By Your Side: Steven Universe x Reader

A/n: Here's a bit of clarification for those who need it!

(G/c)= gem color
(G/n)= gem name
(H/c)= hair color
(H/l)= hair length
(E/c)= eye color
(F/c)= favorite color

Enjoy the chapter!!

-(Y/n)'s POV-

"Stop hitting me, you bloodthirsty rock!" I shrieked, covering my head with my arms. 

Jasper continued punching. "Summon your weapon and make me," she growled. 

My gem glowed but did nothing else. Just like I'd conditioned myself to. Getting beat up by Jasper hurt a lot, but I've summoned my weapon more times than I'd like lately. I was at my limit. "I'm trying!" I cried. 

C'mon! 

C'mon! 

Come out!  My gem shone brighter for a moment, but my weapon remained tucked away. I could only rely on myself. My fist, quick and precise, snuck between Jasper's punches and connected with her face. Her back collided with a nearby tree.  

Jasper rubbed her jaw and sneered at her hand for the pain it had found there. "Looks like I'm not hitting you hard enough," she said menacingly. 

I got to my feet and readied myself. Today's training would end with me getting poofed. 

-Steven's POV-

I yawned into my hand. I couldn't sleep, and when I did, dreams of (Y/n)'s return jolted me awake to an empty house and a vacant windowsill. Was I arrogant to think she'd return that night?

Her departure stirred feelings I couldn't fathom. Feelings too big for me. I needed to talk to someone about it, and the Crystal Gems had already left to teach their morning classes at Little Homeschool. 

Even after I'd walked through the threshold, my hand lingered on the front door, holding it open for no one. I let the door clatter shut.  

-(Y/n)'s POV-

"I got your note," Amethyst said, joining me on the roof of Beach City's lighthouse. "The bits?"

I handed her a warm paper bag, and she sat next to me. "Thanks for coming," I said and snacked on my own bag of bits. They had no right to be this tasty. 

"How could I say no to bits?" She spoke with her mouth full and swallowed. "But you do realize that you don't have to bribe me, right?"

What Steven had said weeks ago, before Bluebird's welcoming party, came to mind, yet somehow, I couldn't believe that Amethyst genuinely wanted to be friends with me. I had pressured Steven into being my friend, but I'd done nothing to earn her friendship. I popped a few bits into my mouth. "Sure," I said dully, "But this way, the other Crystal Gems won't get mad at you for meeting me."

Something flickered in Amethyst's expression. "Who cares. Don't put yourself down because of what they think," she said as though she knew from experience and gave me a pained smile.

I didn't respond. She was right, but part of me wanted to dismiss her words. "I heard that your weapon... changed suddenly. How..." I contemplated how to say this subtly. "How did you get used to it?" I asked. 

Jasper had mentioned it in passing, but when I pressed her for more details... The back of my head throbbed, remembering the smack it'd received from her– it became her go-to attack in the few hours when we weren't training. My pain had been all for naught since Jasper hadn't cared about the Crystal Gems enough to notice anything else about the change in Amethyst's weapon.