Amethyst snapped the buttons closed on the footie pajamas. Steven watched her, idly sucking his fist as they sat on his changing mat. He was fine, his cheeks a little flushed but other than that he looked good.
Amethyst had taken him to Greg immediately-mostly because Greg was typically more willing to forgive the many, many accidents that occurred while Amethyst was in charge. She had fretfully explained what had happened and Greg had hauled them all in the van and driven them to a free clinic across town. He hadn't yelled, just asked question after question, checking on Steven constantly. When they had arrived at the clinic Amethyst had quickly shapeshifted herself into a rattle and watched from Steven's wobbly fist. The doctor had said Steven was fine and just advised them to keep an eye on him.
So Amethyst hadn't left Steven's side even once since they had gotten back home. She had bathed with him, held him why he ate and been on his heels while he played. Steven hadn't minded, he had been supplying her with many kisses while she was down at his level. He had begun shivering a little after dinner and then trembling as Amethyst put on his usual PJs. She had put on the footie ones when the shaking had gotten so bad he had tried nuzzling underneath Amethyst's top.
Amethyst tugged a fuzzy hat on his head, checking the kindling fire in the fireplace's pit. She wrapped a blanket over herself and then held Steven tight, retelling stories Pearl had told her long ago. Steven nodded off eventually and began to quietly drool over her gem. The incessant shivers had finally died down.
She had nearly fallen asleep herself when the warp pad sounded and three figures stepped from the light.
"Calm down, Ruby." Sapphire sighed, her little hand wrapped around her others thick arm.
"I'm not gonna just CALM down!" Ruby snapped, wrenching her arm away. "That thing almost got you! Why did you push me away when we fell apart?"
"If I hadn't push you away, you would've gotten cracked." Sapphire chided gently, once again wrapping herself around one of Ruby's arms. "I was in no danger and neither was Pearl. I'm sorry for pushing."
Ruby grumbled under her breath, before scooting closer to Sapphire to accept a quick kiss.
"Ugh, Amethyst why is it so hot in here?" Pearl asked, stepping further in to the room.
"It's not hot." Amethyst stammered quickly, eyes wide before slouching tensely. She gripped the fuzzy hat from Steven's head in her hand, tucking it under the couch quickly. "S'up."
"I like it." Ruby said, stretching her arms above her head and rolling her shoulders. "How come the house doesn't always feel this good?"
"Because we live on the beach." Sapphire said, her obscured gaze quickly zeroing in on the beads of nervous sweat on Amethyst's forehead and she hadn't missed Amethyst snatching Steven's hat away. She looked around the room briefly before sighing aloud.
"What's wrong, Sapphire?" Pearl asked. She had been inching closer and closer to Amethyst, already having noticed Steven's fluffy hair peeking up from Amethyst's blankets and intending to see him.
"Oh…nothing." She sighed, turning away. Her single eye flashed briefly under her bangs and Amethyst knew Sapphire knew. Sapphire somehow had figured out that something was wrong and that whatever was wrong was Amethyst's fault. She must've 'seen' something.
"Sapphire." Ruby growled, roughly dragging the syllables of Sapphire's name out.
"I said nothing." Sapphire repeated, gliding across the floor toward Amethyst and Steven. Steven stirred, lifting his fluffy head briefly and blinking sleepily. Sapphire pressed herself against Amethyst's shoulder.
"If Pearl finds out, she'll never let you so much as touch Steven for the next 3 months. I'll distract her. Ruby will help. Tell Ruby the truth, everything will be fine." Sapphire whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Sapphire, is everything all right." Pearl asked, her thin fingers tangling themselves nervously.
"Yeah, Sapphire is everything all right?" Ruby grunted, crossing her muscular arms.
"Perfectly fine." Sapphire's blank tone sounds clipped and forced. Amethyst can see from the corner of her eye, a subtle shift of Sapphire's right hand balling into a fist and slipping away from sight.
"See! I told you that thing got her gem!" Ruby exclaimed, stomping forward and holding out her hand expectantly. Sapphire slowly placed her gem-embedded hand into Ruby's and Ruby began to exam it.
"Oh! Is it cracked? Your form looks fine." Pearl gasped, squatting next to them.
"Pel?" Steven mumbled, rubbing his fist against his eye.
"Good evening, little boy." Pearl cooed, kissing his head quickly. "Amethyst why haven't you put him to bed yet?"
"H-he wanted to s-see you guys. You know how stubborn he is." Amethyst muttered. "B-but are you alright Sapphire?"
"I just hit my gem a bit too hard." Sapphire sighed, shaking her hand. "You know how it is."
Amethyst nodded, rubbing her fingers over her own sticky gem. She had banged her gem against surfaces before, hard enough to vibrate her entire being and leave her dizzy and in a foul mood. Cracking was always worse, but any extreme pressure against the core of her being wasn't a walk in the park.
"Perhaps, we should go to Rose's fountain? A quick dip might help with the pain." Pearl suggested.
"I think that's a good idea Pearl." Sapphire said, brushing her hand against Amethyst's arm. "You and I will go to Rose's fountain and Amethyst and Ruby can stay here?
"Wait-WHAT?" Ruby shouted. Steven flinched and began to whimper. "Shoot. I'm sorryI'msorryI'msorry."
"We'll be quick." Sapphire said, kissing Steven's cheek and which immediately calmed him down. She did the same to Ruby, but the wavering heat radiating from Ruby did not cease. "Amethyst has been watching Steven all day. Why don't you hold him for a bit and you two put him to bed."
"That sounds like an excellent idea, Sapphire." Pearl said quietly, clasping her fingers together. "Amethyst, you and Ruby can put Steven to bed. Sapphire and I will be back before you know it."
Sapphire quickly grabbed Pearl's hand and dragged her back to the warp pad before Ruby could even take a breath to voice a complaint. Sapphire waved goodbye and the bright curtain of light sprung up from their feet and in a flash they were gone.
"What just happened?" Ruby gasped, standing with her strong hands uselessly in front of her. She shook her head and then rubbed her head. "Did I miss something or was Sapphire lookin' to get out of here really fast?"
"Uhhh…"
"BgwahAme." Steven mumbled sleepily.
Ruby turned her body from the warp pad and toward Amethyst and Steven, with her hands on her hips. She sighed heavily before plopping heavily next to Amethyst. Ruby's unnatural warm skin brushed up against Amethyst's.
"I guess we're putting little man to bed?"
Amethyst nodded, suddenly realizing why Sapphire had told her Ruby would be able to help her. Steven had gone to sleep, but only with all the added heat measures in place. Amethyst's body didn't naturally produce heat as it did other substances-like spit and junk. Ruby's on the other hand produced heat in whatever form she took.
"Uh…Ruby, I-I kinda know why Sapphire had to go…" Amethyst groaned, her voice wavering as Ruby's powerful gaze landed on her.
"What do you mean? She said she hit her gem." Ruby glared, a slight increase in temperature occurring as her suspicion grew. Steven leaned in closer, squirming in Amethyst's arms toward Ruby's warmth.
"Sheeee…kinda didn't. She just made that up to make Pearl go away." Amethyst mumbled, fretfully tearing her gaze away as Ruby's glare burned furiously.
"And…and why would she do that?" Ruby said through clenched teeth, her frustration with the entirety of her bad day sparking her short temper.
"Cause…maybe she had a vision. And from the vision, she might have figured out that Steven kinda accidently…w-went into the ocean." Amethyst stuttered, loosening her tight grip on Steven as Ruby jumped to her feet.
"HE DID WHAT?" Ruby shouted, her voice hitting the high awnings of the house as she jumped up. "You were supposed to be watching him, Amethyst! He can't swim! Oh my gosh, is he alright? Give him to me!"
Amethyst willingly handed a sleepy, but smiley Steven to Ruby. Steven had jumped when Ruby had yelled but seemed nonplussed now. He fit perfectly into Ruby's strong hands. He swung his chubby legs in content and pressed his cheek against Ruby's thick wrist. He sighed quietly and shivered.
"What's wrong with him? Did he swallow any water? S-s-salt water isn't good for humans, right? H-h-he looks alright though." Ruby muttered, turning Steven over searching for anything wrong. Steven stuck a clothed foot in Ruby's mouth accidentally and Ruby spat it out with a shake of her head.
"We went to see the human doctor. She said Steven would be alright. He's just a little cold is all." Amethyst shrugged, still avoiding Ruby's gaze. "Please don't tell Pearl! It was an accident. I turned away for like a second and-and-."
"Whoa, calm down there Amethyst." Ruby said, holding out one of her hands while she transferred Steven to her shoulder. He lazily babbled into her neck, nuzzling his face into her thick hair. "Accidents happen, we all make 'em. As long as he's okay, I don't see why anyone will make a fuss."
"Ruby!" Amethyst groaned. "This is Pearl we're talking about. The sun could shine too brightly and she would make a fuss."
Ruby gently patted Steven's back, cupping his tiny feet with her other hand as she sat back down next to Amethyst. Ruby sighed, it wasn't like Amethyst was…wrong. Ruby had known Pearl long before they had met Amethyst. Pearl always had tendencies to prefer order, perfection and obedience, but those tendencies had been much worse during their first few decades on Earth. 'Loosening up' (as Amethyst liked to put it) had taken Pearl millennia and then Rose had passed away and her old strict inclinations had begun bubbling up to the surface again. Pearl's protective nature had tripled since Steven's birth and if she found out about Steven's 'little swim', they were all going to be hearing about it until Steven learned how to walk.
"Yeah, I see your point." Ruby mumbled. "Explains why Sapphire was in such a hurry too."
"So…you won't tell her?" Amethyst asked quietly, she looked steadily down at her feet.
"Hey, look I promise. Just-try to be a bit more careful. I know it was an accident, but I'd like to see this kid out of diapers." Ruby placed a warm hand on Amethyst shoulder kindly with a smile.
"That'll take forever." Amethyst chuckled weakly. "We'll be lucky if he starts walking soon."
"Pearl's already preparing an arsenal of safety gear." Ruby chuckled. "We walked into her room the other day and she was storing helmets inside her gem."
"He'll be lucky if she lets him fall." Amethyst giggled, already imagining Steven dressed from head to toe in pads, gear and maybe bubble wrap. "I guess I didn't ask earlier, but are you okay? I know splitting up isn't easy for you guys."
"Sapphire's fine, so I am too." Ruby shrugged, settling a dozing Steven into her lap. Even without his blanket, his stubborn shivers had finally gone away. A healthy blush had colored his chubby cheeks as his face squished into Ruby's thigh. "How about you? I freak out if Steven tries sitting up by himself, but losing him in the ocean-…"
"Yeah, it felt like someone kicked me in the gem and strangled my stomach and pulled all my hair right out." Amethyst groaned, sliding down fully onto the floor. "He didn't even cry or get mad-he just kept saying my name over and over again. I wish he had gotten mad, but it was almost like he was sorry for me."
"Only Steven would feel bad for someone even though he's the one who's hurt." Ruby muttered, rubbing a free hand over her eyes. "Man, he's gonna be as much trouble as Rose."
"He'll have a big heart." Amethyst smiled, watching the crown of Steven's fuzzy head shift as Steven captured one of Ruby's free fingers and proceeded to suck on it like his pacifier.
"Too big." Ruby sighed, already imagining the trouble he was going to get into with such a big heart. "Y'know if you want to sleep or something, I don't mind. I can put him to bed by myself."
"Really?" Amethyst asked, sitting back up. Ruby could see faint, violet bags settled underneath Amethyst's usually bright eyes. They didn't need sleep, their bodies were sustained by the power in their gems. But sleep sometimes helped. Great moments of stress often did a number on their minds rather than their physical bodies-so if they felt stressed, their physical bodies would reciprocate it accordingly.
"Yeah. It's no problem with me. Besides, it seems like Steven has found a better blanket." Ruby grinned, lifting up a passed out Steven a bit for Amethyst to see. Steven's mouth was wide open, his fist still tightly gripping Ruby's hand.
"I guess…if it's okay with you." Amethyst asked, looking longingly toward the temple door.
"We'll be fine. He ate already right and he has a clean diaper. I'll keep an eye on him until Pearl and Sapphire get back. I can probably convince Pearl to let me watch him until morning…" Ruby trailed off, trying to think up an appropriate plan of action. Planning was more of Garnet's and Sapphire's skill-she was more of a reactionary gem.
"Cool. Thanks Ruby." Amethyst said, stretching as she stood up. "See ya later."
Ruby waved and watched Amethyst enter the temple. She waited a few seconds before standing and making her way upstairs. She easily released the latches of the crib's walls and placed Steven inside. She climbed in too, setting Steven on her chest and then covering herself and Steven in a blanket. A line of drool was smeared across her top as Steven adjusted his face before a quiet snore rose from her chest.
It was soft. Much better than Amethyst or Greg-who Ruby had heard through Garnet and as herself; they made awful, grating noises. Of course, her Steven produced much cuter noises when sleeping. Ruby gently rubbed a finger over Steven's curly head.
"You're almost as cute as Sapphire." Ruby chuckled. "You might be even cuter. But don't tell her I said that."
Ruby took a deep breath, watching as Steven rose with her chest and fell with her giant sigh. It felt like only yesterday, Steven had been a tiny, red infant who squawked and squealed. He had been so small that his minute head hadn't even overwhelmed Sapphire's little hands. He had been rather fragile back then, his minuscule veins apparent through his thin skin and every rib visible.
Too tiny to hold. Much, much too tiny to even think of holding. Ruby had avoided holding Steven until he had gained a bit more meat on his stick thin bones. It had of course been Sapphire's idea-Ruby had needed a lot of encouragement to even touch Steven. Ruby wished she had picked him up sooner though. She hadn't though he would've been so soft.
She hummed quietly, an off-key reminiscent of Sapphire's ever-so-faithful song. She wasn't sure how long she hummed before the warp pad activated.
"Well, that ought to do it." Pearl said, with a tired grin.
"Thank you for taking me, Pearl." Sapphire whispered. "Ruby, there you are. Is he asleep?"
"Where is Amethyst?" Pearl asked, walking upstairs with Sapphire. She sat down next to Ruby, idly rubbing Steven's back.
"I told her she could go sleep." Ruby shrugged, closing her eyes as Sapphire's hands stroked her cheeks. "You know Steven, he can be a bit draining."
"Yes, she said he was being fussy before bed." Pearl hummed before standing up. "I'm going to go check on her, do you two mind watching him tonight?"
"Steven, seems pretty comfortable on my chest." Ruby said, shifting her head onto Sapphire's lap. "But if you want to rest too-."
"I'm perfectly fine." Sapphire said, kissing Ruby's brow. "Spending time with sleepy Steven is almost as good as a dip in Rose's fountain."
Pearl nodded, quickly skipping down the stairs and back into the temple. Sapphire kissed Ruby's brow again and then Steven's.
"So…when were you going to tell me you weren't injured?" Ruby asked quietly, pouting slightly.
"I'm sorry, Ruby. You and I both know how Pearl would've reacted." Sapphire said, parting her bangs so that she could really see Ruby. "Steven hates conflicts. He would've made that face."
"The face?" Ruby asked. "The one with the big, wet eyes and the pouty lips?"
"That one exactly." Sapphire giggled. "Our futures would've been horrible. Pearl and Amethyst would be constantly at each other's throat and Steven would be so upset."
"Did…you see something…something bad? Is that why you asked me to stay?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing bad-just a shivery, whiny Steven struggling to get to bed." Sapphire shrugged, watching Steven as he sat his head up slightly before letting it drop back onto Ruby's chest with a yawn. "You've always been good at warming things up."
"I could warm you up."
"Ruby."
"You know you love me."
"…Yes. I. Do." Sapphire whispered, pressing her lips against Ruby's with each word. "And so does Steven."
"Yeah, I can tell. He's been drooling relentlessly. I thought he was supposed to stop doing that months ago." Ruby joked.
"You know you love it."
"You know me too well."
Sapphire giggled, her soft blue hair brushing against Ruby's cheeks. "But you wouldn't have it any other way."
Ruby smiled, feeling Steven's tiny little heart healthily pumping against her human construct. Even though she would've preferred to been Garnet right now, it was nice to be able to fit her entire body in Steven's crib. It was also nice to be kissed, her thick hair being smoothed down by her favorite pair of tiny hands and a quiet symphony of sleepy baby noises lulling her into a doze.
"Sitting in a tiny crib, late at night not as Garnet after a hectic scary mission?" Ruby asked. "You betcha Sapph, wouldn't want it any other way."
A/N: I bet hugging Ruby would be amazing. Also, thanks for the favorites, follows and especially reviews. New episodes for Steven Universe start September 10th 2015! Yay, I cannot wait! Maybe an update tomorrow-I have a ton of homework, so no guarantees. But if not on Friday than probably before Labor Day.
A/N: For anyone who reads Crystal Gem Academy, I will be posting the next chapter by next week hopefully.