Backstage Protection

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry I didn't have this up last night, I felt like shit and just wanted to watch TV and come up with fluffy headcanons instead of writing. But yeah, here you go, one chapter a day late. This chapter centers around Steven and Pearl rather than the Homeworld Gems.

Steven Universe sat at the edge of the water, staring at the setting sun as it sunk below the surface of the horizon. He had really tried to hide his worry since the Malachite incident, but occasionally, when he felt like no one was watching, he would walk down to the beach and stare at the water, half expecting Lapis to come up at any moment.

Unfortunately for him, a certain tall Gem had noticed him sitting there and came down to sit next to him. Pearl hesitated momentarily before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Steven . . . are you alright?"

He nodded a little, still looking out at the water. "I just really miss Lapis. I hope she's okay." He glanced over at her with his head tilted slightly. "Do you think we'll ever see her again?"

She stayed quiet a moment, not entirely sure what to say, before taking a quick breath and trying to get her thoughts across as best she could. "I believe that Lapis is as alright as she can be with the current circumstances," she spoke, pulling her knees to her chest. "And I do believe that, when she thinks it is right, she will come to the surface again. She's been a prisoner long enough in the past that I don't believe she would want to stay like this for long."

The boy nodded a little and turned back to looking at the water. "And we won't hurt her when we see her again, right?"

"Only if it's necessary to keep you safe. We'll leave her unharmed otherwise. And I'm sure she won't want to hurt you, considering how much you've helped her."

He stared at the water for a time, keeping silent for a few minutes as he listened to the soothing whispers and sounds of the sea. The ocean was a familiar thing to him, but that didn't stop its beauty from striking him speechless every day. He supposed that must've been one of the traits he'd inherited from the mother he'd never known.

"Pearl, if she comes back and doesn't hurt anyone and promises to be good, do you think that she might be able to become a Crystal Gem?" He asked, leaning his head on his guardian's pale arm without looking up at her.

Pearl thought about that a moment. She wasn't sure if she could ever trust Lapis, but she couldn't speak to the entirety of the team. Besides, she hadn't come out here to be brutally honest. She had come out to reassure Steven.

"Most likely." She responded after thinking on it a while. "We would have to keep an eye on her for a while, to make sure she wasn't trying to trick us into anything. And I don't think she would be that quick to forgive and trust us, if she ever does do either of those. But either way, I think that someday she could become a Crystal Gem. Heaven knows you like her enough."

A smile lit up the child's face after listening to her speak, and she knew immediately that she had made the right call in her answer. Chubby little sausage arms flung around her in a hug that startled her a moment but was quickly returned.

"Besides, Garnet is still looking for her and Jasper, and she's probably covered a lot of the ocean by now. I'm sure we'll see them any day now."

Her boy's spirits seemed to have been lifted significantly, which brought hers up as well. She had actually succeeded in what she had come to do for once. That was pretty nice for a change.

"Thanks, Pearl." Steven looked up at her with a grin, stars in his dark eyes.

"You're welcome, Steven." A smile made its way onto her face as well as she carefully patted his head.