Steven Universe Fanfiction
My Pearl
Chapter 8: Rocky Starts
Author's Warning: There be curses ahead and some moments of rather violent interactions.
There are all kinds of words to describe the situation Edward and Patricia find themselves in now. The few words that came to mind as soon as Edward said those words though were painfully and excruciatingly awkward. While Garnet had seen the possibilities of them coming sooner than expected but she had hoped that they would meet under much different circumstances. Alas, here they all are. There were also so many outcomes to this meeting ranging from the best to the worst of endings.
"Heya Greg, rocking a new style, eh?" Amethyst asks.
Edward can only sputter at the case of mistaken identity. Greg's a nice guy and all but clearly, clearly they don't look alike at all…right? Then again, he never knew his father but Greg never seemed like the reckless kind of guy, even in his youth…then again, he was a one-man rock band; were they just as crazy and promiscuous as regular rock bands? Wait, did the years even match up? HOW OLD WAS HE!? Each conspiratorial thought pales him more and more until they are cut short at the purple gem's cackling.
"Oh man, you should see the look on your face," she breaths out between laughs, "Lighten up, dude, I know who you are. This little guy keeps going on and on about you guys; love the thing on your head though, what is it?" she says as she ruffles Steven's hair and points to the side of her head.
"My…tattoo?" Edward answers, wondering what the hell is happening.
"Oh sweet, is that what it is? I've seen humans with them before and always wanted one or at least form one but Pearl won't let me," she grumbles, crossing her arms with a pout.
They would have continued had they not felt the rising tension right beside them. The two Pearls staring each other down with cold glares, daring the other to break away. Amethyst is quick to move in front of Steven while Edward can only watch helplessly at his wife's side.
"…Pearl…" the slender Crystal Gem begins.
"Patricia," she grinds out, "My name is Patricia."
"…My apologies…Patricia…you're looking well."
"After being left with a gem you cracked all those years ago I suppose I do look well, don't I?
"Pearl?" Steven's voice grabs both of their attention, gasping when they see tears pooling in his eyes, "Did you really do that to Mrs. Feng?"
Patricia can only look away. Pearl is quick to console him as best she can, gently kneeling in front of him and placing her hands on his shoulders. Unfortunately, they are reminded of why they're all here when the Watermelon Stevens take a menacing step forward, anger in their seedy eyes.
"Steven, get in the house."
"But…!"
"Now!" Pearl commands, shoving the boy through the door and into the house. The hissing may as well have been a roar when they saw their progenitor harmed.
"Now you've gone and done it!" Edward curses. Letting loose a wild roar and battle axe raised high, he charges from the patio to meet the waiting mob.
"Edward wait! Oh honestly!" Patricia huffs exasperatedly as she leaps after him, her gem glowing.
"Hah! These two are a riot! Come on! Let's go after them! We can't let them have all the fun!" Amethyst cheers as she lashes out her whip.
"There is nothing fun about this, Amethyst!" Pearl scolds harshly, summoning her spear with a twirl.
"Gems, do your thing!" Garnet orders, gauntlets phasing into being.
Down on the beach, Edward has already cleaved a path through the fruit adversaries. Howling with furious abandon, he makes his way deeper reducing everything to chunks. Whirling wildly as he is, he makes the mistake of stepping on a remnant watermelon slice and slips. His attack ground to a halt, the Watermelon Stevens are quick to push the advantage and attempt to dogpile him. He roars in defiance.
Silver bolts counter the assault as they fall to the ground in even more watermelon chunks. Beside her fallen husband stands Patricia, weapons drawn. Her white curved sabre with a silver intricate Schiavona-style basket hilt pointed proudly, daring the Watermelon Stevens to step forward. Pointed in the opposite direction is a curious white pistol, the silver glow of its rectangular barrel menacing to the hissing remains of the enemy.
"Husband," she says, sparing a glance.
"Wife," he replies as he gets up and stands back to back with her, staring down the surrounding enemy, "Together?
"Always."
In a whirl of silver, they're off. Axe and blade lash out as they mow down the enemy with intermittent blasts of from her pistol. Edward howls away as he drinks of the adrenaline, a sort of maniacal joy on his face. At his back, Patricia silently smiles at her own grim work as she nonchalantly slices a head off and blasts another in the chest. And so they dance on and on, together and at each other's back.
It does not last though when Patricia attempts to shoot one advancing Watermelon Steven only for it to glow only for a bit before it dies down. With a tsk, she chucks it at the Watermelon Steven and steps into a slash that destroys it. It is one step too far though as one, two, and many more tackle her back and into the ground. She cries out as she hits the sand. Twisting about, Edward sees his fallen wife and fury bellows out of him as he sweeps them off. It is a useless gesture as he too is dogpiled from behind and many more take up holding Patricia down. He screams curses at those holding his wife down.
The other Gems had taken down some but they ultimately end up defeated. Only Garnet's afro can be seen from a massive pile of Watermelon Stevens, Pearl is stuck in a tug of war with her spear in the middle of it all as more attempt to separate her from her weapon, and with Amethyst…strangely enough a grave is being prepared for her as she cries, begging not to be put six feet under whilst commenting on lovely flowers.
When it seemed like things couldn't get worse, the melons suddenly leapt off and attacked something else as one. An explosion of sand later, they all stand stock still, watching. Confusedly, the Gems and the couple recover and observe what's going on. Steven stands in the middle of the crowd of melons, looking heartbroken at some smaller watermelon chunks in his hands. As he turns about facing the other melons, anger washes over the boy.
"Look at what you've done! You think I wanted this!? You should all be ashamed! He knew this is what it would take to calm your rage!" he yells, pausing briefly to whisper something at the chunks.
"What the hell is happening?" Edward whispers a bit harshly to Patricia, the adrenaline still not quite gone.
"Do you remember that melon Steven was so fond of?"
"No."
"Honestly dear, it was with us the entire time."
"You'll have to forgive me if all of the melons look the same, especially when they turn rabid and start attacking us," he bites out but he immediately sobers, his eyes flicking up and down Patricia, "Are you alright, Patricia? What about your gem? Do you need to rest?"
"I'm fine, just a little dirty is all," she says, waving off his concerns.
"Go! Think about what you've done! And don't come back until you understand what he did for me, for all of us!" Steven declares, grabbing the couple's attention once more.
Surprisingly, the melons obey. Some walk off, either further down the beach or somewhere inland. Others have taken to walking into the ocean, disappearing under the rolling surf. One is unfortunately taken away by a particularly strong seagull, waving its arms helplessly in a silent plea for help. As soon as the last Watermelon Steven is gone, the Crystal Gems huddle around to congratulate him on a job well done. Their somewhat mortified when he starts eating the remains of his favorite watermelon but do not comment on it.
"We should go," Patricia says.
"Agreed," Edward replies as he leans heavily on his battle axe, hissing as he gingerly steps with his right foot.
"You ask me if I'm alright when you're the one in pain," Patricia sighs as she wraps his free hand around her slim shoulders, "I'm a Gem, Edward, we don't get so easily hurt like humans do. And last I checked watermelons have a rather hard rind so to be assaulted by one is worrisome but by a multitude…are you going to be alright? Can you walk?"
"I'll be fine, just need to keep off it for a bit."
"You're not working tomorrow."
"The hell I'm not."
"Can you really handle the workload with that ankle of yours?" she asks harshly, pinning him with a sharp glare.
He would've met the glare if he weren't surprised by a wet slap on said ankle.
"Gah! What the Steven!?" he yelps, eliciting a guffaw from Amethyst as Garnet and Pearl look on.
"I like this guy, he's hilarious!"
"Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could heal you. Guess I still can't," the boy looks down sadly.
"Ah right…the healing spit thing…look, it's no big deal…"
"But it is a big deal! How can I be a Crystal Gem if the people I'm supposed to protect are getting hurt!?"
"I would've thought getting hurt was part of the job description," Edward deadpans, earning a glare from Pearl as she folds her arms around Steven protectively.
"Edward, be nice," Patricia scolds before smiling softly at Steven, "What he means to say is that while it's admirable that you want to protect everyone, it's impossible. Only with training and experience can these incidents be reduced to a minimum; that's part of being a Crystal Gem, is it not?"
"Yeah, I guess so…" Steven says, still not mollified. There's a stirring thought in the back of his mind though he can't quite put his finger on it.
"Chin up, boy," Edward says as he cautiously ruffles Steven's hair; keeping an eye on Pearl, "The missus and I are just out of practice is all. Bloody hell, if this is what all your missions are like, I don't look forward to them."
"Does that mean…!?" Steven follows up, stars forming in his eyes.
"Well, we were going to tell you this another time, especially after a long harrowing day," Patricia begins, giggling on noticing the stars were becoming supernovas at this point, "When you and Garnet came by the other day, she extended an invitation to us, an invitation to be Crystal Gems."
"We said no. We are quite happy living our lives humbly serving tea by the sea, basking in the glory and bounty of nature, reveling in the routine of the day to day and the romance that is our marriage," Edward notices the look of devastation on Steven's face, "Spirits, boy, you are a sensitive one. Something we're going to have to work on."
"Why I never…!" Pearl shrills, as Amethyst and Garnet grimace.
"Dear, he's fine just the way he is. And you're making a poor first impression…again," Patricia sighs.
"But…aren't those things worth fighting for?"
All eyes turn to Steven, who turns timid at the attention.
"I mean, all those things you said. That's worth fighting for or…it's why we're fighting, to protect all those things. To protect everything that's precious to everyone…oh geez, I don't know."
Edward stumbles down to a knee, hissing as he goes. Patricia and Steven take a step forward to help but he waves them off, his eyes meeting Steven's.
"Don't mind me. Keep talking, Steven."
"Ok…it's just…I mean…I wanted to be a Crystal Gem to protect the Earth because it's my home, because it has everyone I love here. I want to protect Amethyst, Garnet, Pearl, my dad, Connie, and everyone in Beach City. And that means you and Mrs. Feng too."
"Oh Steven," Pearl cries softly as she hugs him a bit tighter.
"Oh man, look at this guy making me cry, huuuuggggzzz!" Amethyst jumps in, wrapping her arms around the two. Garnet silently follows suit, wiping her eyes under her shades and sniffling just once.
Patricia can only look away, tears threatening to fall from her own eyes. Stars above, the boy was an absolute menace to her emotional well-being. A harsh bark that gives way to a hysterical stream of laughter permeates the air. Edward laughs and laughs as tears run from his eyes. The others look at him as if he's gone mad. He may as well have for who would believe that such purity and innocence was still left in this world and embodied so perfectly in this little boy?
"Forgive me, Steven. I am not laughing at you, far from it," he struggles to say, wiping the tears, "As my wife said, I am prone to displaying poor first impressions but this time I had my reasons. We said no so we could talk it over and for a long while we did. We had intended on coming to the temple and speaking to Garnet on our decision when we ran into you first Steven then this whole…watermelon debacle happened."
Edward places a firm but gentle hand on Steven's shoulder, as his warm yet tired eyes met Steven's shining stars.
"Steven, you have strength and purity of character many only dare to dream of and could never hope to achieve. To live to see such a thing in this world is a wonder and a miracle. You will do great things for this world and I am greatly curious to see what that entails," Edward shakily stands to full height, Patricia helping him up, "Steven, Patricia and I would be honored if we could help you and the Crystal Gems in your endeavors to protect the Earth."
There were no words for the joy that Steven felt, only action. So he launched himself into a hug with Edward and Patricia as the Crystal Gems watched on as Steven babbles on about the adventures that will be had, all the activities that will be done in between, and all the good that is to be performed.
"And we should totally celebrate with a party!" Steven declares at last. It is a wonder that he isn't out of breath yet.
"Perhaps another time, Steven," Pearl intervenes gently, "it's been a long day and I'm sure Mr. Feng needs some time to recover as well, don't you think? Besides, we need to have this entire mess cleaned up and that'll take a while."
"Aww, come on, can't we just like, leave it for the seagulls to eat or something?" Amethyst complains.
"Absolutely not! We leave them alone once and they grew to be sentient monsters that attacked the city. If we leave them to digest in organic life, who knows what would happen? Best to dispose of them in a manner that is complete and safe."
"Ugh, fine."
"No complaining," Garnet chuckles as she begins her work.
"I had best get Edward home so he can recuperate then," Patricia says as she tightens her grip around said man, "Actually, after you three are done with your work, could you come by the tea shop? There are some things I feel we need to discuss."
"Oh oh! Can I come?" Steven asks excitedly.
"I'm sorry, Steven, this is something we have to discuss as adults. I hope you understand?" Patricia denies gently.
"Oh alright. I'll see you guys another time, hope you feel better soon, Mr. Feng!" Steven says as he runs up the hill and into the beach house, leaving the couple with the Crystal Gems.
"Right then, we'll see you two later at the tea shop after this," Garnet says.
"Yes, until then," Patricia responds.
"See ya later, Eddy~," Amethyst wave as she strolls off, the nickname causing him to flinch. This does not go unnoticed by Patricia.
"Er…later, Amethyst."
"Patricia, Edward," Pearl nods stiffly.
"Pearl," They respond in kind.
And with that, the couple makes their trek back to their home as the sun sets. The axe is a heavy but useful cane as Edward leans on it as he hobbles with Patricia taking up his other side as support.
"Garnet did say that we didn't have to take missions outside of the city. We could still maintain our life here, in peace," Patricia says.
"True enough."
"Well, in relative enough peace so long as we're not hiding anything from each other that may affect us now like say…certain women from our past?" Patricia gives Edward a pointed look, "I honestly would've forgotten if you didn't react to Amethyst calling you Eddy."
"Just the one," He mutters darkly as the grip on his axe tightens, "Her name was Sarah and she's dead."
"I…I'm sorry. You must've loved her to remember her so fondly."
"Once upon a time…that was a mistake."
"What?"
"Once upon a time I did love her when I was not allowed to do so and..." Edward but struggles to say more. He wants to say more but…
"Hey, love birds! What took ya?" Amethyst calls out.
Their eyes shoot up to see the Crystal Gems at the entrance to the tea shop: Amethyst waving excitedly sitting on the ground in front of the doors, Garnet as she nonchalantly leans on the wall to the right of the doors, and Pearl standing primly next to Garnet.
"What the!? But…!" Edward sputters.
"We did double time it and your injury did slow you down some. Don't worry though, we didn't wait long," Garnet simply answers.
"Were…we interrupting something?" Pearl asks, her eyes darting between the couple.
"A personal matter between us that can wait," Edward answers as he gets out his keys, he spares a glance at purple furred cat behind him whom has taken to swatting at the end of his queue, "And stop that, my hair is no toy."
"Aw, but it's so much fun," Amethyst pauses, "You don't seem too surprised by my whole shapeshifting thing either, what gives?"
"Well, ever since we made acquaintances with Greg, he's been something of a well-spring of information on the three of you and your habits," Edward says, turning on the lights to the main room.
"Edward has also been…proactive about investigating your habits, what threat you might be to us," Patricia sighs, "At the time, we had no idea what it was you three were up to and Edward and I were very much afraid of what would happen if you learned that I existed so he did everything he could to learn all about you in case it ever came to a confrontation."
"Speaking of confrontations…" Edward hobbles away from Patricia and over to Pearl.
SMACK
The force of the slap is such that Pearl's head has been forced right, revealing the blue handprint on her left cheek.
"THAT is for cracking my wife's gem all those years ago!" He rages. Everyone panics with Patricia rushing forward and trying to pull Edward back and Amethyst already forming a whip save Garnet, who watches on with a grim look on her face.
Edward's and Pearl's eyes meet for just a moment, raging earth and crackling blue, when Edward lets out a whooshing sigh and he calms down as if nothing had just happened but his eyes remain hardened.
"Right, that's all I wanted out of the way. Feel free to strike back and it's all water under the bridge for me."
The sheer whiplash of it all...frustrating, exasperating, not exactly how one would or should ever start a meeting such as this. Certainly not how Patricia would've started it. So she does the only thing she can think of to break the tension.
"Tea. I'll go make us some tea. Edward dear, with me."
"Pearl has yet to strike back. It's only fair."
"She is not striking you on my watch."
"Rain check then."
"EDWARD!"
With a sigh, he acquiesces and limps away placing the battle axe in its place above the cash register and then towards the kitchen with his fuming wife hot on his heels, shutting the door quickly. Amethyst and Pearl stare at the door astounded while Garnet adjusts her shades.
"Yikes."
"Completely and utterly uncalled for! Damn it, Edward, that was over five thousand years ago!" Patricia lashes out as she gathers the ingredients for a jasmine tea, "And even if I was bitter about it, which I'm not, I would've handled it in my own way thank you very much!"
"It's one thing to speculate that your cracked gem was a circumstance of war! It's an entirely different matter when you just find out the cause of it was someone standing right in front of you! Do you have any idea how hard it was to hold back striking her down the second you said that in front of the boy!?"
"Be that as it may, it was neither your decision or right to slap her! I don't care what honor, knight, warrior, or whatever the hell code it is that inspires you but goddamn it, Edward, you will not antagonize our allies for something as insignificant as that!"
He freezes. The first one was understandable as emotions ran high but she usually refrains from using such words but for her to do it thrice…
"I-I get it," she shudders with a long breath, "It's one of those male dominance things…"
What?
"Something or someone has hurt that which essentially belongs to you, ergo it's your prerogative to exact vengeance or punishment as you see fit. Different words have been said about the process but it boils down to the same thing. Something about not being able to live under the same sky as your enemy…"
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
She gasps when rough hands force her around to stare into cold fury.
"All I've ever done, all that I will do has all ever been because I love you. You were right, I shouldn't have taken matters into my own hands regarding Pearl but don't you fucking dare 'boil' it down as if I'm just some fucking animal or if I'm following some hell-bent honor code, I…"
Edward lets out a frustrated growl and shuts his eyes tight, gripping Patricia to him like a vice. If he had really thought about it, wasn't it true? He said love but in the end, he had indeed extracted vengeance for his wife under that banner. But a cracked gem…Spirits, that could've been shattered. After all, she told him that a Gem's core was her very being and to damage it in any way was very much akin to attempt to murder.
"…Just…the thought of you dying, after all these years together…Patricia, I can't handle it."
Slim arms gently hug him back.
"How do you think I feel whenever you put yourself in harm's way like that?"
"I'm sorry," he sighs.
"If you're sorry, then let that be the last time you ever resort to blindsiding Pearl again. For that matter and if we're being honest, I am somewhat bitter. I will deal with it though."
"Alright."
"Well, with that out of the way," she sighs, "we seriously need to get started on that tea otherwise they might become concerned. Oh…I really should've thought about this but I just had to get you out of there but now this. Well, it would be in poor form to leave you alone with them after all that…not to mention horrendously awkward. Do you think you can make the tea while I check in on them?"
"Twisted ankle, lovely bird; I wasn't maimed by a wild beast. I can still make tea at the very least. I'll even make that special blend we love so much."
"That would be divine. Also, no pet names from you, I'm still mad at you at the stunt you pulled."
"Fair enough," he sighs, turning towards his work, "I'll see you out there."
As Patricia walks towards the door leading to the main area, she wonders. It's been some time since they left the Crystal Gems alone, what were they doing or maybe even talking about? Silently, she opens the door and sneaks in.
"What could Steven possibly learn from someone like him? He has plenty of human friends in town and as far as I'm concerned, we're all that he needs if he should ever have to learn anything as a Gem," Pearl declares, her eyes boring into Garnet's reflective shades.
"Oh, come on, he's a riot!" Amethyst snickers, opting to sit on the table top rather than a chair, "Ok maybe the whole slapping you out of the blue thing was way wrong but he offered to get hit back. You totally should have, by the way. Just to see if he's up to snuff, ya know? I mean, they did join the team and all."
"I will not participate in something so barbaric, thank you very much! And besides, there are other more comprehensive ways of finding out if one is truly capable. I mean, the watermelon incident was a pretty good marker. Not to mention he was able to use that battle axe fairly well, I'm surprised that he was able to lift it in the first place," Pearl grumbles, "Wait, where on earth did he get that axe in the first place? Humans shouldn't even have gem weaponry to begin with!"
"He and his wife came through the gem battlefield by the Pyramid Temple. That's where he got it," Garnet answers, having sat down on a chair.
"But they don't have any reason to be there! Then again, he doesn't but maybe she does. He is rather devoted to her."
"Kinda' like a certain someone we know~," Amethyst teases.
"WE ARE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ALIKE!"
"I dunno'…I remember a lot of times during the rebellion where you were forced into your gem a lot for Rose," Garnet lightly teases, a small smile gracing her face.
"T-that was different!" Pearl sputters, "I was her knight while he…I don't even know! If anything he's more like a mad dog that would attack anyone or thing that so much as sniffed at her!"
"Uh, again, kinda' like you?"
"AMETHYST!"
Patricia is glad that her experience as a Pearl pays off, they don't even realize that she's entered the room. Well, Garnet has if her reflective shades being focused on Patricia are any indication. They share a silent agreement for now as the other two gems argue.
"Well, why don't you ask Garnet then!? She thinks they're ok!"
"That's what I had asked at the start if you hadn't distracted us with…Gaaauuuhh!" she cries out in frustration before stopping to take a deep breath…
"See? You two even have the same off switch for when you're being angry and junk."
"AMETHYST!"
"Ok, that's enough. Besides, if you recall the answer to that was answered by Mr. Feng himself."
Amethyst and Pearl look confused.
"Steven needs someone tough to look after and guide him. None of us can do that because we were there to raise him for a part of his life. We're too soft."
"I can be tough! In fact, I was just thinking that we should regulate his training more. I've been making improvements on the Holo-Pearls and…"
"You're going to but at some point it's going to go too far, everyone is going to feel bad for a long time until Steven makes it all better, and then you'll dote on him in your usual way while pulling back on the training after hurting him," Garnet interrupts as she adjusts her shades, Pearl's mouth snapping shut.
"Mr. Feng has…a distance from Steven as a stranger. He can make the decisions and calls about him we can't when it comes down to making Steven tougher. And if he goes too far, Patricia will always be that counterbalance since Mr. Feng is so devoted to her happiness. Besides, something tells me Patricia would put the hurt on him before he would ever be allowed to put Steven in any particular danger. And that's before we get through with him ourselves," she finishes with a light smirk. Patricia hides a silent giggle behind her hand.
"We're not really turning over Steven's training over to him, are we?" Pearl asks incredulously.
"Depends on how it goes."
"Look, I admit that maybe we're not capable of certain…things for Steven but again, someone like him?"
Patricia frowns at the insinuation, wondering what on earth she meant by that? The first one she let slide but twice now...
"Like I said earlier, he just seems so…angry all the time; there's a tension in his body as if he's about to lash out at anything. Not to mention he's rude and clearly has no filter for his words or actions. Steven is such a sweet boy, do we really want him exposed to such vile, brutish behavior?"
"Pearl," Garnet grimaces.
"And clearly we can't turn over the combat-aspect of training over to him despite human propensity. Steven's weapon is a shield; Mr. Feng wields an axe that's taller than he is and swings it with as much skill as madman. And all of that roaring and screaming like he's some sort of monster!"
"Uh, P?" Amethyst calls out warily, having just noticed the source of the deathly chill in the room.
"If anything, I guess I should be glad that…Patricia…will be around. Goodness knows what sort of madness Steven might get swept up in if left alone with the man…"
CRACK
Edward crashes through the kitchen door into heap on the floor of the main area, flailing a kitchen knife.
"WHO DID IT!? I SWEAR TO EVERYTHING GOOD AND GREEN ON THIS EARTH IF SHE…!"
"Edward."
Ankle aside he's back on his feet like a whip, mouth snapped shut, towering rage doused. Lo, there stands his wife by a chair…or what remained of it, seeing as it's been broken straight down the middle; the two crumbling pieces held tightly in her pale hands. Her face is a mask and her eyes have taken on a deadness as she stares straight, focused. Nervously turning, he sees curious things: Amethyst has taken cover behind and under a table as she peeks over the top, Garnet has hidden her face behind a palm as she slightly shakes her head exasperatedly, and Pearl…seems to be the focus of what his wife is staring at and she stares back defiantly. Dull clunks draw his attention back to Patricia; the pieces had fallen from her hands and if the sawdust falling from them is any indication she had ground what she had in her death grip.
"Everything…is well, I hope?" He asks tentatively.
"Everything is fine; how's the tea coming along?" She replies, not even turning to look at him. His eyes shoot back and forth between the two Pearls.
"It should be ready in a bit but…what…?"
"Edward."
She looks at him. She did not say anything more. She just smiled at him with a slight tilt of her head. It was at this moment that every single thing that made up his body screamed danger and flight. And so that's what he did; he limps back slowly, keeping his eyes on his wife until he's through the kitchen door. It's only when he's gone does she resume eye contact with Pearl.
"You're right."
The Crystal Gems' eyes widen at this but none more so than Pearl as Patricia chuckles.
"Pearl, you don't live side by side with a man for five years and then marry that same man for two without learning his positives and negatives. Edward is rough, brash, even animalistic if his emotions get the better of him. His humor is dark and biting; mean at the worst of times. His pessimism borderlines depression to the point that everything may as well be evil and there's no hope for the world. His ways and reasons are always complicated and he'll always forgo the easy way if it meant doing things right in his eyes despite all of this. He's stubborn about his beliefs, can be rude and callous to those he doesn't like no matter who they are, and will never back down from a fight if someone he does like gets involved," Patricia sighs.
"For all his failings and faults, I really can't imagine my life without him. And it isn't because he saved me from a world where I was scared and alone. Believe me, we've had this argument before; nearly went our separate ways if it weren't for the kindness of friends long since gone. You might call him a monster," At this Pearl, somewhat flushes but remains silent, "and I would agree. He is a monster. I've met no other man nor have heard of any other that lives, feels, or acts the way he does."
"For all his brutality, he is sensitive to other's feelings and will do what he can to do make them feel better afterward. His jokes will never be cruel. And though he holds no hope for the world, he still believes that there might still be something left worth living and fighting for. It is that blind desperate hope that keeps him going, that drives him to be the way he is and the way he acts. For the longest time, I was that thing as his wife and beloved. Don't get me wrong, it is something I bear proudly and will continue to do so. I know it sounds like something a regular Pearl would say about belonging and I imagine it's not something you want to hear after you all fought so hard to be all that you can be but really, what is marriage if we don't belong to each other in some shape or form?" she asks, her eyes falling to her polished silver wedding band before bringing them up to look at the Crystal Gems again.
"If you don't want to trust him with Steven, that's fine. Edward is comfortable where he is now as merely an onlooker, a pseudo-guardian if things go awry, and a friend for those in need. If he is to fulfill the role you plan on, he'll need time to adjust and get to know Steven better to be that mentor that you wish for him to be; something I think he wishes for as well," she finishes softly.
A somber mood overtakes the room as the Crystal Gems consider her words. The kitchen door opens, hitting the wall with a dull thud as Edward limps through with the tea tray.
"The tea's ready if you ladies want any," Edward begins before taking in the mood, "Should I leave you alone some more or…?"
"It's fine, Patricia was just clearing up some concerns one of us had about this alliance," Garnet replies adjusting her shades, "They've been laid to rest."
"It was Pearl, wasn't it?" Edward deadpans, causing said Gem to sputter indignantly at the accusation, "Don't be too surprised; between the three of you, you always struck me as the overprotective sort. Kind of like how a mother eagle would claw their enemy's eyes out if they messed with her chicks…or in your case, skewer them with a spear. Hell, I'm the same way about Patricia. I should tell you about the time someone made a pass at her in a bar in Charm City."
"Please don't," Patricia groans, hiding her blushing face behind her hands.
"Why? What happened?" Amethyst asks with great curiosity as she sits at the nearest table to Edward.
"An all-out bar room brawl," he replies with a smirk, looking off as if it were a fond memory.
"What!? No way!"
"Ya see, what happened was…" Edward begins before launching into his story.
Patricia moves next to the other Gems smiling softly as they watch the two talk animatedly, Edward re-enacting certain moments and events with gesticulating arms and poses with Amethyst laughing on and shapeshifting in mimicry.
"I'm sorry," Pearl says suddenly, catching Patricia's eye.
"While I'm more than willing to accept that apology, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she says as her eyes turn back to Edward and Amethyst as they both laugh riotously at something, "I know it might not be something you want to hear but you two are more alike than you think, perhaps not in your methods but in your desire to protect those precious to you."
Pearl says nothing but thinking back on it, perhaps there was merit in the comparison. He was no knight but his intentions were certainly noble enough and he had heart and grit going for him. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad having him for an ally…loud as he is.
"You're right, I should apologize to him. Maybe later though, I feel rather embarrassed at judging him so wrongly and well, your heartfelt defense of him was rather humbling."
"At your leisure; what he doesn't know won't hurt him after all however," Patricia's eyes turn to ice as she glares at Pearl, causing the Gem to flinch, "if you ever do hurt my man, there aren't enough stars in the universe to count the ways I will make your existence nothing but torment."
And just like that, she resumes smiling and watching Edward and Amethyst having fun as if she didn't just threaten another Gem's existence. Flabbergasted at the whiplash and how alike wife and husband are, Garnet and Pearl make sure to note not to press this particular button of Patricia's. After all, they understood completely. They would do the same thing if it meant protecting Steven.
Author's Note: Yeah, this is definitely late. I'm chalking it up to the flooding from a few weeks back of rain storms that I had to clean up. So, we finally reached the point where the couple has finally met and interacted with the Crystal Gems. As always, I try to keep them faithful to their respective characters so thoughts/criticisms? I'm always aiming at keeping things organic as to avoid the whole "Here's a damned block of dramatic speech because I can." At this point, it must be annoying for readers to be repeatedly asked so thanks for your patience.
And damn the new episodes, forcing me to change stuff up because they've become canon (I'm looking at you, Smoky Quartz...) so edits will be necessary. At this point, I'm afraid that Steven and Peridot will fuse into an actual Vermarine Quartz and I'm gonna have to change mine. Doable but damn. lol
As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing, thank you to those who favorited and/or are followers, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and what's to come. See you all next chapter.
