FRIDAY

Aware that he hadn't spent much time with them lately, Steven decided to spend the next morning with the gems. So after he'd had breakfast and showered, he knocked on the door of the Temple and waited to see who emerged first.

A few seconds passed, and then Pearl opened the door and warily peeped out, visibly relaxing when she saw Steven. "Oh, hello, Steven. How can I help you?"

"What are you doing?" Steven asked, trying to look around her into the room beyond because he was pretty sure it wasn't hers.

Sure enough, Pearl shuffled her feet guiltily before stepping aside so he could see into Amethyst's room. "Garnet and I are doing a little tidying," she admitted. "There's some food in here that seems to have become sentient. Again."

"Ew!" Steven took a hasty step backwards before he remembered why he'd knocked on the door in the first place. "Do you want any help with that?"

Pearl glanced back over her shoulder at Garnet as she considered the offer. The other gem nodded, so Pearl stepped aside. "You may want to bubble yourself when we approach it," she warned. "The smell is deeply unpleasant."

"Yippee," he muttered under his breath, but he steeled his nerves and stepped into the room.

Six hours later, they emerged, slightly traumatized, covered in rancid goo and in Steven's case, determined to never eat meat ever again, or at least not for another couple of months. Amethyst was lounging on the sofa, and sat up straight when she saw them. "What happened to you?"

"Your room," Garnet said, staggering forward, "is vile."

Amethyst's eyes widened in horror. "What did you guys do to my room!?"

"We didn't do anything to your room," Pearl said crossly. "We simply removed the revolting piece of flesh-"

Steven gagged. "Excuse me, I'm gonna throw up," he managed to say as he pushed past the bickering gems and fled to the bathroom. When he was done, he stripped off his disgusting clothes and poked his head back around the door. "Garnet? Can you burn these please?"

"Of course." She took them gingerly, careful not to let anything touch her gems, and went back into the Temple, ignoring Pearl and Amethyst, who were still arguing. Steven decided to follow her example and retreated back into the bathroom, where he spent the next forty-five minutes scrubbing himself clean.

When he stepped back out in his nice, clean new robe, Amethyst was waiting, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry dude," she said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I put that steak in a marinade and kinda forgot about it. Do you want something to eat?"

"Is it safe?" he asked warily.

"If I leave out the gasoline," she joked. "Nah, but seriously, I can make you a fish pizza better than any of the ones from Fish Stew Pizza if you want."

Steven considered this offer and decided that fish was still OK to eat. "Thanks, that'd be great," he said, and went up to his room to find some clean clothes to put on. He found the new shirt he'd brought for that evening and looked thoughtfully at it before placing it to one side. He didn't want to risk dripping pizza sauce down it, after all. Then he glanced over side of his room to see Amethyst pouring flour into a bowl and frowned. He hadn't realized she was going to make the entire thing from scratch. "Uh, Amethyst? How long is that going to take?"

"I dunno, half an hour, maybe?" She shrugged. "I mean, pizza dough isn't like bread dough, I don't have to leave it to rise for an hour or anything."

Steven relaxed. "That's all right then. It's just, Connie's coming back today," he explained. "We're going to the movies later. So I just wanted to be sure I had time to eat first."

"Oooooooh, big date with Connie!" Amethyst teased as she added the yeast, salt and water to the flour and began to mix it together. "How is she, anyway? Feels like ages since we saw her."

It had been ages. Now Steven thought about it, it had been at least a couple of months since he'd last seen Connie, and although they occasionally talked on the phone, it was difficult sometimes to find the time to have a proper conversation. Most of their recent communication had been through text messages, and even those had been few and far between. "She's had a lot of work to do for classes," he said. "So we haven't been able to talk much. But she's looking forward to a break."

"Cool. Well, you guys have fun." Amethyst went back to making the pizza dough, and Steven finished getting dressed. When he was done, he switched on the TV and watched half of an old Lonely Blades movie to kill time. After that, the pizza was consumed (and it really was better than Fish Stew's pizza), his top was changed, his teeth were brushed and he was off.

They'd all arranged to meet at Peedee's, and Connie, the only one of them with a drivers permit, would then drive them all to the cinema. His phone bleeped just as he was approaching Beach Citywalk Fries, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see a message notification from Peridot. He suddenly felt queasy with nerves. Had she changed her mind about coming? Because while he wouldn't blame her if she decided not to show up, there was absolutely no way he was going to be a third wheel. But thankfully, the message simply said that she'd be there shortly, so he put the phone away and walked down the side of the restaurant to the house attached, and knocked on the door.

"Hi Steven," Peedee greeted, opening the door wide and standing aside so Steven could come in. "Where's Peridot? I thought she'd be with you."

"She's on her way," Steven said.

Peedee nodded. "So's Connie, she texted me a couple of minutes ago to say she was just leaving. Do you want a soda or something while we wait?"

"Sure, that'd be great." He followed Peedee down the hallway and into the sitting room, and his heart sank when he saw who was in there.

"Hello, Steven." Ronaldo narrowed his eyes. "I see the eco-terrorist isn't with you."

Steven didn't bother dignifying that comment with a reply. Next to him, Peedee scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Ronaldo said simply.

"This is the first time you've been home in two weeks," Peedee objected. "Dad's talking about turning your room into an office." Then he remembered his guest and flushed. "Come on, Steven. Sorry about that," he continued as they made their way to the kitchen. "I really thought he'd be up at the lighthouse."

"It's OK, it's not your fault," Steven reassured him.

He'd just popped open a can of apple soda when they heard a faint knock at the door, and Peedee jumped. "I'd better go and get that before Ronaldo does."

They were just in time, and almost flattened Ronaldo as they flung the door open to reveal Peridot, dressed casually in a flared skirt and lacy top, and a very nervous smile. "Hello," she said weakly.

"Hey." Steven grinned back at her. "Come on in."

"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Peedee asked, leading her down the hallway and carefully blocking Ronaldo from view.

"I'd like a glass of water, please," Peridot replied, if only because holding it and drinking it would be less awkward than standing around and doing nothing.

"No problem, I'll be right back." Peedee vanished back into the kitchen, leaving them alone, awkwardly standing around and doing nothing.

"You OK?" Steven asked, taking hold of her hands and breaking the silence.

Peridot exhaled loudly and lowered her head. "I must admit, I am a little more apprehensive than I'd anticipated," she confessed.

"Me too," Steven said, lowering his voice a little as Ronaldo reentered the room and openly stared at them. "I almost-"

There was another knock at the door and he froze rigid. Then without thinking, he pulled his hands free and quickly followed Ronaldo out of the room, hovering slightly behind the other young man as he opened the door for Connie.

"Thank you, Ronaldo," she said politely, stepping forward. Then she caught sight of Steven and her eyes lit up. "Steven!" She rushed forward and hugged him for a second, then pushed him away again. "Oh my goodness, look at you! You've grown!" Then she laughed a little self-consciously. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound like an old grandma there."

"If you promise not to pinch my cheeks, I'll forgive you," he said solemnly.

"I promise," she said, equally solemn. Then they both laughed and walked back into the sitting room, where Peedee and Peridot were waiting. "Hi, Peridot," Connie said warmly, giving her a small wave. Then she caught sight of Peedee and her smile widened. "Peedee!" She crossed the room and gave him a hug, one that Steven noticed lasted considerably longer than the one she'd given him.

"So, shall we get going then?" Peedee suggested, once they parted.

"Actually, can I use your restroom quickly?" Connie asked.

"Sure. It's just off the kitchen," he said, pointing towards the room in question.

"I should probably finish this soda before we go too," Steven mumbled as Connie walked out, suspecting that Dr. Maheswaran wouldn't approve of the consumption of food or drink in the car. He tipped the can back and slurped noisily, dragging out the process for as long as possible so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

"All right, I'm ready," Connie said a minute later, stepping back into the room.

Both Peedee and Steven sagged in relief. "Let's go then," Steven said, tossing his empty can into the trash. He was halfway towards the door when he realized something was wrong. "Where's Peridot?"

xxx

The moment Connie knocked on the door, Peridot wished she'd taken Steven up on his offer to call off the date. Despite telling herself that she could handle seeing Steven pine over another girl, the reality was that it was a lot more difficult when they were both in the same room instead of on opposite sides of the state. There was actual pain in her chest when she watched him stare at Connie and Peedee as they hugged, and she had to force herself to close her eyes and turn away.

"Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Ronaldo's hushed voice caught her attention and she opened her eyes warily. "Why?"

"I just wanted to ask you something," he said, staring at her with an expression of wide-eyed innocence that only made her more suspicious.

But Steven was still staring at Connie and it still hurt, so she sighed and nodded. "What?"

"Not here," he said at once, glanced around at the others. "Follow me."

Peridot rolled her eyes in exasperation, but she put her glass of water down and allowed Ronaldo to lead her out of the room, up a flight of stairs and into another room. "What?" she asked again as he closed the door behind them.

"I wanted to talk to you about your breeding experiments-" he began.

Peridot interrupted him with a loud groan. "Ugh! Are you joking me!?" she exclaimed. "I'm not doing any breeding experiments on Steven!"

"No, I know," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Your relationship is fake. What I wanted to say," he continued before she could react to that statement, "is that as the human-gem ambassador of this planet, I instead offer myself as a noble sacrifice for your experiments."

Peridot gaped at him in stunned disbelief. "I'm sorry, what!?"

He struck a dramatic pose. "I am in peak physical health, and I offer my body to you to do with as you wish." He sighed a long, deep, martyred sigh. "I know it will be a long and arduous process, but for the good of humankind, it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"Ew." Peridot wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Ronaldo narrowed his eyes, looking rather insulted. "There's no need to take that tone. I know you want me, I've seen you flaunting yourself, trying to get my attention."

"I have done no such thing!" Peridot objected, outraged.

"Oh, really?" he said snidely. "Tuesday evening ring any bells? When you took off all your clothes on the beach, knowing that I was watching? You wanted me to see you, to see that you were anatomically correct." He suddenly reached out and flipped up her skirt, and she let out a startled yelp. "You-"

Something hit him on the back on the head at the same time as her knee slammed into his groin, and he folded in on himself like a punctured bouncy castle. Peridot stepped back and glared at him, one of his replica swords floating in the air beside her. "If you ever try to touch me again," she said through gritted teeth, "I will wrap this ridiculous toy sword around your neck until you choke to death."

"Peridot!"

The door was flung open behind her, and she turned and almost fell into Steven's arms. "Jeez, are you all right!?" he asked, taking in the scene at once and instinctively forming a bubble around them both. "Not you," he added in contempt as Ronaldo opened his mouth.

"I'm fine," Peridot mumbled, hiding her face in his shirt and inhaling the warm, safe smell of him.

"Are you sure?" Steven persisted, gently pushing her away so he could look at her face. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, I'm fine," she said again, beginning to get embarrassed by the attention. "It was just… a misunderstanding. Let's go."

Steven took once last look at Ronaldo, who was glaring at them both in obvious resentment, but he recognized that Peridot was uncomfortable and decided not to push the issue. "OK. Come on, Peedee and Connie are waiting for us downstairs."

He released the bubble, and they both turned their backs on Ronaldo and walked down the stairs to join the other couple, who both silently decided not to ask. Then the four of them made their way to Connie's car, where they passed the journey by chattering about music while the radio played in the background.

Once they reached the cinema, tickets, drinks and popcorn were purchased, and they made their way to their allocated seats. It wasn't until the trailers finished and the movie began that Steven realized that Killerbot 6, a movie about a robot relentlessly chasing a woman across the country, might not be the best choice of film for Peridot, who had been relentlessly chased across the country by the Crystal Gems back when she first arrived on Earth. The parallels weren't exact, of course; for a start, the Crystal Gems had never intended to kill Peridot, but he knew she didn't like to be reminded of that time and he could feel her tense in the seat next to him whenever Sarah, the lead character was forced to face the Killerbot. He stole a quick glance to his other side, where Connie was staring at the screen with rapt attention, occasionally leaning over to whisper in Peedee's ear. She barely seemed aware of his presence.

Suddenly, on the screen, the Killerbot burst into the room where an injured Sarah was hiding, and began to advance upon her. There was a flurry of movement next to him, and he looked over just in time to see Peridot flee the auditorium. His eyes flickered back to Connie and Peedee, and then he stood up and followed her.

He found her just outside the door, hunched over slightly and trying to control her unsteady breathing, but she straightened up when she saw him. "Steven? What are you doing out here?"

"I came to see if you were OK," he said simply.

"But Connie-" she began.

"-Probably hasn't even noticed we're gone," Steven interrupted with a small smile. "So don't worry about it." He gave her a little nudge. "So… you gonna answer my question?"

"What?" She looked blankly at him for a moment and then remembered. "Oh! Yes, sorry, I'm OK." She blushed. "I'm just… tense. I think perhaps I just reacted a little more irrationally than I would normally."

"Hey, that's understandable," he said, giving her a small smile of support. "It's been a stressful evening."

She nodded slowly. "And… and what about you? Are you OK?"

Steven grimaced. "Honestly? I don't know. Seeing her and Peedee together… it's… weird."

"Yes, I imagine it would be," she muttered. They stood there in silence for a moment, and then she spoke again. "You should go back now."

"Are you going back in?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Actually, if it's all right with you, I would prefer to remain out here for the time being."

"Then I'll stay with you," he decided.

Peridot looked concerned. "But you'll miss the end of the movie."

"That's OK." Steven smiled down at her. "Killerbot isn't really my thing. To be honest, I would've preferred to see that new ice skating rom-com," he added, nodding at the door opposite where said ice skating rom-com was playing. "Besides, the humans always win in Killerbot. I'm not missing much."

Five minutes later, the doors opened and people began pouring out. Steven and Peridot squeezed past them all and went back in to find Connie and Peedee happily chatting about the amazing twist ending. "-the effect it has on the timelines!" Peedee was saying. "No Sarah means no John-"

"-Which means Skynet never sends back the original Killerbot," Connie finished excitedly. "How will that- oh, hi you two," she said, catching sight of them. "Where did you go? You missed the whole ending! Do you want to grab some food with us?" she continued before they could answer.

"There's a place just down the road that does pretty good Chinese food," Peedee added.

Neither of them really wanted to intrude any more, but there didn't seem to be any way out of it, so they tagged along to the restaurant and listened politely while Peedee and Connie explained the end of the movie and what it meant for the future of the franchise and their predictions for Killerbot 7. But eventually, the food was eaten, the bill was paid and the ordeal was almost over. "So," Connie began as they walked back top her car. "Peridot? Are you going back to the beach house with Steven, or do you want a ride to the barn?"

"The barn, please," Peridot said at once. She said quietly in the backseat, and then when the barn came into view, she thanked Connie politely, climbed out of the car and began to walk back to the building.

"Peridot, wait," Steven said suddenly, and leapt out after her.

Peridot turned back in surprise. "Steven?"

"I just…" He trailed off awkwardly. "Um… I guess I just wanted to say… thank you."

"Oh." She lowered her head slightly. "You're welcome."

Steven opened his mouth to speak again, but no words came out. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he just couldn't seem to work out the right words. So he gave up and pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be." She hugged him back, and then pushed him away. "I hope you two will be very happy together." And then she turned away and walked back to the barn.

xxx

Steven leaned against the car and politely averted his eyes as Connie walked Peedee home. When she returned a few minutes later, looking flushed and happy, she seemed surprised to still see him there. "Steven?"

"Hi." He straightened up and uttered the most ominous words in the English language. "Can we talk?"

Connie's smile slipped slightly. "Uh, sure, I guess so." She glanced down at the beach. "Do… do you want me to walk with you back to the house?"

He nodded. "Please."

They walked down to the now-empty sand in silence, and then Connie spoke. "So! You and Peridot, huh? How did that happen?"

Steven immediately remembered the story Peridot had come up with at the beginning of the week. "Well… to be honest, I'd always assumed you and me would end up together," he admitted. "So when you told me you were going on a date with Peedee, it was a bit of a shock. I complained about it to her, and that's when she said she liked me. And it made me think…" He trailed off. "Why didn't you tell me you were back in town last week?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" Connie stopped walking and stared at him in surprise. "How did you-" She stopped and bit her lip.

"Peedee let it slip," Steven explained. "He seemed to think I already knew." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Were you avoiding me?"

Connie blushed and turned her face away. "Kind of," she admitted.

He'd suspected it, but he was still shocked when she confirmed it. "Why?"

"Honestly?" She sighed and looked up at him again. "Do you remember what we did the last time I came over?"

Steven thought back. "We did some training, didn't we? And there was that monster…"

"And we fused into Stevonnie and defeated it," Connie finished. "What about the time before that?"

Steven furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "We… we were playing a computer game," he said slowly. "And… Amethyst accidentally popped a couple of bubbles in the Temple when she was messing around with her whip…"

"And we fused into Stevonnie and spent the rest of the day fighting them," Connie finished. "And do you remember what we did the time before that?"

Steven was beginning to see a pattern. "I don't remember exactly," he hedged. "But I'm guessing we probably fused into Stevonnie to fight a monster?"

"That's exactly what happened!" Connie exclaimed. "You're one of my best friends, Steven, and I like spending time with you, but it seems more and more like whenever we're together, I'm only there to be one half of Stevonnie and fight monsters. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy being Stevonnie sometimes, but they're not me! I don't want to be Stevonnie forever, I want to be Connie Maheswaran!" She sighed and looked away. "I know I should've said something sooner, I'm sorry. I just… I didn't know how."

Steven shook his head. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should've… I don't know, I should've noticed, done something…"

Connie looked away again. "Anyway," she carried on in a more neutral voice, "when I went away to college, I was surrounded by people who knew nothing about magic or the gems or me, and that's when I realized I didn't really know who I was either. It took me a while to get comfortable being just me again, instead of a monster-fighting superhero, and every time I came back, it all seemed to get undone. It was just so confusing! So… I stopped telling you when I was home. I'd just spend time with my family, or work on my studies, or go to the movies, and just be a regular human girl."

"I'm sorry," Steven said honestly. "I had no idea you felt that way."

"Well, I didn't exactly shout it from the rooftops," Connie pointed out.

They both stared out at the ocean for a moment in silent contemplation. "I took you for granted, didn't I?" Steven finally said.

"Yeah, you did, kind of," she said at once. Then she laughed. "It's not all your fault though. I never really tried to stand up for myself." She gave him a sidelong look. "I'll bet Peridot isn't shy about letting you know what she wants."

A sudden mental image of Peridot in the shower popped into his mind and he blushed. "Heh. Yeah, she's uh, she's…" He trailed off and coughed self-consciously.

Connie grinned. "Sorry, didn't mean to tease you." She set off across the sand again. "So, what have you been doing all week? My mom said she saw you guys at the mall on Tuesday, but you were… busy, and she didn't like to interrupt."

Steven looked blankly at her for a moment and then remembered the coffee shop. "Oh, right. Well, on Tuesday evening, we had a picnic, and yesterday we went to Funland. And on Wednesday…" He paused for emphasis. "We went to the Louvre."

"In Paris!? Oh my gosh!" She punched him on the arm in delight. "See, that's exactly what I'm talking about! You never took me to Paris! Did you see the Mona Lisa? You saw the Mona Lisa, didn't you!? I'm so jealous!"

He laughed and rubbed his arm. "Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa, among others." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. "Do you want to see?"

"Yeah, I want to see!" She took the phone, looked at the picture of Steven standing in front of the Mona Lisa and and as Peridot had predicted, immediately swiped across the screen to look through the next few images. However, she didn't make it to the selfies, instead stopping at a picture of Steven and Peridot, arms linked and laughing as they stood inside the pyramid. "You both look so happy."

He took the phone back and looked at the picture too. "It was a good day," he admitted, a small smile on his face.

"Well, I'm happy for you both," she said sincerely.

"And what about you and Peedee?" He gave her a cheeky grin. "It took you a while to say goodbye to him, are you gonna see him again."

Connie grinned back happily, a light blush on her face. "He's working all day tomorrow, but on Sunday, he's coming over and we're going to start watching the first five Killerbot movies and see how the continuity is affected by the new one."

Steven pulled a face. "Can't say that's my idea of a fun date, but I hope you two have a good time." They reached the steps to the beach house and came to a halt. "Thanks for walking me back."

"No problem." She stepped forward and gave him another quick hug. "I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too." He stepped back away from her and smiled softly. "Bye, Connie."

"Bye, Steven." She gave him a small wave, and then turned and walked away.

Steven watched as she walked around the cliff and disappeared from sight, and then raced up the steps to the now-empty beach house and crossed directly to the warp pad. Moments later, he arrived on the hillside opposite the barn. He jogged over to the wooden structure and pushed the main door open. "Hello?"

There was no answer. The interior of the barn was in darkness, but while Lapis's side of the barn appeared to be deserted, he could see a thin beam of light beneath the door on Peridot's side, so he stepped forward and knocked. When there was no answer, he knocked again.

He'd just raised his hand to knock a third time when he heard footsteps approaching, and then Peridot's voice spoke from the other side of the door. "I told you, Lapis, I don't want to-" She opened the door and stopped abruptly when she saw who was on the other side. "Steven?"

"Surprise," he said cheerfully, a wide grin on his face. It got even wider when he noticed what she was wearing. "Nice outfit."

She blushed and yanked the hem of his old t-shirt down to cover her panties. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be busy with Connie."

"Actually," he said innocently, "I wanted to tell you how it went. May I come in?"

Peridot hesitated. She had planned to just spend the evening moping on the sofa, staring at the ceiling and torturing herself by imagining Steven and Connie together, but as he clearly wasn't doing that, she relented and stepped aside. "I suppose so."

"Thanks." Steven stepped into the little room, kicked off his sandals and sat down on the sofa. "Where's Lapis? In her room?" he asked. Although Lapis and Peridot got on well enough, sharing a space with someone all the time had turned out to be harder than they'd expected and a few months and a few arguments after Uncle Andy had given them the barn, they'd agreed to construct separate rooms on either side for when they needed some privacy.

"The Sea Shrine. Again." She sat down next to him, her legs curled underneath her, and pulled the t-shirt down again. "She thought it might be fun to go back there and use her water powers to completely obliterate it. Grind it down to dust. Apparently the other gems all thought it was a great idea. Amethyst is taking along some old dynamite she'd been saving for a special occasion and Pearl has baked a cake."

"Sounds like they have quite the evening planned," he commented.

"And what happened with your evening?" Peridot asked, getting the conversation back on track. "How did it go with Connie?" She crossed her fingers behind her back, desperately hoping their plan had failed horribly, because why else would he be here?

"Actually pretty good," he admitted. "Your suggestions worked really well." He felt her tense up next to him, but pretended not to notice as he carried on talking. "She asked how we got together, and I told her the story you came up with and she believed me. Then I gave her my phone to show her some of the pictures of the Louvre, and she started swiping through more, just like you said she would."

"If it all worked so well, why are you here?" she asked in a low voice.

"Because you were right," Steven said simply.

Peridot frowned, confused. "You'll need to be more specific. I'm right about a lot of things."

Steven began to elaborate. "Back on Monday, when you first came up with that cover story, you said I'd always assumed me and Connie would end up together, and that I'd never bothered looking elsewhere because I'd thought she would always be there. And you were right."

She looked blankly back at him. "Oooooohkay?"

"I took her for granted," he continued. "Every time we hung out, we did the same old thing, and I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I never stopped to think that she might want something different. I never stopped to think that I might want something different."

"You…" She closed her mouth and concentrated on stamping down her rapidly rising hopes in case she was misunderstanding the situation. "You want something different?"

Steven nodded. "Yesterday, when she texted me, I felt awful because I hadn't really thought about her since we started fake-dating, but then I realized… if I really did love her as much as I said I did, she would've been on my mind all the time, and I never would've been able to go through with it." He leaned forward and gently took hold of her hands, a dark blush spreading across his cheeks. "You see… the reason I was able to put her out of my mind so easily is because I didn't actually love her like that. Not the way I love you."

Peridot's eyes lit up with joy. "You love me?"

"I love you," he said again.

"You're in love with me?" she checked, just to be sure.

"I'm in love with you," he confirmed at once.

She began to laugh with delight. "I'm in love with you too!"

And even though he'd already worked that out, Steven felt a warm glow in his chest when she said the words aloud, and he let go of her hands and pulled her into his lap so that he could kiss her more easily. She responded enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him closer, parting her lips slightly and letting his tongue slip into her mouth. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away so that he could pepper the rest of her face with kisses, murmuring "I love you," before each one, then he stretched up slightly and kissed her gem.

"Nngh…" Peridot whined, and squirmed in his lap. "Do that again."

Steven leaned back in surprise, then chuckled at her flushed expression. "Do you like that?"

"Don't tease me!" she pouted. "It just feels nice."

"OK, but only because you asked so nicely," he teased. She ducked her head down, and he leaned forward and kissed her gem again. Then he flicked his tongue out and touched the tip to the smooth surface and felt her shiver. "How's that?"

"Really nice," she admitted.

He smirked down at her. "Looks like someone's got a kink."

"It's just sensitive!" she protested. Then before he could respond, she pulled up the hem of his t-shirt and traced her fingers across the facets of his gem, and he jumped, surprised by the pleasant tingly feeling. "Heh. I thought you might like that," she said with a self-satisfied smile.

"It's just sensitive," he retorted, parroting her own words back at her.

"Hmm…" She gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then climbed off his lap and pushed his legs apart so that she could kneel between them. "Take off your shirt," she commanded.

Connie's words from earlier flittered across his mind, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning widely as he did as he was told, dropping the shirt over the side of the sofa. Once he'd settled back down, Peridot ran her hands up his thighs, then leaned forward and gently kissed his gem, and once again, there was that nice tingly feeling, and he shivered. Peridot sat back just long enough to grin knowingly at him, then she leaned forward again and ran her tongue around the edge of his gem and across the surface.

"Holy shit!" Steven gripped the arm of the sofa hard as heat pooled in his groin. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because of the new sensation against his gem or also the fact that Peridot was kneeling in front of his crotch with her hands on his upper thighs, but he was suddenly very turned on. He randomly found himself wondering if that was why Eyeball had freaked out so badly when he'd kissed her gem to heal it a few years earlier.

"Now who's the one who has a kink?" Peridot said smugly, sitting back on her heels.

"You shouldn't be mean to me, you love me," he scolded good-humoredly.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She rested her cheek on his thigh and gazed up at him with a playful pout. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you while I'm down here?" she asked, lightly running her fingers across the bulge in his pants.

Steven pretended to think. "Hmm. I dunno… perhaps there's-" He stopped with a gasp as she pressed the palm of her hand against his cock. "A-ahh!"

"You'll have to speak up." Peridot traced her fingers up his zipper. "I didn't understand a word of that."

"Y-you're being mean again," he whined, unable to stop himself from bucking up against her hand.

"Sorry," she said again, looking completely unapologetic. "What would you like me to do to make it up to you?"

This time, he didn't hesitate to make his wishes known. "I want you to take off my pants and suck my cock. But first," he quickly added as she moved to pull down the zipper, "I want you to take off my shirt."

She looked at his naked chest in confusion for a moment before she suddenly understood. "Oh!" She sat back and yanked her t-shirt over her head, exposing her bare breasts, and tossed it aside. Then she leaned forward again and undid the top button of his pants before slowly, torturously pulling down the zipper. She gave his cock a squeeze, and then hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants and began tugging them down. Steven raised his butt off the sofa to help, and then settled back down again to watch the show. And Peridot happily obliged, leisurely pulling down the fabric and letting her breasts press against his bare legs. Finally, she pulled them free and tossed them aside, and sat back up to give his cock a quick kiss through his underpants. "I love you," she whispered.

"Are you saying that to me or little Steven?" Steven couldn't resist asking, and Peridot laughed.

"Both?" She began carefully freeing his erection from his underpants, making sure she didn't accidentally snap the elastic against him. "I love you, but…" She pulled down his boxers the rest of the way and took hold of him in a firm grip. "I have to admit that 'little Steven' has his appeal too." And with that, she leaned forward and gently kissed the tip of his cock before pressing her tongue along the underside, licking from base to tip, swirling around the head and sucking it into her mouth.

Steven groaned and fell back against the cushions. One of his hands wound up in her hair, and it took all his self-restraint not to push her further down onto his cock. Still, she seemed to understand his unspoken command, and bobbed down, taking more of him in. "Y-yeah, like that!" he gasped.

She chuckled, and he felt the vibrations around him, enhancing his pleasure. Then she settled into a rhythm, steadily moving up and down and alternatively sucking and licking as she went. One of her hands cupped his balls, rolling them gently in her palm, then she reached up and traced around the edge of his gem. Steven let go of her hair and sank his fingers into the sofa cushion as he felt himself getting close. "P-Peri… I'm gonna cum…"

Peridot hummed in acknowledgement and carried on sucking until he couldn't hold back any more. His hips jerked and he cried out her name as she swallowed his load, then he slumped back against the cushions, feeling drained and slightly light-headed, drifting in a lazy haze of euphoria. Peridot wiped her mouth and then climbed back onto his lap and looped her arms around his neck. "Am I forgiven?"

"Absolutely. One hundred per cent," he said a little drowsily. He gave her a peck on the lips, and then lay down onto the sofa, pulling her with him. He stroked the silky skin of her thigh, and then let his hand drift down to her panties. "In fact," he continued, caressing her damp pussy through the material, "I think you deserve a reward for doing so well."

"Oh?" She smiled and parted her thighs slightly. "Did you have something particular in mind?"

He smiled back and began tugging down her panties. "I had a couple of ideas I thought you might like." And once the panties were out of his way, he kissed her and slid his hand back between her legs, parting her pussy lips and lightly running a finger along her slit, feeling the wetness of her arousal. He ducked his head down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, letting his teeth gently graze the sensitive skin, then he cupped the remaining breast with his other hand and gave it a squeeze.

Peridot sighed with pleasure and her eyes fluttered closed. "Yes… that's nice…"

"Nice?" Steven pretended to be insulted. "I was hoping for a little more than 'nice'!" He dipped a finger into her as he spoke and she raised her hips in response, trying to take in more. "Not so fast," he scolded, withdrawing the finger at once.

"Please, Steven," she begged at once. "It feels so good. Better than nice. Wonderful."

"Very well," he relented, and slid the finger back into her pussy and resumed nibbling at her breast. After a couple of seconds, he slid another finger into her, curling them both slightly as he pumped them in and out.

Peridot's breathing deepened and she began raising her hips to meet his movements. "Nngh… more…"

"Like this?" he asked, adding a third finger and brushing his thumb over her clit. Peridot's response was a wordless moan of pleasure, so he carried on doing that for a little while longer, feeling his own arousal growing again as he watched her writhe beneath his touch. "You look like you're having fun," he murmured in her ear, making her giggle. "Can little Steven join in?"

"Mmm, yes please," she groaned, and parted her legs a little wider.

Steven withdrew his fingers and moved until he was knelt between her thighs, and then took hold of his cock and rubbed the head along her slick pussy. "You ready?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." She grabbed his butt and pulled him closer, and with a moan of desire, he sank into her, feeling her inner walls pulling him in deeper until he could go no further. Then he pulled back and thrust into her again, making her cry out with pleasure. He felt her fingernails dig into his butt cheeks as he pulled back again, and the dim pain only enhanced his own pleasure.

He quickly settled into a rhythm, fucking her hard with long, deep thrusts, and she raised her hips to meet his movements. There was no more flirty banter, just the sound of sloppy kisses and the smack of wet flesh. After a couple of minutes, Peridot felt her climax building. "S-Steven…" she gasped, clutching him tighter.

"Cum for me," he whispered, and gave her gem a kiss.

It was all the encouragement she needed, and with a shuddering gasp, she came. He felt her clenching around him, and the sensation sent him over the edge too. He groaned loudly and thrust into her a few more times, filling her cunt with his cum.

They lay there afterwards, feeling sticky and a little sore, but blissfully happy. Peridot lazily kissed his chest and closed her eyes, and Steven wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep there with her, but he knew the gems would be wondering where he was if he wasn't there when they got back, so he reluctantly sat up. "I have to go."

"Or alternatively, you could not," she suggested, stretching languidly and blinking sleepily up at him.

It was a tempting thought, but he shook his head and reached for his boxers. "Amethyst knows I was out with Connie tonight, I don't want her getting the wrong idea."

"Eugh. No." She wrinkled her nose, and then sat up, wincing slightly. "All right. You win. I should probably wash before Lapis returns anyway." She watched him gather the rest of his clothes together, and then spoke again. "Steven?"

"Hmm?"

"What happens now?"

Steven pulled his shirt on and tapped his chin thoughtfully. Then he smiled, leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Pretty much the same thing I said on Monday, I guess."

She gave him a look of confusion. "What thing you said on Monday?"

"Peridot, I need you to be my girlfriend."