~Okay, I know this probably seems supremely weird, but if you'll just give it a chance. . .
I'd list the reasons why I ship this, but I'm hoping you'll be able to figure it out from this and the following chapters. If you're really dying to know, I can PM you. :) Updates will probably be short and sporadic, because I've got two other stories going at the time, so I won't post a chapter until the next one is finished.
Steven-wise, this is an AU between Ocean Gem and The Message. KP-wise, this takes place after the finale and features a reformed Drakken. And it's not really meant to be anything more than a series of cute little snippets.
At the time I wrote this chapter, the last Steven Universe episode aired was Chille Tid. There may be some inconsistencies as more about the Gems is revealed.
I'll shut up and let you read now. ;)~
"Excuse me, Miss?"
You aren't sure if this is directed at you. As a matter of fact, you are not even entirely sure where you are. Behind you is the ocean, so familiar you find comfort in even the fiercest waves. Before you…you have no clue.
This frightens you.
And the being looking down at you – she looks concerned.
No. Not she. This creature has a mysterious, inexplicable something that marks it the strange variation known as a "man," which is apparently common to most species.
Including your own now, for all you know. For how long you've been away.
Beyond that, you cannot tell what he – that is the right word for men? "He"? – is. His skin is blue, a few shades lighter than yours, coloring not typical of humans, but it's too lopsided to be a Gem. The flesh is pale, sky-colored, while the hair and eyes are deep, dark, black.
There is a strange, exotic crack down the man's face. Has to be a human. Your kind would retreat into your gems until such an imperfection is healed. It is so odd, so unlike anything you have ever seen, that your fingers tingle with curiosity. What must it feel like?
His hair is shorter than the human they called Greg's but worn in much the same style, cut short in the front to save all the shagginess for the back. It could be the night sky captured in Gem shards, but…softer-looking, somehow.
And he is concerned for you.
It is a strange expression, bunching up one large eyebrow like a furry, tamed Centibeetle. Made all the stranger by the shiny, cobalt garment that reaches over his shoulders and contains his long torso and short legs. You assume it is some sort of bathing costume. Last time you were on this planet, humans went swimming bare.
This is a marked improvement.
"Miss? Uh…Miss Blue Lady?" The man speaks hesitantly. "Are you…are you all right? Do you need me to call someone?"
Call? You look around for a communication device. They've changed so much, though, that you aren't sure you would recognize one if you saw it. It's even more frightening.
"You're all wet," the man states. "Did you go swimming in your clothes?"
You don't see how your gauzy dress is any more peculiar swimming garb than his stretch of fabric.
"Seriously, do you not talk?" The Obsidian eyes are wide with worry. "Do you have the bends or something? Here – I'll dry you off!"
Before you can explain that you can shed water with a simple flick of your body, he's already gone. Back across the sand, adding cries of "Ouch!" where it burns his weak human feet.
He returns with a cloth the same hue as his swimming garment and extends his arms to wrap it around you.
You draw back – so few have touched you with kindness in the last thousands of years.
The man notices your cringe remarkably soon for a creature so clearly not the type who would keep a clear head in times of peril. He instantly retracts his hand to his side, and you notice for the first time – he is bigger than you, much – but his hands are almost as small as yours. They fidget nervously at his sides.
They understand.
"I – I don't need your towel." You talk for the first time. Your voice has a shrill edge you can't quite contain. It sounds angry, sounds – rude, almost, even though you mean to reassure him. You try to correct it with, "See, I can –"
He does not wait for you to finish before he begins. "Well, I think you do." His chin juts. "I mean, you're soaked to the bone."
You blink. Bones are invisible, inner things that even you cannot drench, and this man would have no way of knowing if you did. Not to mention –
"My bones are an illusion," you say. "My whole body is an illusion."
The man's head tilts to one side. "Say wha?"
And yet the look he gives you is accepting. Curious, yes, in the manner the Homeworld Earth Researchers were back in the glory days, but quite benign. As if you are not the most unusual sight he has ever seen.
After several seconds of pacing and muttering, he turns back to you. "Well, let's see if we can get this 'illusion' warmed up before we get all….existential or whatever."
You are surprised that this comes out of the mouth of the same creature who not half a minute before referred to you as a "lostling." It is amusing, hearing this man speak. You can almost enjoy it.
"Everything's going to be all right, Miss." Despite the term of address, the man appears to be talking to himself almost as much as to you. He parts with a nervous smile, and for a moment you are convinced you've found his gems after all, all lined up and shining at you.
"I'm Dr. Drakken, by the way," the man says, tapping the tips of his fingers together.
He has offered his name! He is attempting to make a connection.
You do not feel brave enough to return it with yours. Not yet.
But when he retrieves the soft cloth humans must need for drying, and he drapes it around your shoulders with a light touch and a big, hopeful grin, this time you do not pull away.