The sun had long since risen. Peridot finished this show Amethyst had recommended her a while back—as she if could refuse this—involving some orange haired child with intelligence far exceeding the humans surrounding him (she sympathized with this character well).

Rubbing her eyes, she slid down the ladder and peeked around for Steven. He was neither down there nor in his section of the barn. With a grunt of frustration, she stomped outside. She needed answers, now.

Upon sighting of the first gem she could find, she approached Pearl, who was at work before a chalkboard. The tall gem drew a detailed, extensive map, which included the Cluster at the bottom.

Peridot glanced around. No one else was around. "Where is everyone?"

"Garnet's out getting lunch for Steven while I'm setting up a path for the drill to the Cluster." She set the chalk down and looked to her side. "And I have no idea where Amethyst ran off to."

Peridot had multiple concerns by her answer, but one stood out among the others. She squinted at the chalkboard, scratching her chin. "Does it really need a path? We have the coordinates."

"It's simply for convenience, so we don't hit any snags by chance. Once we head down there in three days, I want everything to go smoothly and make sure no one is harmed."

"The materials built within it can sustain any simple earth minerals underground. Besides," Peridot added with a grin, "I can direct the drill perfectly fine without it receiving outward damage."

Pearl eyed her. "We didn't clarify who would be riding the drill. It isn't of importance right now."

"Is that implying you decided yourself?" Peridot asked, eyebrows jumping up.

Pearl's cheeks puffed out, but she drew out a long sigh. "We can discuss this later. Is there something you need?"

Peridot straightened herself and remembered what she had come to Pearl for. Though the conversation of who ran the drill would be discussed at a later point, certainly. "I need to see Steven. I was just wondering where he might be."

"He's at the beach up north." She nodded her head in said direction. "His father's visiting, and Steven's probably talking to him about us checking and destroying the Cluster. Why?"

"I need to talk to him."

Pearl's suspicion grew even more visible, as she tilted her head. "Is this something we need to know about?"

Peridot crossed her arms. "As of now, it's none of your business."

"Very well," said Pearl with a grunt, rolling her eyes. "But let Steven know his lunch is coming soon when you see him, will you? Garnet should be back soon, and I'd hate for it to cool off."

"Fine."

With not even a goodbye, Peridot left the barn and headed down to the beach. It was one that was quieter than the part of the beach where the gems usually lived. Likely due to isolation from the rest of the town. In a way, Peridot could understand this.

Upon arrival, she caught two shapes sitting on a log in the sand. To be more specific, one sat atop it, while the larger one sat in front of it, leaning back but also looking up at the smaller one. She slid with wobbling arms down a small hill to see it was, of course, Steven with his father, Greg.

Greg's guitar rested on the ground, forgotten as the two talked. They spoke in whispers, so Peridot couldn't catch it. She knew it was of the Cluster, and their eventual escapade down to it. The privacy of their conversation was clear, especially due to the setting, but Peridot needed answers. And no one likely knew this planet—and it's clear toxins towards gems, her in particular—better than the hybrid and his father. She squeezed her toes in the grains of sand.

Steven's eyes slowly slid toward her, and she froze. "Oh, hey, Peridot!"

Greg turned around, too, and waved. "Hey, there! Do the gems need Steven for something?"

"No, they're fine, although Pearl said that your lunch should be arriving soon, Steven. But that wasn't my main point in coming here."

Father and son exchanged glances before turning back to Peridot. She walked over to the two, standing in front of the log, and cleared her throat as if making a large announcement rather than requesting their help. "I, hm, I need to speak to you, Steven."

"Is something wrong?" The concern showed on his face instantly.

"Actually, yes. I believe something has contaminated me on this planet. Something I haven't faced at any point until recently."

"Oh?" Now it was just confusion.

"Perhaps you have a cold?" Greg offered. "I always have some sort of cold medicine in the trunk of the van, but I'm not sure if it works the same for gems."

"N-no, that's not it!" She crossed her arms, teeth gritted. "Listen, ever since joining you clods, I have been experiencing feelings and emotions that are not normal for gems, especially Peridots. Something far more extreme than I could comprehend. It's getting out of control, and it has something to do with this planet's atmosphere." She paused, then reconsidered. "Well, it's likely the atmosphere, but it could be anything else, really. Just something in the environment."

Greg blinked, as if absorbing all the information given, but then he grinned. Grinned, of all things! "Is it that serious?"

"Yes! Since I've become part of this group, I've been feeling… weird around Amethyst." She started pacing around the sand, the tiny grains flying into the air. She clutched at her chest. "My chest tightens up, and my face flusters more so than when I'm talking with the other gems and you. I tried writing notes down in order to make sense of it, but there's nothing! Just facts! Like when her hair shines when the sun is setting, or how infectious her laughter is, or even, despite the fact that she's not a typical Quartz, that she's amazing and wonderful.. And all these feelings are driving me crazy, and some are just unwelcoming. So I demand answers!" She shut her eyes, almost from relief. All of this stress from the past few days had left her in rage aplenty.

She opened her eyes to a scene she did not anticipate. Steven's eyes enlarged, as did the grin on his face. Both almost took up most of his face (almost being that this was anatomically impossible). Stars danced in his irises.

Greg, meanwhile, brought a hand to his side, also smiling. "Well, I'll be."

"What are those stares for?! This is a serious epidemic!" Peridot cried out, stomping her foot into the sand.

"Oh my gooooosh." Steven ignored her shouts of impatience and clutched his dad's arm, the dreamy look still etched in his features. "I can't believe it."

"That makes two of us, kiddo." The two smiled at one another.

What was happening?! Peridot shook her head. "Isn't there some sort of antidote to cure this?"

"Well, are you sure you want to stop feeling like this?" Greg asked.

"Yes!" As if that wasn't obvious in her distress! Yet Steven was still looking like he wandered into wonderland, teeth showing in his giant grin. Greg's smile was smaller, but still confused her.

"Isn't there a part of you that is, well, happy?"

Yes. She didn't want to tell them that the feeling in her chest made her feel warm and soft, and how sincere those facts about Amethyst were. She had caught Amethyst lounging on the grass outside the barn a few times, but could never bring herself to join her on a whim. Her feet would trap her on their own control. Instead, she'd watch the gem relax under the pink sky and wonder so much about her, like what she was thinking about, how she was feeling, what she was feeling.

Peridot realized she did not answer and looked up at the human, Greg. He gave her a look that proved that he was absolutely Steven's parental figure. The kindness that made her, as if on instinct, talk to him with honesty. "I mean… yes, which is nice. But I don't get it."

"There's not much to get." He chuckled. "Though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You shouldn't have to worry so much, though, to be honest—"

"You have a crush on her!" Steven stepped in between his dad and Peridot, hands curled into fists as they shook. They both jumped, but he remained oblivious. Excitement danced in his eyes.

"Aww, c'mon, bud. I was readying a whole speech and everything about how great love is." He shook his head. "Oh, well."

"Love? C-crush?" Her eyes shrank, and she curled away, arms wrapped around her legs. "Something's going to crush me?!"

Steven's face fell for a moment. "No, no! Nothing's coming to crush you. You have a crush on Amethyst!" He smiled again and held her hands. "This is the greatest!"

Still, she didn't follow. "Crush?"

Steven looked away to think. "Uhhh, like with Lacey like liking Abbey—"

"OH MY STARS WHAT?!" Peridot stood up too quick, and her feet swept up underneath her. She fell face flat into the sand. Once she brought her head up, she spat out some sand. "What I'm feeling is the same as those characters."

"Yes! This is amazing, Peridot!"

"It can't possibly be that easy."

"Sure, it can." His tone lowered, and he shrugged.

Peridot groaned. "You're a hybrid who didn't live on Homeworld. You've obviously never been there, either. You don't understand." With a quick moment of pondering, she grabbed Steven's shoulders, and she pleaded with a crack in her voice, "You have to help meeeee."

"With, ah, with what?" Steven scratched at his cheek. "I mean, I don't really know much about love. Not that kind of love anyway. I know it's nice!"

Peridot's eyebrow rose. "But you and Connie—"

"Dad, maybe you can give her advice! Steven's face burned, and a panic stricken look came onto his face. He started laughing awkwardly as he turned back to his dad. He walked from Peridot, covering his face with both hands.

Peridot watched him go with lips pursed.

Greg was just laughing, but patted his son's back. "Sure, kiddo. Go have your lunch."

"Okay, dad." Steven pulled his hands away from his face to hug his dad. "I'll see you."

"You better!"

He also gave a quick goodbye to Peridot before leaving the beach. His flip flops eventually faded away, leaving just Peridot and Greg alone on the beach. She was still standing, but decided on sitting on the log like Steven was. Greg continued occupying the ground in front of it.

There was silence for a bit. Peridot stared at Greg, wondering where to start. The two had not really talked before, and she was well aware that the first time they met wasn't the greatest. Well, she knew now.

"So…" Peridot drew out the word as if to catch his attention. Yet aside from tuning his guitar, his eyes stayed on her. She dug her toes into the sand, feeling the light weight of the grains atop her feet rolling off. "What do I do now?"

Greg smiled. "What do you want to do?"

Peridot wondered of this for a moment, then grimaced. "Scream."

He gave a short laugh. "That's not too far fetched. I recommend not doing that, though. 'Cause it'd probably make the others worry." He pointed behind his shoulder.

"I'm aware." She sat her chin on her knees. "There are plenty of Earth things that baffle me, but this tops it all."

"It does that for people who live here, too."

"So it's common."

"Of course." He picked at his guitar, fixing the tune at the top. His fingers strummed a few of the strings in the center. A light twang littered the air. "Love can be very confusing, and it's different for lots of people. And since you're from Homeworld, I wouldn't be surprised thing are different from there."

"Did Rose Quartz tell you that?"

Greg stared at her for a moment, and Peridot worried for a painstaking moment, that she said the wrong thing. Then he just shrugged. "Rose didn't talk much about Homeworld itself—probably preferred to keep that to herself, which I respect. But from what I know, it doesn't sound like a common thing there. Love, that is."

"It's not," she confirmed.

He made a noise of understanding. "Well, then. Let's see what you can do." He perched his fingers on his chin for a few moments, but then an idea made his face light up. "Perhaps you need something to really catch her attention."

"She pays attention to me a lot," she pointed out.

With a smile, he replied, "Then you're off to a good start. But in order to show her your true feelings, you should try something a little different, probably. You need something that is interesting to both you and her. Something that'll sweep her off her feet—figure of speech," he added at the sight of her weird look.

Peridot thought about that, but her field of skills did not include anything of the romantic variety. That, she was almost certain of. "What would you do?"

"If I liked someone? Well, you could write her a song and sing it to her." He pulled his guitar over and picked at a few strings.

Peridot's eyebrows narrowed. "I don't think that would work for my case… for multiple reasons."

"I know," he chuckled lightly. "But that's just an example. There are plenty of things you can try, whatever works for you."

"I'm assuming that is what you used to attract Rose Quartz's attention."

Greg turned away for a moment, and Peridot thought she had said the wrong thing. Luckily, he looked back up at her. "Yes, I did. And it won her over." He looked proud, picking his head up, eyes shut, but when he opened his eyes, his pride changed into this softer, gentler look. His gaze wandered over to the ocean, and Peridot's followed. Waves pushed forward, and they sounded unlike anything else, like a peaceful attack against the rest of the world. Despite her situation, she appreciated some new things Earth provided.

"I'm glad, too." Greg's voice brought her back. "The second I saw her, I knew I was doomed by love, but I sure don't regret it. Not one bit." His voice softened as his gaze wandered to the sky. To her surprise, he started playing his guitar against, strumming a faint, tranquil melody. Though he spoke in a low, low voice, she just barely caught him saying, "I still miss you."

Peridot noticed his look and realized what it was about. She turned away, wondering if she ever looked at Amethyst like this. Even so, she wasn't sure what to think. Love? Was it really that for her, a lowly Peridot who failed mission after mission? Could she handle something like this? "Doomed? Isn't that terrifying?" Her voice was low.

His dreamy gaze turned back to reality, and he smiled at her. "Not really. It was… pretty awesome." Greg laughed under his breath. "Even if she's not around, she made me feel… special. And because of her, I always have Steven, and that's what counts."

Peridot watched him go on about the gem that apparently made him feel so many things at once. As if she turned his world upside down, and that he didn't regret any of it. So many questions raced through her mind, but how many could this human answer? He gave her several pieces of advice, but something in her couldn't bring herself to so much as imagine herself doing any of it.

"What if…" She hesitated, then bit her lip. "Nevermind."

"Aww, c'mon, Peridot," he said. "We were doing so well. This is the most you've opened up to me. I appreciate it." He gave her a reassuring nod. "Whatever you want to tell me, don't be afraid. None of this leaves this part of the beach, promise."

Peridot couldn't help but smile for a moment, but she refused to look at him. Absorbing everything he said made her face fall. "What if I'm not ready? To, well, do any or that? That's a lot of information to take in, but I'm not quite sure if I'm up to it yet."

He nodded. "Then you don't have to."

"Really?"

Greg leaned back to observe the sky, which swirled with pink from the setting sun. "You don't need to do anything until you find out if you're up for it. Whatever the reason, just take the time you need."

"Time." That seemed to be significant element here. She needed time to adjust to her new surroundings, time to accept that she absolutely betrayed Yellow Diamond and Homeworld, and now she required time to understand these feelings for Amethyst. Her eyes wandered to the sand. "Right."

"Although, if you ever consider that song idea, don't be afraid to ask me for some assistance." He jerked a thumb out, pointing towards himself. "I know a thing or two about love songs."

Peridot, not sure how to respond, just gave him a thumbs up. He grinned and gave her one back. He looked up to the sky, which turned purple by now. Light, thin clouds veiled the rising moon. "Well, looks like it's getting late. Might want head back now. I'll be heading back to the good ol' van."

"Okay." She paused, and as she rose to her feet, she thought about walking away, but stopped. Something crossed her mind, and she walked up in front of him. "I should… also apologize to you." She focused on her fingers, which began to intertwine with one another.

"For what?" Greg gave her a bemused look.

"For, err, pushing you off the the first time we met. I suppose that wasn't a proper first introduction. And I didn't realize at the time it's not customary to do to humans—and probably other creatures, as well."

Greg chuckled. "That is true, but… apology accepted. You didn't know, although at least the other gems weren't that… curious, I suppose. They were, heh, quite a riot, though." He scratched the back of his neck. "Thank you, Peridot. I'm glad you're part of their team now. And, uh, welcome to Earth." His smile was genuine, although a bit awkward.

"Thank you, Greg." She gave him a final nod, but as she began heading to the barn, she had trouble walking forward. Her feet refused to obey, and in fact, were shaking a bit.

"Will you be okay?"

She shot him a look. "Umm…. yes. I just need to get going now. Err, bye!" With that, she ran off and began her return to the barn.

By the time she arrived, no one was around. She wondered how long the conversation with Greg had taken, but decided not to linger on it. There was not much to do by this point, so she headed back into the barn, her head rushing with so much. All that happened, all that was talked about… it was almost overwhelming, even for a Peridot.

What was she to do now? Yes, Greg suggested to take another step and try to impress Amethyst or show her how much she cared, but where to begin? Did she want to begin? Anything could go wrong.

She arrived to her part of the barn where the television rested and remembered something. She rushed over to Steven's room and looked at his television, the one the gems brought to keep Steven occupied on carefree days. This one, unlike one that was clearly a far older model, had more than one show and didn't require tapes.

"Maybe these will help. There's hundreds of programs, according to Steven, so maybe one of them can give me an idea or answer."

Steven wasn't wrong. Multiple channels covered this small television. From shows all about food, about playing with and throwing small spheres, and there was one cartoon with a robot with a crude sense of humor who loved annoying his human friends, which was amusing at least.

She stopped at a movie that involved two female humans discussing something at a shop in a busy town. One was deeply emotional over something, which was revealed that her mother forbade her from seeing the other girl. The other girl, with tattoos painted across her arms, held her hands and told her it would be okay, that they'd work it out.

At most, it was intense when the girl, named Olivia, was caught by her mother, who forced her to stay in the house for an extended period of time and not talk to the other girl, named Francis.

"At least you're not threatened to be shattered." Peridot's voice cracked. But she stayed on the movie, curiosity beating her from changing the channel. Maybe this was the worst thing on planet Earth, but pieces of crumbled gems entered her mind and made her curl her hands into tight, tight fists.

The movie ended with the two girls running off into the forest, hands held and fingers interlocked. At the edge of the forest, they stopped at an opening that revealed a vast opening of green flora that seemed to go on forever. Happy music swirled through the air like flower petals, and the girls smiled at one another, no more problems weighing on their shoulders. Like it was no problem.

"Oh, forget this!" Peridot growled and turned the television off. She grumbled all the way back to her television, the one with good programming. Dang it, maybe in the third season, Percy and Pierre would be on the same capture the flag team.

The doors creaked open, and all one of the gems entered the barn, with Steven trailing not to far behind with his hands on his tummy.

"That place was a pigsty," Pearl stated, hands clasped together in front of her.

"My kinda place," Amethyst commented, snickering.

Pearl rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Once we're done with the Cluster, we can all move back to the Temple. Quite frankly, I miss being there a bit."

"You went to the Temple?" Peridot asked, poking her head out from the bottom floor.

The gems turned to her. "Yes, but it was just the three of us. Garnet went out on her own for a bit. She should be back soon," Pearl informed her. Then she brought out a handkerchief and rubbed it against her hands. "I wanted to clean out the Temple, since we haven't been there in a while. Good thing, too. Dusty corners." She peered up at Peridot. "Though I expected you to come back with Steven, but he said you were talking to Greg about… stuff." Her brow quirked.

Peridot cringed. At least Steven didn't go into great detail. "Like I told you, none of your business."

Pearl shrugged and guided Steven to his bed. It was only then she realized how late it got, with the moon glowing outside.

"Yo, homegirl!" Amethyst walked over to her. She paused, and Peridot noticed she carried herself in a sort of confident way and smiled, but Amethyst continued, "Cause you're from Homeworld? Get it?" She pointed her fingers at Peridot.

"But aren't the other three… I mean, two, from Homeworld, as well?"

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, you got me there. I think I've called you that before, too, but didn't even realize the joke. Aheh. Thought I'd give it another whirl." She spun a finger in the air.

"No, I like it." She smiled, then glanced at the television. "I tried watching other programs, but they didn't impress me."

"The horrors of television: all those channels, but nothing to watch!" She gave a long, drawn out sigh, but she smirked. "I kinda figured it'd happen when they started doing shows about utensils."

"Right?" Peridot agreed with far more enthusiasm than she planned.

"Can I join you?"

"Uhh, sure." She hoped her hesitance didn't come across as her not wanting Amethyst's company.

This didn't seem to be the case, as the Quartz jumped up onto the next floor with a snazzy flourish. Amethyst stared at the television for a moment, and Peridot expected her to make a remark about the show she constantly watched.

Instead, Amethyst flopped onto the ground, but just as Peridot expected her to occupy the space next to her, Amethyst caught her by surprise once more. Though she did sit beside her, she then lowered herself and placed her head onto Peridot's lap. Peridot's face burned.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Uhh, what does it look like?" Her head moved to look up at Peridot.

Peridot's jaw fell slack. She replied like it was obvious, only it wasn't! Peridot, however, chose to play along. "You're resting your head on my lap."

Amethyst shrugged. Yeah, I'm also watching your show with you."

"You don't even like it, though." Peridot's suspicion continued to grow, and her blushing thickened.

"Well, I dunno. You like it. Plus, me and Steven showed you that anime, so I thought I thought I'd watch your stuff in exchange."

"A quid pro quo of sorts." Peridot hummed in thought. "I can understand that."

Amethyst looked at her, lips straightening. "I could move if it's that—"

"No, no!" Peridot objected, making Amethyst blink in surprise. She tried a casual grin. "It's fine. Just… was surprised, I guess."

"Rule one for planet earth, P-girl: expect the unexpected." Amethyst's finger pointed out, first into the air, then at her.

Peridot grimaced, eyebrows slit downward. "How can I expect something if I can't expect it."

"Exactly," Amethyst whispered in a deep voice.

Peridot was sure her eye twitched a bit. As if noticing this, Amethyst snickering. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's watch your campy show—heh, now I see why it's at a camp. I'm on a roll tonight."

Peridot just squinted at her. Amethyst was unamused.

"We need to teach you about puns, girl." Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Pearl can't stand them when I do them, so I need more gems in my pun army."

"Do I need to learn how to wield weapons?"

Amethyst fired finger guns at her. "Only good jokes. As in not a real army, silly. Ahh, someday." With a loud sigh, she looked back at the television and started kicking her feet. "So that's Percy and Pierre, right? I think Steven said you ship them real bad. Like a crazy teenage girl."

"What's a ship?" Her eyebrow quirked.

"It's what you do with those two." Amethyst gestured at the screen. "You totally think they're cute together, and you want them to be together and everything. And some have ship names, I guess, where you mash their names together, but they sound kinda dumb sometimes."

Peridot nodded. ... Don't think about what our ship name would be, DON'T.

"So you're totally into Percy and Pierre, I guess, but are there any other characters you like?"

Amethyst's voice brought her back from her inner thoughts. "Oh, sure, but Paulette's the worst." Peridot's tone grew bitter just saying her name. She rolled her eyes. "She thinks she's sooo special and the absolute best, because she's the group's captain, but she's really not all that great." With one look at the screen, a boy with dark hair appeared on the screen alone, and she added, "Oh, but Peeta's also a top quality character. He's someone who moved into Camp Pining Hearts from another camp called Camp Wretched Heart."

Amethyst snorted. "Geez, really? Sounds rough."

"It was for him. But he manages by doing what he's best at, and that's leading the group he's assigned to. Look, see!" She pointed at the screen, in which Paulette looked to be in great upset while Peeta holds out a large map. "She got the group lost, but he's the one who's going to get them out."

"Go, Peeta." Amethyst didn't sound too enthused, but Peridot smiled again.

It was then that she caught Amethyst staring at her. Her eyes squinted, like she was trying to look at something but struggled to do so. Peridot didn't know what to think of it.

"You're looking at me funny."

Amethyst didn't answer for a good minute, and Peridot began to open her mouth to repeat what she said. But Amethyst beat her to it. "We're here for you, you know, right?" she said in a somber tone.

Peridot stared at her back, mouth falling open for a minute but with no words coming out. "Um… yes?" She finally got out, only she didn't. She didn't get it.

"Just… you know." Amethyst turned away, her hair flipping over her face and shielding her from Peridot's gaze. "We-they all care. Even if they don't show it."

"Even Pearl?" Peridot's voice cracked, also raising with doubt.

"Sure." Amethyst nodded. "So does Garnet, Steven, obviously…" There was some hesitated, and then she glanced back up. "Me."

Peridot's heart pounded. She struggled to speak. "Well… good," she was able to muster. She waited for Amethyst to continued, but based on her silence thereafter, there seemed to be no furthering of the conversation. They simply looked at one another, not saying a word. Peridot, for once, broke the ice. "Amethyst?"

"Wassup?" It was in a whisper. Her eyes shined. Did she knew they shined, even in the dark? Should she tell her? No, it was probably obvious. There were other things she could talk about, but did she genuinely want to?

"You… or we, well… err." She stammered, even rubbed the side of her neck. The words refused to come out, and a grave reminder that she reallywas a failure on multiple levels. Not even able to discuss these feelings to the very person that caused them. She hid this disappointment with an awkward smile. "Thank you for watching my show with me."

Amethyst blinked, and her facial expression shifted. Her eyes relaxed. "No need to thank me. I'm just that awesome." She smirked.

"Well, yes. And it means a lot to me that you spend time with me."

"Uh, really?" Amethyst's voice lowered, smirk falling away.

"Yes." She nodded. "Is it that shocking?

"A…" Her smile returned, only one more genuine. "A little, I guess. No big deal, but, yeah, thanks. Plus." Seeing you geek out is cute as hell." Amethyst laughed. "That's more fun than the show, but I'll still watch. Kinda. Sorta." Her hand shook in the air.

Peridot beamed. "I'll take it."

The next episode rolled, and the two mostly commented over the episode. Peridot reminded herself to watch it later, because she barely heard much of what was actually happening. She didn't have it in her to stop talking to Amethyst, though.

It was just so easy, far easier to get a conversation out of her.

The conversations lessened, however, once the next episode was near its end. Peridot worried Amethyst was getting bored, and thought of offering one of Amethyst's shows for them to watch. A lot of them involved male humans punching each other and slamming into one another. Peridot saw enough of that when seeing Quartz train. When she looked down, however, she realized why it got a lot quieter.

Amethyst's eyes were shut, and she had fallen asleep. Head still resting in her lap while directed at the television.

Peridot grumbled to herself about how her legs were stuck, how she could not move around and that the episode was on its credits. Her voice did not raise above anything more than an irritated whisper, however, due to Amethyst's sleeping status. She snored quite a bit, but this did not come as a surprise to Peridot.

With a sigh, she looked up at the screen. The credits rolled, so she had to wait for endless mentions of insignificant names for the next episode to start. Another sigh, and she glanced down at Amethyst.

She looked so peaceful in her sleep. Despite her snoring, and part of her face being concealed by hair, she appeared content. Steven once called Peridot that humans dream in their sleep, projections of images that created scenes while you went into a REM cycle. Peridot wondered, for a moment, what Amethyst was dreaming of.

Tilting her head, with curiosity burning, Peridot brushed her hair aside, revealing a pair of shut eyes. It came to her that Amethyst often hid away her eyes, and she wondered if it ever bothered her. She had great eyes to look at after all, so why conceal one of them?

Even when not trying, she looked amazing. Wonderful. Perfect. Words that came into Peridot's head without much thought, words that she had probably heard before but never thought to use. They came with ease by looking at her.

The tape restarted itself onto the same episode, but the voices faded into the background.

She found herself brushing strands of her light, light purple hair. Her fingers curled into the strands, and despite its messy appearance they stroked through her hair with ease. The texture was soft.

Amethyst's head tilted, making Peridot stop, fingers freezing midair. Did she wake up?

Instead of that, Amethyst's side of her head brushed against Peridot's stomach. Peridot blushed heavily at the contact. It didn't last long before Amethyst stilled again.

To think, Amethyst wasn't even awake, and yet she made Peridot flustered! The smile on her face, however, showed that what Peridot was doing clearly made her happy, even though she likely was not aware.

She continued brushing through her hair, with her emotions calming down. A warm smile graced her face while glancing down.

With a blink, she caught herself. Her fingers playing with Amethyst's hair, how comfortable she sat with Amethyst sleeping on her, her gaze lingering on the sleeping Quartz. Her fingers stopped playing and simply rested atop her mane of pale, pale purple.

"I'm doomed."