Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rumbling of a truck was the only sound that could be heard throughout the dead highway in the silent night. The heavy wheels crushed and crumbled whatever rocks they ran over. The driver murmured to himself with a sneer as he rolled down the window to let a puff out from the cigarette between his scarred lips, using a single hand to drive down the desolate road as he stroked his chin and felt the stubble that was growing on it with his free hand. The cargo that the truck was carrying began to rattle and let out growls of pure fear and anger. The window that connected to the driver's compartment and the cab where the noises came from was getting viscously scratched as the beast tried to break it open. “SHUT IT, BACK THERE!!! DON’T MAKE ME GET THE TASER!!!” The driver scolded the beast as he passed a sign that read ‘Beach City 2.5 miles straight ahead’. The monster that was making all the noise, went quiet after the yell, making small whines and whimpers in fear that they might be punished. They looked to the side of the cage they were in, despite being covered with car cover blanket, they could still smell and see some of the scenery that the truck passed, they laid down and closed their eyes, letting the smell of the ocean’s salty water fill their nose and the waves of a beach flood their ears as they drifted off to sleep.

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Steven was playing his ukulele and figuring out a new song as he sat on the beach and watched the waves dance against the sand when he saw a truck drive in town and gasped in excitement “New people!!!” He giggled to himself as he rushed into his house and up the stairs to put his instrument away on the bed “Pearl, do we have cookies or anything to give to new people?!” He asked with a bright smile as he quickly went down the stairs and to the gem in the kitchen, who was starting to make some dinner “Unfortunately, we do not have any sweets to give out to others at this time, Steven...Why do you ask? And what’s this about new people?” Pearl asked in confusion as she cracked an egg into a pan and began to fry it on the stove, all while looking at the half-gem, half-human boy in question.

 “There’s new people, Pearl! They got this huge truck a-and some big stuff at the back of it!” He exclaimed while spreading out his arms to put emphasis on how big the car was “New people, huh? Maybe they’re visiting for vacation...Even though it’s spring...And there are more commonly known places with beaches that are more suitable for vacation…” Pearl thought to herself as to why people would be visiting this quaint town that was barely known to those out of state, she unknowingly let out a small hum as she always did whenever she was too deep in thought. The warp pad activated and Garnet was standing there with arms crossed and her shades reflecting off the sunlight that was spilling into the house from the windows, she turned her head slightly in the direction of the kitchen and adjusted her glasses a bit “Your eggs are burning” She simply said to which Pearl immediately snapped back into reality and fumbled to put the sunny-side up on the plate next to the stove, sighing in relief that she was able to save the egg from becoming burnt “Thank you, Garnet...How did the patrol go?” she asked as she began her other task: Making sure Amethyst didn’t eat whatever food she was making. “It went well, I didn’t notice anything unusual...And if Pearl would allow it too, you can go meet the new people, Steven” The fusion responded to her comrad’s question and to the question Steven was about to ask, the young boy’s eyes were filled with stars of excitement and joy since he was still easily surprised whenever the tall gem answered his question with her future vision before even asking.

“Pearl! Can I?! Can I go see the new people?! Please???????” Steven basically cried out his plea to Pearl, using his puppy dog eyes to win her over just in case she still had some reluctance when he asked the question “Oh well…” She mumbled as she glanced at Steven and smiled lightly at the boy’s cute face “I suppose you could, but come right back! I’m almost done with dinner and I don’t want you eating it cold!” After Steven got his answer, he ran out of the house and made his way to where he saw the truck parked in front of a small house that was hidden by the multiple small businesses that were located around it. He saw a man wearing a lab coat carrying some boxes into the garage and setting them down inside a cage, the male popped his back after he set the boxes down and stood up straight to relax his tired back. 

That was when he saw the boy staring at him with wonder and curiosity “Hey there, little bud...What are you doing here, huh?” he asked as he slowly approached Steven with caution steps, hoping that he wouldn’t scare the child with how badly scarred his face was “Oh um...I came to say hi and welcome to Beach city!” Steven spoke quietly at the beginning before he gave a small cheer at the end of his sentence “I’m Steven Universe!...Who are you?” He asked a bit shyly while looking up at the stranger and unconsciously started to look at the scars that lined up and covered the man’s face.

“Steven, eh? I’m Shepard! Shepard Traymurk!” The male introduced himself with a friendly smile as he stretched his hand out for the boy to shake, which Steven gladly did in politeness and enthusiasm to meet a new person. “Say Steven, Where’s your folks? I wouldn’t want them to worry about you going missing or anything like that!” he laughed in a joking manner, but something about those words felt odd to Steven…It was probably his imagination! “My dad runs the car wash and the rest of my family are back at my house by the beach!” He explained with a bright smile as he glanced at the boxes that were filling up the cages “Are you moving in?” the innocent question somehow caused a quick change in Shepard’s features, his friendly demeanor turned to an annoyed glare before going back to a joyful grin “Yup! Me and my kiddo are moving here! Maybe when she’s done unpacking and doing errands, she can hang out with you” Shepard suggested while going back to the car and carrying whatever boxes were left in the truck, he carried them over to the cage and placed them inside it before taking a deep breath “...Can she have some free time later today so we can talk and be friends?...I don’t have many friends and maybe I can show her around Beach City!” Steven offered with a bright, cheerful smile that showed his teeth. The kid was so excited to make a potential friend and even better that he can be their official tour guide. ‘This brat is really bothering me… But I do need to see how the subject will react to new people and interactions and if things go out of hand, she can eat him’ Shepard thought to himself as he looked at the time on his watch “You know what, Kid? Sure! She can meet ya at the beach in an hour or so!” He nodded to Steven as he accepted his offer and then waved him off “Now, I don’t mean this in a bad way, but me and my girl gotta get to work in our new home so scram! It was nice talking to ya Steven!” he said bye to Steven while taking a few lab items and then trudging into the house, out of Steven’s view “Bye-Bye, Shepard!” and Steven went back home, excited to see his new friend.

“You’re going out today, alright?! Gonna meet a chubby boy called Steven! And tell how it goes...If things go wrong, you know what to do…” the command came out in a sinister growl as the voice spoke to a female looking down at the ground and then finally looking up at the man “...Yes, Master…”

Steven was waiting on the beach in front of his home, he was making a sandcastle and letting the crabs enter the door while the starfish squirmed on the side of the walls on the sand building “Where is She?????” He whined out as he crossed his arms and pouted “Yo, Steve-o, who you waiting for?” Amethyst called out as she was eating from a bag of ‘Chaaaps’ and came out of the house and to the boy “Oh I’m waiting for the new kid...It doesn’t look like she’s gonna show though…” he mumbled softly before he heard someone walking towards him and Amethyst, he shot up and gasped in joy as he saw the person he was waiting for, his new friend… “Are you Shepard’s daughter?!” 

You…

“Yeah...I’m (Y/N) Traymurk…”

Chapter Text

“Are you Steven Universe?...” You asked simply with not much emotion showing on your face as you recapped the mission in your head. You were trying not to show your nervousness or the simple fact that you never had proper human interaction experience or lessons before. 'Wait... How do relationships even work?!.. I've never done this before.... W-what if I mess up? Master will be so disappointed... I don't want him to...' at that thought, you held your arm and felt the scars that lay hidden in your hoodie sleeve, painful memories swirling back into your mind as you felt your ears twitch nervously while it stayed hidden in your (h/c) hair. Steven noticed you clutching your arm very tightly, he could practically see you digging your nails into your sleeve and he winced a bit from thinking about the pain. “Y-Yeah, I’m Steven Universe and this is Amethyst” He gestured to the purple gem “Sup” she gave a casual wave as she continued to eat the chips, not really noticing the tension the human felt being around them.

“W-Wait...Your name is Amethyst? Like the g-gem, Amethyst?” You stuttered in fear as you took a nervous step back ‘Is she a gem? She can’t be a gem! Sure, her name is a gem name a-and she’s purple unlike most people, and she...She ate the entire bag of chips including the bag, humans don’t do that do they???? Master explained to me how other humans work before I came here, but he never said anything about that! Oh god, what will I do?! Do I tell Master about this? Do I...What do I do?!’ You didn’t notice that you were getting more tense and that you actually dug your nails so deep into your sleeve that you punctured through it and hit your skin, causing it to bleed. This caused a short, unnoticeable to others, yet painful shock to your entire body. You bit your lip to hold back to a yelp and tears of pain as you looked at Steven and Amethyst, noticing both of their concerned gazes. “...Yeah, that’s my name...I am a gem too so it only makes sense for that to be my name…” Amethyst mumbled as she let her hair fall to cover one of her eyes.

 “...Are you okay, Y/N? You look...Not so good” Steven asked in worry as he got up from the spot he sat on and approached the girl. He placed a hand over yours to see if that could calm you. You flinched at the sudden contact and pulled your hand away, regretting afterwards as you saw the hurt look on Steven’s face “Do...Do you not want to be friends? Is that it?” he asked softly. You saw some tears forming in the boy’s eyes and he backed away “W-What? No! It’s not that at all!...I’m just...Nervous? I never made a...friend before” The words felt strange on your tongue, almost as if someone else spoke for you. You just said whatever came to your mind and as hard as you tried, you couldn’t ignore the pitiful and sad feeling you felt when you saw Steven close to tears “Really???...Does this mean you never did anything that friends do? Like watch TV, or eat candy, or slumber parties?” Steven raised a finger for each item he listed, hoping that you tried at least one of them.

Amethyst watched with amusement and a bit of shock as the human seemed to get more confused and interested at each activity Steven talked about.

“I think she gets the idea, Steven...Or in this case, no idea at all” she brushed her hair back so that she could see this scene better: A 25 year old human it seemed, who had no idea what humans do for fun as friends, and who had no clue as to what friends are, who was being educated by a 13-year-old boy who is a half-gem, half-human hybrid. It was hysterical, it was comical, it was pure humor to Amethyst.

“...I have never done anything of that sort?...I have a few questions if I may ask…” You requested meekly, almost afraid of an angry outburst to come from one of them.

“Of course, you can ask a question! As long as I get to ask you some” Steven grinned in joy as he offered his hand to seal the deal, to which you slowly and shakingly took.

“Great! You can go first, Y/N!” ‘What to ask, What to ask...What is candy? What is this...TV he speaks of? What are movies?! I have a faint idea what slumber parties are, but why have a sleeping party?!...W...WHAT IS A FRIEND?!’Though you were an expert at hiding your emotions and having a straight face (though you arent), you were screaming at yourself in your thoughts. You finally took a deep breath and went with the question that you wanted the most answered. “Steven...What is a friend?” ‘Oh boy…’ Steven thought to himself as he became prepared to answer question after question. He was in fact shocked but by your reaction earlier he thought it would be best to relax and keep everything chill.

It was nighttime in beach city when Garnet came into the house with a sleeping Steven and a tired looking human on her shoulders “Oh my stars! Steven whe-” “I found him on the beach in this human’s arms. So he won’t be able to respond to your questions till he wakes up, understand?” Pearl nodded and gently took Steven from Garnet, glancing at the said human that the fusion was holding. She slowly made her way up the stairs and place Steven on his bed, tucking him in and kissing him on his forehead with a soft smile “Goodnight, Steven” She mumbled to the boy, who in result murmured a quiet response of ‘Nighty night’. Pearl went down the stairs with a light teal on her pale cheeks, cooing to herself at how adorable Steven was, that was until she saw Garnet tucking the human in on the couch and Amethyst curling up on the cushion next to her “Umm...She isn’t really staying here, is she?” The gem seemed to be a bit revolted that a random human was staying with them. ‘Who knows where she has been?’ Pearl thought to herself as she watched Amethyst turn into a cat and somewhat snuggle onto the cushion that she was laying on and that the human rested her head on “Calm down, Pearl. It’s only for one night, besides she feels really warm and it weirrrrrd” the purple cat purred out as she rubbed up a bit against the human’s face, causing the organic to let out a small whine of confusion before she leaned into the softness she felt. “Y-Yes, but-” “Amethyst is right, Pearl. It’s just for one night. The human is tired and it’s night, so it’s not safe for her to walk home” Garnet cut Pearl off and then walked towards the temple, entering her room when the doors opened. “Amethyst. Watch the human and make sure she leaves before Steven wakes up… We don’t want him attached to that… Thing” she looked at Amethyst sternly, who in return waved a paw lazily at Pearl with a grumble of ‘Whatever’. The pale gem sighed and took that as ‘yes’ to her request, she followed after the fusion and went into her own room, hoping that the organic was gone by the time she made breakfast.

Chapter Text

You took a deep breath and opened your eyes, seeing a landscape covered with pink flowing grass and some hills with a singular cherry blossom tree at each one, there wasn’t much else to this place so you could say that it was pretty bare and had nothing value here. “Oh? Well it is pretty empty, but that’s because we have yet to fill your tree with memories!” The sudden voice behind you caused you to twist on your heel and jump back in a rapid motion, away from the soft, feminine voice you heard. “W-Who are you?!” You barked out with snarl, trying to make sure that your fear could not be detected by this...Person? “It’s Okay, my little one. Calm down. I won’t hurt you. Enough damage has been done to you anyways...Oh you poor thing…” she was behind you again, but instead of you turning around and jumping away like before, the person hugged you from behind and sat down. You practically froze as you felt soft, big arms around you and the slight familiarity of sitting on a lap, your mind went towards your childhood in the moment. 

You were a young girl -still fully human and not an experimental abomination yet- picking flowers in the vast plains that was filled with plant life, you picked as many flowers as you could till you felt your nose wiggling a bit and your eyes tearing up before… “Ah...Ah...AH-CHOO!” You sneezed with such force from the pollen that you ended up stumbling backwards and landed on your rump, nose sniffing and tears beginning to spill out from your itchy eyes, you called for the person who cared for you “M-Mom!!!” You cried out as you began to sob and hiccup from the pain of the landing and the unbearable itchiness you felt. Soon a pair of green, slim, yet squishy arms wrapped around you and you were sat down on ‘Mom’s lap “Y/N, I thought I told you to not pick the wildflowers in a big flower field” She scolded softly, The raspy edge in her voice oddly comforting you. She wiped your tears away with her thumb and planted a soft kiss on your forehead, holding you close to help comfort you. Soon, the memory faded away and you realized you were crying...On the person’s lap, a person you don’t know, a person rubbing circles on your back and humming softly?!

“W-Who are you?!” You repeated your previous question, turning to face the person who was comforting you, That’s when you felt all fear being distinguished from you. The person was in fact a woman, a gem to be precise as you felt the cold surface of it against your back earlier. The gem had plump, pink lips, large hair that was wavy and curling into rolls over her shoulder, she seemed to be soft and squishy due to your suspicion that she was chubby. The aura and vibe that she gave off was motherly and so very comforting “I’m Rose Quartz, little one. Now it’s my turn to ask you a question” she smiled at you and placed a hand on your cheek, immediately pulling back when you flinched and moved your head away from her hand “...You’re not a full human, are you? You’re not a full organic, correct?” You looked down and nodded, letting your ears come up from their hiding spot and your tail unfurled from out your long-sleeved shirt and hoodie.

 “I’m not...I was once. But then Mom met a man who promised her so many great things that he can achieve with me. She doesn’t like him, but her respect and loyalty to the diamonds was more important than me… Her desire to please her creators, to get a chance to go back to them, to redeem herself for being defective, was more important than a small, organic human, that she adopted from the orphanage, that she raised and loved, that she cared for…” your voice cracked as you were flooded with memories of how times were before you and ‘Mom’ met that foul human, Shepard. Large globs of tears rolled down your cheek and you could feel the large blue marks on your neck and around your body, glow ever so slightly in reaction to your strong emotions. But it stopped when you felt a soft, warm hand rest on your cheek once more, and instead of moving away, you leaned into it and nuzzled it. “My poor little Y/N...All will be better in the future, I can assure on that, but I think it’s best if you rest a bit. You need to greet my son and the crystal gems when you awake, and do not worry about Shepard, alright? You’ll figure out a way to avoid his wrath and to calm him down, I promise” and with that, she laid you down on her lap, cradling you and kissed you gently on the head. You closed your eyes and took deep breaths before you felt yourself surrounded by the familiar sense of darkness…

“Amethyst! I thought I told you to get that human out of here before breakfast! Steven will be getting up any minute now, and you know he’ll be insisting on hanging out with her more! Especially since Connie is in school still and is using most of her free time for studying!” Pearl groaned out as she glared at the purple gem who was still laying next to the human, but in her original form now “I don’t see what’s the big problem, P! Y/N is a human and sure, she may not know everything or anything about friends, but she’s pretty chill!” Amethyst rolled her eyes at the pale gem and shrugged, not really caring for what Pearl had to say. “No...Please...Not that…” the human stirred a bit in her sleep and mumbled a bit, clutching onto the blankets gently and whimpering a bit “See? Now you gave her a nightmare!” Amethyst was joking of course, but she gave Pearl a serious face that made her feel a bit guilty “O-Oh!... that’s not good, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so loud” she blushed a dark teal in embarrassment and slight concern till she saw the smug grin that appeared on Amethyst’s face “Amethyst! Did you seriously just put a false blame on me for fun?!” And with that an argument happened between the two gems, causing Garnet to come from her room and go into the living room before she picked up the sleeping organic and took her outside “Hopefully they won’t bother your sleep here” she sat down cross legged and rested the human on her lap, smiling a bit when she saw the fragile thing snuggle into her. She decided to see if she can catch a glimpse of this girl’s future, what would her life be like up ahead? The fusion held you close and focused on seeing any bit of your future that she could get, her smile soon disappeared when she realized something “...You are a special person, Y/N. Whether you know it or not...Only few Can avoid my future vision, but you...You are not in a single vision of mine...Your fate and destiny is yours to carve, and it’s up to us to help you make a great masterpiece, or...To watch you burn it all down…”

Chapter Text

You groaned softly while tossing and turning, not wanting to get up yet from the peaceful slumber that you haven’t experienced so long. Your nose twitched as you took a deep breath, the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon filled your senses as your stomach began to rumble from the need of food.

“Hey, Pearl! Did you make enough food for Y/N?” The voice of Steven caused your hidden ears to make a small flap before you opened your eyes, groggily taking in the details of the house you were in.

‘Wait…’ Sudden realization hit you like a shock to your face, you fell asleep in another person’s house, a gem house to be specific, and you weren’t with master. You haven’t even reported anything to him!

You shot up from the covers you were under and moved to get off the couch before a reddish hand was placed on your shoulder, you could feel the smooth gem on the hand as it gently patted you in a comforting way “You’re alright. There’s no need to panic...Y/N?” You turned to see the voice belonged to a tall woman with reddish skin and a square afro hairdo “Y-Yeah...That’s my name” you sighed and tried to relax yourself, maybe Shepard will forgive you if you told him that you met gems...Or maybe your punishment will be more severe. You brushed whatever hair was dangling in front of your voice and yawned, showing your large canine fangs and letting your purple-ish tongue roll out while you stretched.

“You have a very...Unusual set of teeth and tongue” the woman said with a straight face, causing you to get nervous and shrink into the cushions a bit “So?...” you mumbled out softly “Hey, Y/N!” You instantly perked up at the sound of your...Friend, was it? You saw the young boy run up to you and hug your leg “You’re awake! How’d you sleep?” He asked with a cute, infectious smile. You just couldn’t help but breakout a small smile back to the boy “I slept pretty good actually. I haven’t slept that good since...Ever” you laughed quietly and smelled the air once again, the scent of food causing your stomach to ache and grumble the reminder that it’s empty.

“You want some breakfast, Y/N? Pearl made scrambled eggs and bacon! You should try it! She cooks really good!” Steven informed you with stars in his eyes as he gently tugged at your hand, you obliged to his wish and got up, following him to the small island with stools. You took a seat at a stool and saw Steven scramble up onto the seat next to you, beaming a smile at you before looking ahead and watching Pearl flip an egg with wonder in his eyes. “Hey uh...P-Pearl, was it?...Can you tell the time, please?” You said it in a soft spoken manner, looking down and fumbling with your hoodie sleeves.

Pearl hummed softly and thought about the time, Garnet came back in the house with Y/N at 8:30, Steven woke up 40 minutes after that, she started breakfast 5 minutes after, and you woke up 6 minutes following the 5. Once the pale gem was finished with the math, she turned to you “Well, it should be 9:21 if my math is correct, which of course it is” she said confidently before she noticed how shy, small, and vulnerable you looked….It was somewhat cute and it caused the gem to blush a light teal as she felt a bit protective over how fragile you seemed. The smell of meat burning instantly brought her back to reality and she quickly moved the pan full of bacon off the stove, she went back to the task at hand and continued with the eggs.

You nodded and took in the information, deciding on how to approach Shepard about the report of gems and the social interaction you experienced with them and Steven. You were too stuck in your thought to see the gem in front of you was taking glances at you, which was sorta a positive thing for her since she wouldn’t need to worry about making eye contact with you.

Soon enough, breakfast was prepared and you quickly ate, savoring each piece of food and filling your stomach with delicious food and warmth, both of which you haven’t experienced in awhile. You waited until Steven was done so you can walk back home with him, in the meantime you watched Amethyst scarfing down her portion of food and snatching some food off of Steven’s plate, causing the boy to whine and protect his food while Pearl scolded the purple gem.

You couldn’t help, but smile fondly at the scene, letting out a light chuckle as you felt the pink tube marks on your skin glow ever so softly.

At least 15 minutes passed from the time Steven finished his food, you and him were walking to your house with a feeling of dread and fear forming at the pit of your stomach with each step you took.

And soon enough, you were at the front door of your new prison. You gulped and hesitantly knocked on the door to alert Shepard that you are home. The door opened and Shepard glared at you, a snarl close to forming on his lips as he looked prepared to beat the shit out of you. Steven noticed the man’s acidic look and cleared his throat, causing Shepard to look at him “I know you might be mad at Y/N cause she didn’t call or come back, but it’s because she fell asleep while we were talking and thought it would be best if she stayed over, we didn’t know how to contact you so…” the boy nervously pressed his index fingers against each other and looked down, averting the man’s gaze.

“...Alright, I understand. But next time, don’t stay out too late, okay?” Shepard said with a soft voice, faking his concern for you in front of Steven. You nodded and walked into the house, waving goodbye to Steven with a small smile. He waved back and walked away, after he was out of sight. Shepard closed the door and the venom in his eyes returned.

“Oh, what am I going to do with you?”

Chapter Text

Warning: Drinking is Involved in this chapter

You couldn’t look him in the eyes, you just couldn’t. The hatred and spite in his eyes as he glared down at you with a scowl, the thoughts of the pain and agony that would come from the punishment plagued your mind when you suddenly heard a voice in your head ‘You’ll figure out a way to avoid his wrath and to calm him down, I promise’ the voice of the gem from your dream rang throughout your mind, you started realizing how familiar it sounded, how close it sounded to her voice.

You took a deep breath and looked up at the man who scarred you and traumatized you, fighting back a growl and ignoring the rage you felt from the multiple minds you shared with the gem shards, you crossed your arms and straightened yourself into a confident position “I’m sorry for not reporting to you earlier, my master. I have fallen asleep with the Steven boy and his caretakers, but I have some information about him that will please you” You did a bow to him, hiding your smug smirk as you knew that whatever information he wanted from you would mean he couldn’t torture you, at least that’s what Rose promised.

“Oh really? Then spit it out already, you mixed, half-witted mutt!” Shephard spat out as he took a swing from the beer bottle in his hand.

“...The caretaker’s of Steven Universe are all gems. One of them is a fusion of a Sapphire and Ruby, another is a pathetic Pearl, and the last is a defensive Amethyst” The information you had gathered from your conversations and very intense, yet subtle observation seemed to have peak the man’s interest. He had stopped his drinking and was looking at you intently, intrigued that you, nothing but a mere experiment, have discovered what remains of the uncorrupted gems on earth.

“That is not all, Master. Steven has told me that he and his caretakers make up the crystal gems, and that he has his mother’s gem. Steven is a hybrid of a human and gem, more important, Rose Quartz’s gem” 

“...Grab yourself a drink, kid and tell me exactly what happened at the boy’s place” Shepard huffed out as he took another swing of his beer while he shuffled off to his office.

You felt a grin spread across your face as you hurried to the mini fridge that sat in the corner of the supposed living room, the floor around it was caked in dust and dirt, some clear imprints showed that there used to be couches and tables that filled the room. Now all there was in this empty room is boxes, old and new, busted up and clean, the mini fridge that was connected to a plug, and the cage that you arrived in.

You felt a heavy pit form in your stomach as you stared at the cage, the rusty metal bars bringing an almost suffocating lump in your throat, your ears twitched a bit when you heard a low sneer and you hurriedly took a cold water bottle from the fridge before you speed walked to the room. The cage and it’s every single detail and places of rust was stuck and imprinted in your mind, it was huge and spacious, but you felt so cramped and squished in there. This gave you some claustrophobia issues that you managed to hide physically, which you considered lucky since it means less punishments.

You took a seat on an creaky, old, and supposedly weak stool. You held the water bottle tightly in your grip as you decided to let your ears and tail come out, sighing softly in relief that your large (h/c) fuzzy ears were finally able to face forward. You felt more content when you unfurled your pink, bushy tail from the inside of your hoodie, you relaxed and stretched as comfortably as you could around Shepard.

He watched you with a frown tugging at his scarred lips, he took the last sip of his beer before chucking the glass bottle into a trash can, causing you to put your arms down and instantly set your back straight into a confident and attentive position. 

“So… Tell me everything or else… It’ll be 300 shocks today? Got it?”

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It was night. The crisp, cold air brought a shiver down your spine despite the jacket you wore. The water bottle you drank earlier was still in your hand and you were looking for a fountain to fill it up with, the interrogation with Shepard went well and he even let you go out for a bit as a reward for behaving and telling him the information you learned.

You knew the beach would soon be packed with tourists that can’t afford the vacation spots of the wealthy. It was summer after all, Sure it wasn’t official to the town folk till the school let the students off, but it was summer regardless.

You soon saw your objective and strolled over to the fountain, filling your empty plastic bottle with water as a joyful smile made it onto your face. Once you were done, you put the bottle away and then saw something shine in the distance in the sand where the moonlight reflected off of it.

You shrugged and thought ‘Why not? A little inspection couldn’t hurt’, you made your way over to the item and then picked up with your hands, sniffing it gently before you realized that it was an unopened bottle of booze.

The temptation was big, it was hard to resist opening the bottle and tasting the flavor that drowned agony and brought warmth to those who sought it, but you managed. For a while  at least. You held onto the neck of the bottle as you traveled home, curiosity eating at you and chasing away your thoughts of simply not looking or even thinking of drinking it. And as they say curiosity killed the cat, and you were definitely gonna be killed by your curiosity, just not now. You opened the bottle with the mere flicking of the cap with your index finger and thumb, before you brought the entrance to your lips, swallowing the acidic taste that stung your throat yet brought a fire into your stomach and filled your being with warmth. It got addicting so quickly, chugging down the liquid with barely any breaks, and the only time you stopped was to take a breath before you resumed your drinking.

There wasn’t a drop left when you were done, a dissatisfied whine coming from you when realization hit you that you finished your poison of the night. A throbbing sensation filled your senses as you felt your sight go dim and blurry, the path you were taking suddenly changed and you were back at the beach, stumbling towards the statue of the big lady with six arms. You hiccuped and burped along the way, whimpers and whines escaping your lips as you hide your tail and ears in instinct. You stopped in front of the home that was built in front of the large monument, you chuckled and mumbled to yourself with a slur in your speech. You looked up and felt yourself go forward, the ground coming in contact with your drunken figure and then everything went black. The occasional white noise and jumbled up voices filled your ears, one single voice stood out though. It was so familiar, a light tone with a loving warmth that filled a person up whenever they heard it, and you...You heard it the loudest despite the noises that bothered the darkness you saw. The voice. Her voice. The voice that said…

“Y/N”

Chapter Text

“Ughhhh...My fucking bloody head” You groaned quietly to yourself as you sat up and rubbed your temple, feeling a bit of content from the cool feeling of your fingers against the throbbing pain of your headache. Now you knew how Shepard felt like after he drank too much and would always whine of the headaches he felt. ‘This must be the hangover that Master always complains about after a night at the bar… Wait a minute… WHERE’S MASTER?!’ 

Panic and fear seized at your figure as you finally decided to open your eyes and frantically looked around, seeing the same details you saw yesterday at Steven’s house which meant… You were back at Steven’s place. Back at a place that you had no permission to go to, back at a place where you shouldn’t even be, back at a place that you weren’t told to go back to! Back at a place where-

…

There’s a hand resting on your head, giving you soft pats before the hand let their fingers comb through your hair and scratch at your scalp gently, causing you to let a happy purr of content and you leaned into the touch. There was a quiet, light chuckle as the petting stopped “I’m glad that you have calmed down now, Y/N” the fusion grinned as she saw your face heating up and getting flustered from the realization that you purred and enjoyed her touch. It was a cute sight and sound, she’ll admit that and she seemed rather proud that SHE was able to draw it out. Must’ve been her Ruby. 

You just looked at the ground and tried to avoid looking at the fusion, not wanting to embarrass yourself in front of her. You sensed a strong confidence in her, forced or not. The sign she was the alpha in this crystal gem pack.

Garnet could feel your tension and hummed to herself, she barely knew you and even without the ability to see your future, she had a little hunch that you were important for hers and the crystal gems future. Besides, Steven seemed to like you and she couldn’t let him be sad that you ran off from them due to fear and stress.

“...We found you on the beach. Passed out and drunk from some sort of alcoholic beverage...Mind explaining what happened?” The tall woman asked with a calm voice and a cool expression, which did nothing to calm you down. You merely gulped and racked your brain for lies, how the fuck do you explain that you took a walk through town after an interrogation with Shepard, filled up your water bottle, found a free bottle of alcohol in the sand, drank it, and then passed out drunk in front of their house?...

‘Guess you could explain it like that… Just gotta leave the interrogation part out’ You thought to yourself and then slowly looked up at the fusion, your gaze meeting her shades and you saw your reflection in those visors of hers. You couldn’t see it, but all of her eyes were on you. Red, blue, and purple eyes unknowingly meeting your tired and slightly scared eyes. You opened your mouth and felt the jagged, glass like pieces on your back shock you a bit, words that weren't yours but had taken your voice came out “I guess I had so much fun that I don’t remember or recall anything…” you could feel a smug smirk form in that shared mind of yours, the Tanzanite that spoke for you gave you a feeling of confidence and calmness. Damn her. She always knew how to relax you and help you through stuff like this.

“I see… Well I recommend not doing that again in front of the house. Steven had to call his father over to explain to Pearl what ‘Drunk’ and ‘passed out’ was. She thought you had died right at our doorstep” Garnet explained with a little grin, if Tanzanite wasn’t helping ya out right now, you would have definitely been a red mess… No one but your gem shards and Camon cared about you, and the latter was way more affectionate and caring over 18 years ago. “Why'd she suddenly gain a concern or worry over me when we barely know and addressed each other?” You asked with a slight head tilt, a bit childish, yes, but Garnet smiled at it. “She’s like that. Pearl gets worried easily for others and panics a lot, she may seem cold and uncaring at first, but once you get through her, you’ll see that motherly side of her.”

You nodded a bit and looked around, looking for a clock to tell the time so you could go back home and hopefully not experience pain. The thought of a punishment passed through your mind and even Tanzanite couldn’t shake that fear and dread away. The fusion noticed and placed a hand on your shoulder, letting out a soothing hush as she placed her other hand over your head “Shhhh, it’s okay, Y/N. Calm down. Whatever it is that caused you to shake, you’ll get through it, okay? I assure you” for a moment, everything was fine. The only sound in the house was ruffling of hair, the soft whispers of reassurance, and the occasional shifting to get a better position.

…

It had to end though. It just had to. You needed to get back and face Shepard with some news. What exactly? You aren’t sure. All you did was cuddle and stay close to this fusion, that wasn’t a report. That was a waste of time! Oh, how you wished that time would stand still and allow you this single moment of peace… But no.

You abruptly got up, confusing the woman who was just giving you affection a second ago “I must leave” you stated.

“And why is that?” She asked with a simple questioning look that you can’t see but you could practically feel her curiosity.

“I-Uh...I-I have some errands I must do! A-and my father doesn’t know I am here with you guys. He will freak out” You stammered out the lie, stuttering so bad that you could feel the doubtful look on Garnet’s face. But she took it and you ran out of the house the minute you had a chance after goodbye.

Your heart was racing in fear as your foot thumped against the pavement floor that led through the town and neighborhood, you made sure to hold your speed back and not attract attention to yourself as you made your way back.

You thumped your closed hand against the door to your ‘house’. A whiny creak followed the slowly opening door. You whimpered a bit and made your way inside, letting your ears and tail out as you made your way through the house “M...M-Master, are you here?... Where are you? D-Did I do something wrong?” You asked, already knowing the answer, you eventually stood in front of the steel, bolted door to the basements. You took a deep breath and grasped the door knob. A loud slam rang throughout the house, you yelped and yanked the secured door open, retreating into the dark room despite knowing the front door was going to close like that. You continued your way till you felt a hard metallic surface under your feet. You tried to dive out but it was too late, a bar covered door slammed in your face and the blinding lights came on, revealing Shepard with a high-tech console in front of him.

“... Maybe it’s time I give you night vision too.” He said a twisted grin forming on his spiteful face.