Steven followed Blue Pearl down the seemingly infinite halls of Homeworld, taking in the sights with wide eyes. He'd tried to see how the door to Pink's room opened, but, annoyingly, it had slid open as the pearl approached, sending him back to square one on his escape plan. However, even trapped as he was, he couldn't help but appreciate the alien beauty of Homeworld. Every inch was pristine, immaculate, inlaid with intricate designs and even sporting living gems, seemingly fused into the walls themselves. Steven had tried to greet the wall-gems but it had only seemed to embarrass them. Not wanting to get them in trouble, he'd kept moving.
He and Blue Pearl entered a windowed hall and Steven looked out upon the endless sprawl of gem buildings. He paused a moment, placing a hand on the glass as he watched the bustle of life far below. Even from here it looked neat, orderly. Perfect.
"My Diamond is awaiting our arrival," Blue pearl said softly, having turned back as she waited for him.
The pearl's expression was flat, but Steven sensed the barest hint of impatience.
"Yeah, of course," Steven said, reluctantly following once more.
The architecture had changed from pink to blue a while back, with more and more glass (or transparent crystal, more likely) cropping up in the halls he passed. It seemed Blue favored an elegant touch, even - or especially - in her surroundings.
Steven tried to think. What was he going to say to Blue? Should he ask her about Earth, about his friends? He needed to know, but Yellow had been so antagonistic… Maybe if he made some small-talk, cracked a few jokes she would be more receptive to his inquiry. It had worked with gems before.
Eventually they reached a wide, open room, obviously designed to suit the stature of a diamond. Glimmering crystal pipes carried water along the side of the room, seeming more decorative than functional, while at the far end an enormous pair of stairs led up to an equally large doorway, guarded by two topazes. Elegant gemlike statues surrounded the door, reminding Steven of some renaissance artwork Pearl had showed him in his Earth-history lessons.
As they approached the stairs Steven wondered how they were going to climb them. He could just jump up, but he couldn't imagine Blue Pearl doing something so… unrefined. His question was answered as a small staircase folded out of the larger one, startling him. He realized he'd stopped, gazing at the stairs in awe, when Blue Pearl looked over her shoulder at him.
"Sorry," Steven said, hurrying to catch up.
Blue Pearl's foot hesitated a miniscule second, then touched the ground. "There is no reason to apologize, Pink Diamond," she stated, voice quiet.
Steven frowned. "My name is Steven," he said.
"Of course, Pink Steven," she replied, continuing up the stairs.
"No," Steven groaned, "just Steven."
"Of course, Just Steven," Blue Pearl reiterated.
Steven was about to reply, gazing up at the artwork surrounding the door, when the statue he was looking at blinked. His eyes widened. They were gems too? He was so preoccupied he didn't notice as the stairs ended and with a too-high step he fell forward, awkwardly colliding with Blue Pearl, whose outstretched hand smashed against the door panel. The doors opened swiftly, sending both Steven and the pearl tumbling into the room.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Steven asked quickly, disentangling himself and offering a hand. Blue Pearl seemed shocked for a moment, hair flung back from her wide eyes, before giving him a diamond salute. She ignored his hand as she quickly got to her feet. With her standing so close to him, he briefly noted that they were of similar height. Weird; Pearl had always been much taller than him.
"My apologies, Pink Di- Just Steven," Blue Pearl said quickly, now bowing in addition to the salute.
"What? No, I'm sorry! I should be the one apologizing!"
The topazes rushed into the room. Steven expected to be on the receiving end of their maces, but to his confusion they immediately stood between him and Blue Pearl, blocking her in menacingly.
"Pink Diamond," the topaz on his left, gem on her shoulder, addressed him, "are you injured?"
"Wha- of course not!" Steven objected, incredulous.
"We will remove this defective pearl from your presence," the other topaz said, stepping towards Blue Pearl, weapon still raised. "I'm sure my Diamond will shatter her for her insolence."
Steven gaped, stunned. Were they seriously going to punish Blue Pearl for his mistake? Shatter her? Her frown was deeper than he'd ever seen it, yet she made no move to defend herself.
"N-no!" Steven cried, pushing past the topazes to stand between them and Blue Pearl. They, surprisingly, offered no resistance. "It was my fault! I wasn't watching where I was going!"
The topazes immediately lowered their weapons now that Steven was before them, hesitating as they switched between glaring past him at Blue Pearl and searching his face, confusion in their eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" Blue Diamond's voice rang coldly.
Steven looked up into the diamond's face, anger written in the curve of her mouth and narrowing of her eyes, and gulped. Water was dripping from her body, slowly pooling on the floor and trickling down yet another staircase towards them. She had obviously been interrupted doing something. He would've guessed bathing, but gems didn't bathe, did they? The topazes saluted, bowing before the diamond.
"I- It's my fault," Steven said, trembling as the angry gaze landed on him. "I wasn't watching where I was going- I tripped. It wasn't Blue Pearl's fault, I swear!"
Blue Diamond looked behind him. "Pearl?" she inquired, more an order than a question. As if she already knew Blue Pearl was guilty. A flare of anger curled within him as he recognized the look. It was the same one Blue Diamond had turned on him at the trial.
He heard Blue Pearl start to speak, but Steven cut in. He wasn't going to let her damn herself.
"I told you it was my fault!" Steven cried, anger snapping to fear as Blue Diamond looked back to him. "Please," he begged. "Please don't hurt her." His throat was suddenly tight. "I promise I'll be more careful; it'll never happen again, I swear!"
"Pink," Blue began in a sigh, but Steven wasn't done. Anger rushed back to the surface.
"No! I'm not going to stand around as someone else is punished for my mistakes! It was my fault! If you want to punish someone, punish me!"
Blue descended the stairs and Steven froze. He'd really done it now. She'd realized he wasn't Pink and she was going to shatter him and Blue Pearl both. It was all his fault- he should've been more careful!
The walls closed in around him, crushing him just like Blue was about to. He clutched his head as the floor swayed, his knees buckled under an overwhelming weight. He was going to die. He was going to die for real, for good, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. A harsh whimper escaped him. Why was he so stupid? He couldn't do a single thing right! This was all his fault! He felt something touch him and he let out a lone sob, sure that this was it - this was the moment he died - but suddenly the weight lessened, the overwhelming chaos of his mind steadied. Steven blinked tears from his eyes, drawing in deep, ragged breaths. He shuddered and the rest of his awful, terrible feelings instantly fell away, almost as if they'd never been there in the first place.
"Wh…at?" he coughed, head spinning. What was he doing?
The aqua ground beneath him was hard, yet gave slightly beneath him. He ran a hand over it experimentally, frowning. Where was he? He drew his gaze up, jumping as he found Blue Diamond's eyes peering at him, full of concern. Oh stars- He was in her hand. Next to her face.
"B- Blue!" he announced in surprise.
Strangely, though Steven was shocked, he didn't feel the least bit concerned about resting on Blue's enormous hand. In fact, it was almost comforting, seeing her fingers curled around him protectively. But he should be worried… shouldn't he?
"Pink," Blue whispered, voice like honey, "are you hurt?"
Steven rubbed his eyes, clearing his head. "No, I'm fine," he said. He actually meant it. He felt fine. Good, even.
A blush crept over his cheeks as he recalled the circumstances that led to him being cradled by Blue. What was he thinking? She would never hurt him. He should've just told her what a big mistake it was. In fact, that's what he was going to do right now.
"I'm sorry Blue," Steven said, looking down in shame. "I-"
Blue held her finger up before him, ceasing his speech.
"It's okay now, Pink," she said, her voice a song. "No one is going to hurt you here."
Steven nodded. Of course no one would hurt him; Blue would keep him safe. Something nagged at the back of his mind. What was it? Oh, Blue Pearl.
"You're not going to hurt Blue Pearl either, right?" Steven asked, already sure she wouldn't.
"Of course not, Pink," Blue said, her lips curving up in the tiniest sad smile. Steven smiled too.
He found himself unable to look away from the diamond, even as she dismissed the topazes back to their post. He should make sure Blue Pearl was okay… but Blue Diamond looked so sad. He wanted to make her happy. He should make her happy, right? He wanted to see her smile for real. He looked deeply into her eyes. They were so luminous, so beautiful- Wait.
Steven ripped his gaze from Blue's face. This wasn't right… He should be… afraid. But he wasn't.
Blue moved, walking back up the steps, and Steven scooted over on her palm, grabbing a finger for support. He looked at the moodily-lit walls, the enormous pillars supporting the ceiling, jutting from a pool of water bigger than any he'd seen constructed, the bubbles of water flowing, suspended, along the edges of the steps, anything but her face. Blue stepped into the pool at the top of the steps- diamond-shaped, of course. She lowered herself, submerging her body up to the chest, leaving her arm (and Steven, still occupying her hand) resting along the edge. He could feel Blue looking at him.
Steven looked at the massive waterfalls backing the pool. "You really like water, don't you?" he chuckled awkwardly. His head was still in the clouds, thoughts swimming aimlessly through his head.
He risked a glance at Blue's face. She was smiling, though her eyes were still sad. Steven looked away again. Wasn't he going to ask her something?
"Join me, Pink," Blue said kindly, relaxing her fingers from the nest they'd made around Steven.
"Oh, okay!" Steven said, overlooking the misnomer.
He got up, stepping off her palm, but paused. He usually changed into his trunks before he went swimming. He didn't know if the clothes he had now would get as waterlogged as normal, but decided to take off his shirt anyway. He regretted it instantly as he heard Blue gasp, and quickly tugged his shirt back down.
"What's wrong?" he asked, embarrassed. He knew the diamonds thought humans were hideous, but he hadn't expected her to be that appalled.
"P-pink," Blue said in a hush, appearing rattled, "your gem…"
Steven was confused. True, he hadn't inspected his gem since he'd been on Homeworld, but if it was damaged wouldn't Blue have known before he woke up? Besides, he wasn't glitching like Amethyst did when her gem cracked. He pulled up his shirt anyway, looking at his gem; it glimmered perfectly at his navel, bringing back a slew of unwanted recollections. Then he realized Blue's distress. Surrounding his gem were a series of cracks, webbing out in every direction like veins through marble. He ran his fingers over the lines hesitantly, expecting pain, but instead feeling nothing at all. The only sensation came from his hands, the sharpness of the cracks' edges and the smooth, numb skin between them.
"It… doesn't hurt?" Steven mused, unnerved. What did this mean? Steven looked up at Blue. "Is something wrong with me?"
Blue covered her mouth with her hand, tears flowing down her cheeks (and Steven's, too). She was looking at Steven in horror, just like she had after he- He didn't want to think about that. But… it made sense. Yellow had… so maybe… Was this the result? Some sort of gem-scar? He tugged his shirt down, suddenly hating Blue's eyes on him. The world began to list in an all-too-familiar way.
Steven sat unsteadily on the nearest ledge, unfortunately being Blue's hand, but immediately felt a wave of calm wash over him. So it was her.
"It's because of Yellow, isn't it," Steven deliberated. He didn't expect an answer, but as Blue's gaze turned downward, tears still running freely, she confirmed it.
"Will it go away?" he asked, feeling strangely detached, as if the ugly cracks across his abdomen were inconsequential, nothing more than a bad dream.
"I… don't know," Blue whispered. "I have to tell Yellow."
"What!" Steven exclaimed, momentarily breaking through the blanket of calm. "Why? She's the one that did this, isn't she?"
"Pink," Blue implored, "she might know what to do." She reached out, stroking Steven's head. It actually felt somewhat nice, when he wasn't fearing for his life. "Everything will be alright, I promise."
Blue lifted him up, leaving Steven to cling to her as his legs suddenly dangled fifty feet in the air. She stepped out of the pool, letting it drain behind her.
"Pearl," Blue said, practically dashing down the steps. Steven was relieved to see Blue Pearl stood unharmed, waiting for them to return.
"My Diamond," Blue Pearl replied, arms forming a delicate salute.
"Escort Pink back to her chambers." She lowered Steven to the ground and he hopped off her hand. He instantly missed the sense of peace he'd had with her touch, yet found himself equally unsettled by her continued presence. Tears continued to cascade from his eyes. He shuddered, ill at ease with so many conflicting emotions and uncertain which were really his.
"Yes, my Diamond," Blue Pearl said with a curtsy, ignoring a stream of tears making its way down her chin.
"…And Pearl," Blue Diamond replied, straightening up to her usual imposing height, "stay with her."
"Yes, my Diamond," Blue Pearl repeated, waiting until the diamond was out of sight before turning to Steven.
She said nothing, but Steven could tell she was upset. Her movements were stiff- for her, which was still miles more graceful than most people's. "I…" He started to apologize, before remembering how badly that had gone for him before. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, rubbing his arm anxiously.
"This way, Just Steven," Blue Pearl said simply, leading him back the way he'd come. Steven knew it had only been a short time since he had left Pink's room, but he felt like he'd experienced lifetimes.
"It's Steven, not Just Steven," he said absently, gripping his shirt over his gem, mind filled with worries.
"Of course, Pink Steven," Blue Pearl stated. Steven sighed.
It wasn't until the walls had once more changed from blue to pink that Steven remembered. He was going to ask about everyone on Earth! He wanted to smack himself, but settled for a heavy groan as he raised his palm to his forehead. Whatever Blue did to him back there, it was powerful stuff. That he would forget something so important…
"Hey… Blue Pearl?" Steven asked, not sure if he should bother her. He'd already put her through a lot; he wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to talk.
"Yes, Pink Steven?" she replied, voice even and smooth, as if she'd already forgotten her near-shattering.
"Well… do you know what happened to the gems back on Earth?"
Blue Pearl kept walking. Steven had begun to think she wouldn't answer at all when she finally spoke.
"There are no gems currently stationed on Earth."
"No, I mean the Crystal Gems. Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl? Peridot and Lapis? Bismuth? …Connie?" Even saying their names brought tears to his eyes, announcing their existence with a sharp sting. He squinted, blinking them away.
Blue Pearl walked in silence, making no indication that she'd heard Steven's question.
"Please, I just-" his voice broke. "I need to know if they're safe."
They had reached Pink's room, the door opening at their arrival. Only now did he notice the twin topazes standing guard outside the room, still and silent as stone. He gave them an awkward wave but, predictably, they didn't respond. Blue Pearl stood just inside, waiting for him to enter. He was angry that she'd ignored his question like that… but he couldn't blame her. She'd probably be shattered if she answered. Regardless, he couldn't help but sulk through the doorway, frustrated by the lack of information. He saw the pebbles' furniture had vanished and sat heavily on the floor, though the spot immediately raised into a seat beneath him. He tucked his knees into his chest, curling his arms around them.
To Steven's surprise the pearl followed him in, the door shutting again behind her. He remembered then: Blue Diamond had told her to stay with him. Blue Pearl moved to the balcony- Steven thought for a moment she might look out, but she merely drew the curtain closed, turning back to him. She walked over, footsteps soft and practiced, and stopped before him, arms poised, hands clasped in front of her. Steven waited for her to make a move; she clearly wanted something, willfully getting that close to him.
"Pink Steven, there is no record of any rebel gems being shattered during your retrieval from Earth," Blue Pearl said, voice hardly more than a whisper. "Any such gems on the planet's surface would have remained there, as my Diamond and Yellow Diamond returned urgently to Homeworld once you were found."
Steven closed his eyes, feeling like he could breathe easily for the first time since he'd awoken. A heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. They were safe.
"Thank you," he said in earnest.
Blue Pearl hesitated, a half-moment of tension. "There is no need to thank me, Pink Steven. I am simply fulfilling my duty to you, as my Diamond instructed." She curtsied to him, moving gracefully to stand by the door.
Steven didn't know quite what to make of the pearl. She was clearly dedicated to Blue, but she was difficult to read, even for him. He looked at the closed curtain, easily picturing White's monumental visage looming behind it. He didn't think for a moment her reply was purely out of duty. She'd obviously noticed his distress and answered him, even if it was something she didn't want anyone overhearing. Steven watched the pearl, standing perfectly still, and thanked her mentally once more. He could relax now, if only a little, knowing that the Gems were safe. He just needed to focus on winning over Blue and Yellow, and then White, and he could go home.
"…Blue Pearl?" It felt off calling her that, a label more than a name, but he couldn't just call her Pearl when that was Pearl's name, and Blue was reserved for Blue Diamond. Maybe he could give her a nickname, once they got to know each other better. He noticed Blue Pearl had turned towards him and belated realized she'd responded; he'd gotten lost in his thoughts and had forgotten to finish his question.
Steven cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Um, why was everyone so mad earlier- when I fell into you?" His brow furrowed as he recalled the incident. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"To impede the path of a diamond is inexcusable," Blue Pearl said, matter-of-fact.
Steven felt disgusted as her words sunk in. Gems were shattered on Homeworld just for getting in a diamond's way? That was horrible!
"But you didn't 'impede' me, or whatever," Steven protested. "I was the one who wasn't paying attention. I fell all over you!"
The pearl elaborated, voice a soft monotone, "It is every gem's duty to uphold the dignity of a diamond. I was not attentive enough; I forced you into contact with me. I disgraced you and my Diamond and failed in my duty."
Steven ground his palms into his forehead. "I just don't- it wasn't your fault!" he groaned, frustrated. "And even if it was, to try to shatter you-" A shiver ran through him, turning his voice quiet. "That's horrible. No one deserves that."
Blue Pearl bowed her head. "I apologize for causing you distress, Pink Steven."
She just didn't get it, did she. Steven frowned at her. He recognized a hint of something in her tone, her posture. She… was scared. Of course she was scared, he had almost gotten her shattered! He hadn't even been on Homeworld for a few hours (awake, at least) and already he was screwing things up! It was like the Crystal Gems all over again: constantly making mistakes, being ignored and criticized and Steven-you-should-know-better-ed. He was trying his best but it didn't seem to matter. He felt small and powerless, afraid that instead of fixing things with the diamonds he would just wind up making things worse, putting the Gems - putting Earth - in even more danger. He didn't know what to do, and it's not like he could call up Earth and ask Garnet or Pearl for advice. He was alone. He had to figure this out himself; he just didn't know how.
Steven felt eyes on him. He looked up, surfacing from the ocean of his thoughts, and found Blue Pearl watching him (at least, he assumed she was, since her eyes remained hidden behind her hair). She turned her head forward again at Steven's glance.
"Shall I entertain you, Pink Steven?" she mused, holding her formal posture.
"What? -No," Steven blurted, abruptly remembering that pearls were built to serve other gems, "you don't need to do that, really." It was uncomfortable, to have Blue Pearl act so… ingratiated towards him. He'd gotten her in so much trouble and yet she was still trying to please him. He needed to put a stop to this, let her know she meant just as much as he did. He stood up, taking a step to the side.
Steven gestured to his now-vacant seat. "Why don't you sit down? Uh," he directed his gaze to the floor, "pebbles, could you make another chair, please?"
A flurry of movement later and two seats sat, side-by-side. Blue Pearl hadn't moved, but she was looking at him again.
"Thanks, pebbles," Steven said, though they remained hidden. The silence stretched awkwardly and he sat, cheeks flushing as he looked away. Did he break another one of Homeworld's rules? Were pearls not allowed something as simple as sitting down?
"Not that you have to! -Sit, that is," Steven stammered. "It's just, you look really uncomfortable standing like that." Did gems even get uncomfortable? Amethyst always liked to relax, but she wasn't exactly a textbook model for Homeworld gems.
Blue Pearl was still watching him. He patted the seat next to him, flashing her an encouraging smile. She looked so sad and lonely, standing by herself. If she would just relax, open up a little, he was sure she'd be much happier.
Blue Pearl briefly turned her head towards the curtain before making her way to the seat. She lowered herself into it slowly, without looking at Steven. He resisted the urge to pepper her with questions. She'd been uncomfortable enough telling him the Gems were safe, and her state had only gotten worse since then, her shoulders now hunched in slightly, perched on the very edge of the seat. She didn't look the least bit comfortable.
Steven kicked his heels against the floor, trying to fill the silence. "So… Is this… okay?"
"I don't understand the point of this," Blue Pearl said delicately, hands clasped in her lap. She still didn't look at him.
"Oh, that's okay!" Steven said, doing his best to remain encouraging. "Sometimes it's nice just to sit down for a bit. You know, take a break?"
It seemed Blue Pearl didn't know, as she didn't answer. Fortunately for the tattered shreds of Steven's attempt at conversation, though not for Steven himself, a familiar chime filled the room. Blue Pearl rose instantly, tiptoeing back to her position by the door. He wished he'd had more time with her, but then again… he hadn't exactly gotten far with the time he had.
The door slid open, this time revealing Yellow Pearl. Yellow Diamond wanted to see him already? Steven knew he needed to talk to the diamonds in order to clear up the mess he was in, but that didn't mean he wanted to be near them, especially Yellow. He had absolutely no desire to discuss his weird gem-centered blemish with anyone on Homeworld, let alone her.
"Pink Diamond, my Diamond has requested your presence in the tasking chamber," Yellow Pearl said with a strangely forced smile, arms crossed in a salute.
Great, Steven thought, his inner tone turning sarcastic in his reluctance, here we go again.
Still, he rose, following Yellow Pearl out and once more down a maze of hallways. He noted that Blue Pearl tagged along, walking a respectable distance behind them both. He wasn't surprised: she had been told to stay with him, after all.
Back down monochrome pink halls, then yellow, and Steven caught sight of more gems embedded in the walls. He looked at them as they whispered, but decided against greeting them this time. Homeworld had too many rules; he didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of his ignorance.
Eventually the halls grew in height, becoming diamond-sized, and a moment later two raised voices caught Steven's ear. He frowned but picked up his pace, taking the lead from a startled Yellow Pearl. The voices grew distinct as he got closer, solidifying into a heated argument between Blue and Yellow.
"Oh, so this is my fault? Because of course, every mess falls to me to clean up!" Yellow shouted, only slightly quieter than a sonic boom.
"Why can't you just admit that you hurt her, Yellow?" Blue cried, voice holding only slightly less intensity.
Steven rounded a corner, seeing two topazes before an enormous door, every bit as ornate as Blue's water chamber had been but decidedly Yellow, both in color and style. The twin topazes looked tense yet remained perfectly still, stoutly ignoring the ground-shaking argument from the two titans, emanating beyond the threshold.
"Because that thing was not Pink, Blue! You're being absurd, blowing all of this out of proportion!" Yellow's voice echoed. "For all we know the damage was done before we even found her!"
Steven stopped before the door. He'd wanted to stop the argument but now that he was here, he found himself longing to be anywhere else. Unfortunately, it was only a moment before Yellow Pearl caught up to him, opening the door with a poorly-concealed grimace.
The door slid to the side, revealing the diamonds' powerful forms. Blue stopped mid-retort, finger jabbed accusingly towards Yellow, and both diamonds looked down upon Steven. They were furious, the force of their combined anger causing him to take an involuntary step back. He gulped. A moment of silence ensued before Yellow opened her mouth, and Steven suddenly found his voice.
"You guys look really busy. I'll… just come back later!" He took another step back, making to turn away, when-
"Come in, Pink," Yellow hissed, jaw clenched. Her tone booked no objections.
Steven felt as though he was walking to his own execution, stepping through that door. He, in a rather morbid fit of humor, thought that wasn't very far off reality, either. He stared down at his toes, caught in the gaze of the two godlike gems as he hovered just inside the doorway. The pearls walked in behind him, standing dutifully to the side. They seemed none-too-pleased with the situation, but right now Steven envied their position - anyone's position that wasn't his, being observed like a bothersome insect. The door closed behind him with a snap that made him flinch, sealing his fate.
"So, I guess this isn't a courtesy call?" Steven asked nervously, throwing in half a chuckle for good measure. He was stalling, he knew, but even thinking about that evening on the beach had him feeling weak and shaky. He couldn't talk about it, not here, with Yellow looming over his head like a hawk.
"What is a-" Blue began, only to shake her head. "Never mind. Pink, show Yellow your gem." Her voice was soft now, but still demanding.
Steven hesitated, but as Yellow began to move toward him he yanked his shirt up, revealing the web of fissures surrounding his gem. A strained silence fell and Steven, feeling horribly vulnerable, wished desperately that the diamonds would say something, anything, to break it. Finally he looked up, searching out their faces. He found Blue wiping her eyes as Yellow stared, mouth a hard line. The latter closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her brow in exasperation.
"How among the stars did you manage this, Pink?" Yellow threw out her hand to accentuate her statement, doing nothing to alleviate Steven's reservations.
Steven pulled his shirt down. Yet another thing that was his fault, as if Yellow hadn't been the one to- Not thinking about that.
"Yellow!" Blue hissed, and the other diamond turned angrily toward her.
"Blue, you can't honestly expect me to believe that-!"
"Stop!" Steven shouted, immediately regretting his outburst as all eyes were once again on him. "Please, don't fight," he mumbled pitifully.
"Oh Pink," Blue said, stooping down to peer at him, "don't worry, we're not angry with you." Yellow looked very much like she resented that statement. "Just tell us how it happened."
Steven hesitated once more and Blue continued, "It… was it those 'Crystal Gems,' on Earth?" Her voice grew hard. "Did they hurt you?"
"Of course not!" Steven protested. He thought at least Blue was behind him, but apparently she'd now sided with Yellow. "They're my friends! They would never hurt me!" Disregarding all the times they'd tried to kill him before they were friends… And the times he'd almost died on missions, or when Pearl had tried to take him into space, among others… a lot of others. But they would never mean to hurt him!
Blue and Yellow shared a heavy glance.
"Then how did this happen, Pink?" Yellow asked, impatience coloring her tone. "Who did this to you?"
"Who-?" Steven choked out incredulously. "You did! You tore my gem out of-!" He couldn't continue, breath caught like ice in his chest as the world shrank away, hovering far below, a memory of a dream. He vaguely noticed he was trembling, arms clutched over his stomach and hands knotted in his shirt.
He only barely managed to tune in to Yellow's next words. "This is ridiculous, Pink! Why did you embed yourself in that thing, that organic in the first place! You should be thankful you're not trapped in that repulsive creature any longer!"
Steven's breath came in gasps, his hands tightening into fists. "Trapped? The only place I'm trapped is here! You won't even talk to me about Earth! About my friends! About what you did-!" The rest of his words died on his lips.
He heard a voice begin to reply, but couldn't be bothered to discern who it belonged to. He didn't want to hear any more of their contempt, their lies. His whole body prickled with rage; tears filled his eyes. "Shut up!" he shouted, his voice cracking like a whip through the still room.
He staggered, the ground suddenly uneven, and looked down in confusion. The floor beneath his feet was broken, blown apart as if from a powerful blast. Vicious cracks ran across floors, walls, and columns alike, and he stood directly at the epicenter of the chaos. Even the diamonds had been staggered by the explosion, Blue clinging to a mostly-unblemished column while Yellow squared her feet and narrowed her eyes.
"Did I…?" he whispered, reality crashing back around him in a thousand spinning shards. This must be his doing… but how? He'd never done anything like this before. He didn't want to do anything like this.
"That is enough, Pink!" Yellow's enraged voice sounded. Blue hesitantly tried to intervene, but Yellow was having none of it. "You are out of control! I thought you might have learned to take responsibility for your actions, but your time on Earth has clearly only encouraged your intolerable behavior!"
Blue attempted to cut in again, but Yellow kept talking over her. "The fact remains that you are damaged, Pink." She kneaded her brows in agitation, her anger finally restrained under Blue's disapproving stare. "What White will think when she hears this…"
Blue's face fell, turning pained. "We can't let her know. There must be something you can do, Yellow." Her voice was imploring but hushed, as if trying not to be overheard. Steven thought it was a little late for that.
Yellow turned away with a huff. "I can only do so much, Blue." Blue placed an understanding hand on her shoulder, and the pair shared a tense sigh.
Steven wasn't quite sure how he was still standing. As it was his limbs felt fuzzy, tingling uncomfortably like they'd fallen asleep. A faint ringing pressed against his eardrums, crowding out his thoughts. He'd yelled at the diamonds, blown up the floor, and made Blue start crying again, and that was only in the past couple minutes. He didn't dare to move, taking a few long, quaking breaths in the moments he had away from the diamonds' gaze. All of this was his fault. He was supposed to help the diamonds, not antagonize them. But every time he saw those cold, crystalline eyes…
"I… I'm sorry," he said at last. His fingers clutched the edges of his gem, solid and reassuring through his shirt, a tether to a reality that was quickly slipping away from him. "I know you didn't mean to… If you'd known you never would've…" He let out a shaky breath. A sense of dread kept him talking, the mention of Homeworld's final diamond. "What would White do if she knew…?" He didn't finish the sentence, but he knew Blue and Yellow understood his intent. His eyes flicked nervously to their faces.
The pair didn't look at each other, though they mirrored the same closed, anxious expression. A shiver ran down Steven's spine. Who exactly was White? If her discipline was bad enough to make the diamonds scared… He was as good as shattered.