridot said blandly, trying not to smirk as Ruby stepped into the doorway and gave her a thumbs up. She waited, listening to the sound of the gems getting ready to go out, the farewells they called out and the door opening and closing.

Then Steven appeared in her doorway. "So. I'm having an early night, am I?"

Peridot grinned and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes. To bed with you at once!" she commanded, leaning up on tiptoe to kiss him.

Steven happily returned the kiss for several seconds and then reluctantly pulled away. "OK... well, I don't quite get it, but I'll let you get on with the music-"

"Nooo!" She laughed and kissed him again. "The music is an excuse!" She stepped back and waved a hand towards the doorway. "Surely it hasn't escaped your notice that we have the house to ourselves?"

Steven tilted his head in confusion. "No, but... like Amethyst said, it only takes about ten minutes to walk around Beach City, and I'd like to spend a little more time than that with you."

"Then tonight is your lucky night! Ruby and Sapphire plan to drag the other gems to a karaoke bar and keep them there until 3am," she explained, seeing that he just looked even more confused. "All I have to do is wear the ugliest shoes in the world to the wedding."

"Really?" He looked around, intrigued. "Where- oh wow! They really are ugly!" He pounced on them and held them aloft, laughing. "Yikes!"

"Ugh, hide them somewhere so I don't have to look at them!" Peridot couldn't help laughing as well though.

Steven obligingly hid the shoes at the back of her wardrobe before turning back to face her. "And they're definitely going to keep everyone away for a few hours?" he checked. "Wow, they must really want you to wear those shoes."

Peridot nodded. "Nobody else would agree to wear them. They were desperate."

Steven tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well in that case, I think before we do anything else, we ought to at least get their first song sorted. Unless you really do plan to make them have their first dance to Rasputin?"

"It's a tempting thought, but it might not be entirely appropriate," she admitted with a smile. "And perhaps not Every Breath You Take." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Although actually, it might not be as bad for them. As Garnet is a fusion, it's a little less stalker-y. And they don't need to breath."

"I'm sure we can come up with a better one though." Steven thought about the list of wedding songs in his book. "Rewrite The Stars? I mean, it's about a couple that weren't supposed to be together, just like Ruby and Sapphire."

"And the song ended with them deciding not to be together," Peridot pointed out.

"Eugh, true." He thought again. "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing?"

"It's Aerosmith."

Which was a fair point, he had to admit. "Well, what about Perfect then?"

"No!" she exclaimed at once.

"Why not?" He blinked in surprise. "It's not got any weird, creepy overtones, everyone likes it..."

"Yes, but..." Peridot blushed and turned away. "I-I wanted to save it for us," she mumbled.

Steven stared at her for a moment and then smiled widely. "Peridot, are you proposing?" he teased.

"No, no!" She flapped her hands in embarrassment. "I mean... not now, but maybe one day in the future, if we did... I wanted that one for us."

He laughed and gently took hold of her hands, pulling her back around to face him. "Then we'll keep it back. Just in case," he promised, giving her a quick kiss. "But until then..." On a whim, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped at the screen before placing it on the desk as the music began to play. "May I have this dance?"

She giggled and took his outstretched hand. "You may."

Her room wasn't exactly small, but it was rather crowded; elaborate spins and twirls weren't going to be possible without somebody putting a foot through a piece of furniture. But that was OK because it wasn't a song to dance wildly to anyway. Instead, they held each other close and swayed, relishing the closeness of each other. Peridot rested her head against his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too," he said, and tilted her chin up to kiss her. In the middle of all the revelations and changes that had happened recently, it was almost a shock to realize that he was happy. He smiled, closed his eyes and pulled her close.

Then there was a bright flash of light. They opened their eyes and there was a moment of swooping disorientation that was both familiar and new. Everything was at the wrong angle and their body didn't respond the way it was supposed to. It was, Peridot faintly thought, remarkably similar to how she'd felt the first time she'd reformed after being captured and discovered her limb enhancers were missing, only this time she was taller and she could see more somehow-

We've fused!

The thought popped into her head without warning; immediately she realized it had come from Steven, along with that feeling of familiarity. And joy. So much joy.

No, that's from you too.

She could almost feel him smiling in her head. No, scratch that, she could feel him smiling in her head because it was a smile that was mirrored on their face-

It was too much. There was another flash of light, and the two split apart, still holding each other close. "Are you OK?" Steven asked in concern, taking in his girlfriend's wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Y-yes, fine," she stammered, unconsciously pulling him closer. "I-I just wasn't expecting..."

"No, me neither." He smiled wryly. "Probably should've though, what with the dancing and all, sorry."

She sighed and burrowed her face into his shirt. "No, I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I liked it, but... it was just so overwhelming!"

"Hey, it's OK," he said soothingly and rubbed her back. "Like you said, you weren't expecting it. Next time, we'll be prepared."

"Next time?" She tilted her face up and regarded him warily.

"Sure! I mean, we never even figured out our name or saw what we looked like! I mean, that is, if you want to," he amended.

She gazed at him a moment longer and then smiled widely. "I want to." Then she leaned forward and gave him a kiss that strongly implied she wasn't just talking about fusion.

"So... a karaoke bar?" Steven said once his mouth was finished kissing her.

"Until 3am," Peridot confirmed. "And we can lock the door." She leaned forward and gave him another kiss that sent all the blood in his body down south. "So let's make the most of it."

"I will definitely do my best to make sure you don't regret agreeing to wear the shoes," Steven promised, and swept her up into his arms. He carefully stepped around her computer equipment and tools until he reached the sofa, and sat down with her in his lap.

Then the kissing resumed. They spent several very happy minutes joined at the lips, and then got busy exploring other parts of each other with their mouths. Then they quickly realized their clothes were in the way. Peridot pulled Steven's t-shirt up and over his head and tossed it to the floor, but when he tried to return the favor, she smacked his hands away. "Ah-ah!" she scolded lightly, and smirked. "There's something I've been meaning to show you."

"Yeah?" Steven was immediately intrigued. "What, like nipple piercings?"

Peridot spluttered with laughter and swatted his chest. "No! Just... this." She sat back slightly, held her arms out and concentrated. Immediately, her shirt vanished. "Tada."

"Oooh!" His eyes lit up and he reached out to fondle her naked breasts. "I'm not gonna lie, I do very much enjoy taking your clothes off, but that's definitely a trick I wanna see more of." His eyes drifted down to her new shorts and leggings. "You gonna make the rest disappear too?" he asked hopefully.

"Soon," Peridot promised, and gave him another kiss that made his body tingle from head to toe to cock. He felt her smile against his mouth, and rolled his hips up against her, making her whimper. "V-very soon."

"Good," he murmured, and began dropping kisses along her collarbone. "I look forward to it."

He lowered his head further and his lips closed around one of her nipples. Peridot groaned and squirmed in his lap, making him even harder. He ran his tongue around the stiff little nub, then turned his attention to the other one. She responded by shuffling back slightly so she could reach down between them to unzip his pants. Her hands slid into his underpants, wrapped around his erection... and then paused. "Wait," she whispered, pulling back slightly. "Is- is this OK?"

"What?" Steven raised his head to look at her in confusion. "You mean like... the gems?"

"No, I mean..." She blushed and looked away. "The last time we did anything like this, it... it didn't end so well." She turned back and looked anxiously at him. "So, I just... are you all right?"

Steven raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly down at his pants, where her hands were still absently fondling him. "Peridot, if I had any misgivings at all, I can assure you, you've successfully distracted me."

"Are you sure?" she asked, still wary.

He grabbed her butt and leaned forward to kiss her once again. "Totally," he promised.

Reassured, she tugged his pants and boxers out of the way so he could kick them off, and started rhythmically stroking the velvety skin of his penis. Her thumb skimmed over the tip, while her other hand cupped his balls. Steven groaned loudly and closed his eyes. "Peri... you keep doing that and I'm not gonna last."

Peridot grinned and gave his cock a final gentle squeeze before letting go. "That would be less than optimal," she agreed. "Should I show you the next stage of my vanishing act then?" she teased.

Steven smiled back. "I would like that very much."

Peridot's smile widened, then her expression shifted into one of concentration. A second later, the simulated fabric covering her lower body sparkled and vanished.

"Abracadabra," Steven murmured, his eyes drawn straight to her exposed pussy. "What do you do for a finale?" he asked, reaching down to cup her.

"Mmm..." She closed her eyes and sighed happily as his fingertips dipped into her. "I make all your dreams come true." Then her eyes snapped open. "I-I mean the good ones! Not the others-"

Her flustered attempts to explain were cut off by Steven's lips, then when his fingers started moving, she forgot what she was trying to say anyway. She rocked her hips against him until she felt her pleasure building, and then she gently pushed his hand aside, raised herself up until she felt the head of his cock press against her, and slowly sank down onto him. This time, there was no pain at all.

Steven groaned and grabbed hold of her hips, raising his own to meet hers as she rose up and sank down again. "Fuck, Peri, that feels so good!"

"Heh. That's because I'm fantastic," she bragged, and began to move faster, forcing him to shut up and concentrate on his own movements.

They quickly settled into a steady rhythm and made love in that position for a few minutes, until Steven felt himself getting close. "P-Peri..." he panted. "I'm gonna..."

She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, and as her tongue moved against his own, he couldn't hold back any longer. His hands held her tighter and his hips bucked wildly with the force of his orgasm. And while he was still semi-hard, Peridot reached down between them again and rubbed her clit, reaching her own release a few moments later with a wordless cry. She slumped against him, panting heavily, and he smiled and leaned forward to kiss her gem, then gently tilted her chin up so he could kiss her lips too. "Mmm... love you."

"Love you too." She gave him a slightly sleepy smile and snuggled against his chest. "What time is it?"

"Uh..." He tried to reach his phone without letting go of her and as a consequence, almost sent both of them tumbling of of the sofa. "Hang on... got it. Getting on for ten."

"Perfect." She grinned widely and pushed him down onto his back before stretching out next to him. "Plenty of time for us to rest and regain our strength and do that all over again."