"Y/n? Y/n, wake up," A voice said as it shook Y/n lightly
"Hmm?" Y/n groaned as they slowly blinked their eyes open to see Dr. Maheswaran, "Peal, is that you?..."
"It's Pearl," Pearl corrected, "With an 'r'"
"Peeeeaaaaalll," Y/n groaned
"How are you feeling?" Dr. Maheswaran asked
"...Fine," Y/n said in a moment of disbelief
"Any pain?" Dr. Maheswaran asked, "Are you breathing well?"
"No more pain," Y/n said as they sat up, "And... I'm breathing fine,"
"Your temperature as dropped to a stable 98.4," Dr. Maheswaran said, "Your treatment ended two hours ago... I know this is supposed to be extremely effective, but... it's not supposed to work this fast,"
"Does this mean Y/n can leave?" Pearl questioned, observing anxiously from the other side of the room. Lapis Lazuli sat next to Y/n's bed, waiting for a moment to speak
"Pearl? Lapis?" Y/n rubbed their eyes, "You're still here?"
"Of course I am," Pearl said, "I couldn't leave you here all alone! Did you not... hear me when I corrected you?"
"Shh," Y/n said
"I couldn't leave you here either" Lapis Lazuli said, "When I see this planet... I want it to be with you,"
"Do you think you can stand?" Dr. Maheswaran asked
"I think so," Y/n nodded
"Try," Dr. Maheswaran said as she stepped back
"L-Let me help," Pearl worried as she rushed forward
"No," Dr. Maheswaran stuck out her arm, "They have to stand on their own,"
Y/n threw their legs over the side of the bed and used their arms to support their upper body as they sat completely up right. Y/n slid off the side of the bed and landed on their feet, after getting their balance Y/n began to walk around the room, dragging the IV stand with them. Y/n went to Pearl and gave her a tight hug, which she immediately reciprocated, "Oh, thank the stars you're okay!"
"Thank you for staying with me... I know it was a long time," Y/n said as they took deep breaths
"I had to make sure I was here when you woke up. A few others came through... The French Fry male came to check on you, as well as Connie. Garnet took Steven home after a few hours," Pearl said as she parted the hug, "Lapis has been waiting here too for you,"
Lapis Lazuli smiled to Y/n as Y/n smiled back to her. Lapis Lazuli gave a small laugh as she ran to Y/n and hugged them tightly, "I haven't seen you on your feet since..."
"I know," Y/n said, "I felt awful that you didn't know... But now you do,"
"I-I can't wait to be with you now," Lapis Lazuli smiled
"I'll go file the discharge papers," Dr. Maheswaran said as she went to leave the room, "Just a warning, make sure to drink lots of water and take the antibiotics I prescribe, your T-Cell count is low due to treatment, you might catch a cold so be proactive,"
---------
"I'll be staying here?" Lapis Lazuli asked as she flew down to the barn, Y/n on her back
"If you don't like it we can find another place," Y/n told as they jumped to the ground
"No, it's great!" Lapis Lazuli smiled, "I love it!"
"Y/n!" Steven and Peridot cheered as they ran up to hug them
"Y/n, I'm so glad you're okay!" Peridot said as she pushed Steven out of the way and grabbed onto Y/n tightly, "I knew you were going to be okay, of course! You should have seen Steven! He was rolling on the floor in tears thinking you were going to die! I tried to assure him everything was alright, but he wouldn't listen!"
"Other way around," Steven mouthed to Y/n with a small smile
"Well, I'm back now," Y/n laughed as they hugged Peridot back, "And I'm not going anywhere just yet,"
"And I see you came with Lazuli! Nice to see you up and about," Peridot greeted
"What are you doing here?!" Lapis Lazuli gasped as she grabbed Y/n defensively and stepped back
"This is my new home away from Homeworld!" Peridot smiled
"No, it's not! It's mine! Right, Y/n?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Uh..." Y/n droned
"Oh boy," Steven sighed
"Where do you stay, Y/n?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Uh... not a fantastic place," Y/n said, "You'd be a lot happier here with Peridot,"
"Let me see," Lapis Lazuli said, "Please,"
"I guess I can show you," Y/n sighed, "Peri, Steven, we'll be back,"
"I'm glad you're all better," Steven smiled as he hugged Y/n tightly, "You too Lapis,"
"Great seeing you again, Steven," Lapis Lazuli smiled as she picked up Y/n and began to fly off, "So, where is it you stay?"
"Hang a left," Y/n said as they looked down and made a sick face, "Eugh, heights... You see the wood bridge thingy near the bridge?"
"Yep, I see it," Lapis Lazuli nodded as she swooped down, landing gracefully on the floor
"It's just up here," Y/n said, "I mean... If you really want to stay with me you're more than welcome, but I have a feeling you're going to prefer the barn,"
"Let's just see," Lapis Lazuli said as she followed Y/n into the Fry Shop
"Hey, Mr. Fryman," Y/n greeted
"Hey, Y/n," Mr. Fryman replied casually, "Wait, Y/n?! When did you get out of the hospital?"
"About fifteen minutes ago," Y/n said
"T-they didn't call me! How did you get back so fast? And who's this?" Mr. Fryman asked
"This is Lapis," Y/n introduced, "She brought me back,"
"Hello," Lapis Lazuli said simply
"You're looking a lot better," Mr. Fryman noticed
"Feeling a lot better too," Y/n nodded
"That's good," Mr. Fryman said, "Well, if you need anything you know where I am,"
"You got it," Y/n saluted as they led Lapis Lazuli into the attic
"Who is that?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Mr. Fryman, he... lets me stay here," Y/n said
"Huh..." Lapis Lazuli said as she stepped around the room, "What is this machine?" Lapis Lazuli asked as she put her hand near a large, silver box like fan
"Oh, that's an air purifier," Y/n told, "It takes all the dust out of the air,"
"Dust?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Dirt, hair, dead skin, fabric threads" Y/n listed
"What?!" Lapis Lazuli turned to Y/n
"Fabric threads?" Y/n questioned
"No, the one before that," Lapis Lazuli said
"Dead skin?" Y/n repeated
"Yeah, that one!" Lapis Lazuli said
"Well, I mean... Humans shed skin... I mean, it's not like a drastic thing, but slowly skin cells build up," Y/n said, "I mean, I'm shedding skin cells right now,"
"Oh," Lapis Lazuli said, "Is that... Normal?"
"Perfectly normal," Y/n nodded
"So... This is where you stay?" Lapis Lazuli asked, "It's... It has some character,"
"Yeah, you see why you'd like the barn more?" Y/n quesitoned
"The barn is more open," Lapis Lazuli nodded, "Where would I... claim space if I stayed here?"
"Beats me," Y/n shrugged, "I don't have much space as it is,"
"Hmm, I think I could make this work," Lapis Lazuli said as she walked over to the couch and sat down stiffly
"How about we head back to the barn? Convene with Steven and see what he thinks?" Y/n suggested
"Sure," Lapis Lazuli nodded as she sat up
------
"Listen, Peri... You gotta convince her to stay with you," Steven whispered to Peridot as Lapis Lazuli and Y/n returned to the barn
"I can do that," Peridot nodded as she pulled out her recorder and began speaking into it. Lapis Lazuli and Y/n entered the barn as Peridot began her log
"First, I shall woo Lazuli over with my irradiating charm and then I'll say, "Hey, as one refugee to another, it isn't so bad that we can't go back to Homeworld, am I right? Why don't we watch the sun come up and figure out what we're going to do with all this time, eh Lazuli?" And then she'll say, "Yes Peridot, as impressed I was by you on the ship, I am even more impressed with your new compact look and capacity for friendship! I'm so glad we're going to live together!" Peridot, Facet 5," Peridot said as she stopped her recorder, "Let's begin," Peridot said as she turned to Lapis Lazuli
"This isn't gonna work," Lapis Lazuli told
"Wait, what?" Peridot frowned
"I really thought I would be living alone here," Lapis Lazuli said, "Or at least with Y/n,"
"Yeah, but this is even better! Oh here, how about this? I saw this on an episode of a TV show! I didn't see how it ended, but I'm sure it worked out right," Steven said as he pulled out a marker, "We'll divide this place in half, you'll both have your own space," Steven told as he divided the barn into two parts, "High ceilings, real wood floors, convenient location on the heart of the country; so what do you think, roomies?"
"You'd be a great real estate agent, I wanna live here now," Y/n laughed
"I like the cut of your gem, Steven Quartz!" Peridot told
"No. No way," Lapis Lazuli crossed her arms
"What's the problem? You're the one getting all the good stuff! You've got the propeller and paint cans on your side! You can do tons with those!" Peridot said as she went deep into thought, "Actually, I want the paint cans - you wanna trade something?"
"I don't care about paint cans. That's not the problem," Lapis Lazuli told, eyeing Y/n
"What's wrong, Lapis?" Steven asked
"It's her," Lapis Lazuli nodded to Peridot, who recoiled at the very thought of someone hating her, "She's the problem. I can't stand the thought of looking at her everyday. She's the one who dragged me back to Earth!"
"Hey, it wasn't my idea! I was headed to earth and I needed an informant! It should have been a simple mission. Things didn't exactly work out for either of us," Peridot defended
"You used me like everyone else did!" Lapis Lazuli said furiously
"But it's not like that anymore! It's different now," Peridot told as she gestured to herself, "I'm different!"
"It's true, Lapis! Peridot has really come into her own since she's been living on Earth," Steven told as he went to Peridot's side
"I can attest to that," Y/n nodded
"I sabotaged my own mission! I helped save the Earth! I even yelled at Yellow Diamond! She's probably sending a whole fleet to find me and shatter me right now!" Peridot said hastily before calming down, " I'm kind of a big deal; a big Anti-Homeworld Deal!"
"Steven, Y/n, I don't think this is gonna work," Lapis Lazuli said as she tried to smile
"Ahhhh, ummmm, maybe we could put up a curtain?" Steven suggested, Lapis Lazuli gave a patient smile as she stood up straight and flew to the top of the silo, "Err, sorry. Thought this was gonna be okay... I forgot the last time you saw each other.. wasn't, so okay,"
"That was in the past! It's not like that now! UGHHhh!" Peridot complained
"I'll go and talk with Lapis," Y/n said, "You two work on something, alright?"
"Alright," Steven nodded, "We'll meet up when we're done,"
"Sounds like a plan," Y/n smiled as they gave a thumbs up. Y/n ran to the silo and craned their neck up, looking to Lapis Lazuli, "Lapis!"
"Y/n?" Lapis Lazuli looked down
"Mind if I join you up there?" Y/n asked
"I'd be offended if you didn't," Lapis Lazuli smiled
"Give me a second," Y/n said as they mounted the ladder and climbed to the top of the silo, carefully sitting down next to Lapis Lazuli, "So..."
"Why do you trust Peridot?" Lapis Lazuli groaned
"Well... She was kind to me," Y/n began to list, "She genuinely wanted to learn how to be a better person, she helped us save the Earth, she... She actually saved my life,"
"Saved your life?" Lapis Lazuli looked to Y/n
"Well... Before I was in the hospital.... I stopped breathing," Y/n told, "And humans need to breath to live... Peridot helped me to start breathing again,"
"Oh..." Lapis Lazuli looked down at her feet as she mumbled something, "...And what did I ever do to help you?"
"Hey, you saved my life too," Y/n assured, "I mean... It's not a competition or anything, but you did too,"
"I did?" Lapis Lazuli looked back up to Y/n
"When the ship crashed, if you weren't holding me, I would've... shattered," Y/n said, "Like, actually shatter..."
"I thought humans don't shatter," Lapis Lazuli said
"We don't usually," Y/n said, "But our bones can shatter if they get hit too hard... If you weren't holding me, all my bones would have shattered and I would've died,"
"But... You weren't moving and your skin..." Lapis Lazuli recalled as she trembled
"I know, I know," Y/n sighed as they hugged Lapis Lazuli from the side, "But I was fine, I'm fine now too. We're both fine," Y/n assured, Lapis simply nodded back, "Say it with me, I'm Lapis Lazuli and I'm fine,"
"I'm Lapis Lazuli and I'm fine..." Lapis Lazuli breathed in, "I'm Lapis Lazuli and I'm fine... I'm Lapis Lazuli and I'm fine!"
"There we go," Y/n smiled
"I feel a lot better now," Lapis Lazuli smiled back, "Humans have empty houses to live in right? Some we could get?"
"Yeah, we can buy houses," Y/n nodded
"Maybe we can get one together," Lapis Lazuli suggested, "It'd be something new for the both of us,"
"What, my attic isn't good enough for you?" Y/n laughed as they elbowed Lapis Lazuli playfully
"To be honest, I'd rather live with Peridot in the barn than in that attic," Lapis Lazuli chuckled
"You say that like living with Peridot is a bad thing," Y/n said, "You gotta give her a chance at least,"
"Well, what if I want to live with you more? Buy a house, like you said," Lapis Lazuli said
"You got a couple hundred thousand dollars lying around?" Y/n laughed, "Because I certainly don't,"
"Oh..." Lapis Lazuli sighed
"Come on, look!" Y/n gestured to Peridot as she filled up the hole left by the drill with water, "She's making you a... lake...uhhh..."
"Yeah, more water. That's what I want," Lapis Lazuli said sarcastically and with a grave, disapproving face.
"It's the thought that counts?" Y/n suggested with a forced smile
"Lazuli! Lazuli! Hey Lazuli!" Peridot called from the lake she made, seemingly floating in an inner tube
"Be nice," Y/n told to Lapis Lazuli as she was about to take off to Peridot
"Why should I? She was never nice to me!" Lapis Lazuli retorted
"She's trying now!" Y/n insisted
"Come on," Lapis Lazuli murmured as she grabbed Y/n by the forearms and flew up. Lapis Lazuli set Y/n down once she reached the ground near Peridot and Steven
"H-2-Oh my GOSH!" Peridot said proudly as she floated around the pool in her inner tube, "It's a smaller-than-an-average lake!"
"It's from the hole we drilled! Peridot and I sealed it and filled it with water." Steven told, "Isn't it great?"
"Uh..." Y/n frowned
"It's a gift for you!" Peridot told, "You know, 'cause water's your thing. Pretty good, right? The barn's out here in the country, but now you can get your moisture fix whenever. Do all that water stuff you do!" Peridot said proudly
"Water? Seriously?" Lapis Lazuli glared
"Lapis..." Y/n looked to Lapis Lazuli
"You do realize that I spent the last few months trapped under the ocean, right?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Sure!.. but I thought-" Peridot stammered
"It was an endless, crushing darkness. Wet, and bleak, and suffocating," Lapis Lazuli said in a monotone voice, "Water was the tomb I lived in for those months,"
"'T-Tomb', you say?" Peridot shrunk back into the inner tube
"Yeah. I'm kinda taking a break from water right now," Lapis Lazuli told, "But thanks... for the lake,"
"Uhh..." Steven groaned
"Don't worry, Steven. It's not your fault." Lapis Lazuli assured, "Let's go, Y/n," Lapis Lazuli said as she flew up, grabbed Y/n by their under arms and flew off
"I thought I said be nice," Y/n scowled
"I was. I said thank you," Lapis Lazuli said, "I didn't even yell at her,"
"Yeah, how about giving her a chance?" Y/n suggested
"I don't understand how you and Steven are so forgiving!" Lapis Lazuli complained as she set Y/n and herself down somewhere near by
"Because Steven and I know that neither of us are exactly saints!" Y/n told
"What is a saint?" Lapis Lazuli asked
"Someone who hasn't done anything wrong," Y/n said, "Steven and I... We both done pretty crappy things... Me more than Steven. We've both lied, we've both cheated, and stole. I pointed a deadly weapon right at Peridot's gem! We both know that we've done bad things, and... we want people to forgive us for it! But it'd be hypocritical of us if we wanted everyone to forgive us, but we didn't forgive other people,"
"I...I just can't forgive her!" Lapis Lazuli told
"Can't or won't?" Y/n crossed their arms, "Lapis, she wants to get better. She's trying! But you have to let her try!"
"...Does this really mean that much to you?" Lapis Lazuli sighed
"It does," Y/n nodded
"Fine... I'll give her a chance," Lapis Lazuli sighed
"AHHHH!" Peridot's scream could be heard as she ran towards Lapis Lazuli and Y/n
"Peridot?" Y/n squinted as the small green figure appeared
"They're here! AHHHH!" Peridot yelled as she jumped onto Y/n and tightly hugged their front body, "Save meeee!"
"Why run to me?! Run to the barn!" Y/n said as they let Peridot down, grabbing her hand as well as Lapis Lazuli's. As they began to run, a red menacing ship burst through the clouds, "Oh boy, run faster!" Y/n yelled as the barn came into view
"Here, in here!" Steven waved as Y/n, Peridot, and Lapis Lazuli rain inside. Steven shut the doors as he ran inside with the group, "What is that thing!?"
"It's a Roaming Eye, a Homeworld tracking vessel! I told you, I'm public enemy number 1!" Peridot told in a fluster. The pod hovered above the barn and its beam passed in scattered rays through the plank ceiling. Peridot gasped in fear as she clung onto Y/n's waist. Y/n gave her an assuring rub on the back as they stared up at the ceiling. The ship flew away causing everyone to sigh in relief, but the tension resumed once the pod showed up behind the half-fixed barn wall, shinning a red light on all four of the people inside. Peridot screamed as she ran outside, followed by Lapis, Y/n, and Steven who covered their heads as the pod flew over them, focusing its beam on the four of them again, "This is it, Y/n!! They're going to wipe my precious grin off the face of this planet!" Peridot whimpered as she grabbed Y/n's arm and tried hiding behind it
"Stay behind me! I'll protect you!" Steven assured as he stepped forward
Lapis moved forward silently and looked back at the group, eyeing Peridot specifically. Peridot looked out from Steven's arm, blinking worriedly. Lapis turned back to the Roaming Eye, its light shading her red as she drew water up from the lake and shaped it into a hand, flicking the pod and halting its descent on them, before palming it into the ground genteelly. The pod formed several diamond patterns around it as she slammed it into the ground. She stared at the pod with a mildly triumphant stance as the others stared in disbelief.
"Holy smokes..." Peridot said quietly
"Steven! Y/n!" Pearl called from afar. Soon, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl ran to the field, noticing the crashed ship
"Holy smokes!" Amethyst said as she noticed the crashed pod
"Are you two alright? We saw the ship and came as fast as we could," Pearl fretted, "Y/n, are you feeling alright?"
"I'm all good," Y/n assured with a smile
"Yeah, I'm okay. Lapis saved us.. but, it looks like Homeworld really has it out for Peridot," Steven informed
"Peridot..." Lapis Lazuli called as Peridot turned around slowly, "...Are you okay?" Lapis Lazuli asked, prompting Peridot to have an extremely wide smile, her happiness beaming off her, "Um..."
Suddenly, the pod began to emit sounds, smoke gushed out as the hatch opened. An one-eyed Ruby soldier emerged, staring around towards the group menacingly.
"Oh my," Y/n said simply
"Ruby?" Steven questioned as Garnet grabbed Steven and ran towards the barn, she reached for Y/n as well, but missed when Y/n took a step forward towards the pod. The one-eyed Ruby stepped out of the pod and began to walk around
"Y/n, get back here!" Pearl whispered in a hush
"Wait, let's just talk with them," Y/n reasoned as they continued forward. Another ruby with her gem on her arm emerged making fighting poses, she picked up a flower then kicked it. She then cart-wheeled off to the side
"What a lovely planet!" A ruby gasped excitedly, her gem on her naval
"Wait! So we just... get out and walk around? Whoa-!" A ruby with a gem that Y/n soon discovered was on her leg when she was pushed out by a ruby with a yellow visor and a gem on her chest
"Now, where's the Gem the scanners locked on to?" The ruby, which Y/n has decided to call Doc asked, "Let's fan out and search the area!"
"Hey there," Y/n waved with a smile, "Uh, welcome to Earth?"
"Oh, a human!" The ruby which Y/n now decided to call Navy smiled as she ran to Y/n and began to run in circles around Y/n, "Ooh, this one's pretty!"
"State your name, human!" The ruby which Y/n began to call Army demanded as she took a fighting stance
"I am Y/n..." Y/n said, but immediately regretted since their name was most likely in Homeworld databases
"Hmm, that name sounds familiar," Doc said as she approached Y/n, examining them like a judge at a science fair, "Have you had any contact with other Gems?"
"Nope," Y/n laughed nervously, "Never even heard of a... Gem before..."
"Shouldn't we ask them about the leader of the earth Mis- Ow!" The ruby which Y/n identified as Leggy began to suggest, but Doc punched her in the arm before she continued
"I was getting to that!" Doc growled," Have you seen the leader of the Earth mission? Her name is Jasper,"
"I... I don't know her," Y/n said unconvincingly
"That really hurt!" Leggy complained as she rubbed her arm
"Be quiet, Ruby!" Army demanded
"Hey, don't be so mean," Y/n chastised
"W-what?" Army stammered, surprised that Y/n was commenting
"Yeah, don't be so mean!" Leggy repeated as she scrambled to Y/n and hugged their leg. Y/n gave a small laugh as they patted Leggy's big square afro
"Focus, Rubies! This is an important mission from Yellow Diamond, so we can't mess it up," Doc reminded
"Eh, hey, hey! Uh..." a familiar Ruby with a band around her hair greeted, sweating profusely as she inched next to Navy, "What are we all doing over here?... Oh look! A h-human! What a surprise,"
All the Rubies turned to Ruby suspiciously, but Leggy raised her hand, leaning out from behind Y/n, "Yeah, what ARE we all doing here?"
"We're here to retrieve the leader of the Earth mission!" Doc said again, "Hey, wait a second. It seems like there are more of us... than usual!"
"There's supposed to be five of us," Navy said
"Five Rubies!" Army growled as she clenched her hands into fists
"And one Y/n!" Navy cheered softly
"One, two, three, four, five. Tch, never mind," Doc began to count all the rubies, forgetting herself, "Hmm, one... Yep, one Y/n as well. The leader of the Earth mission must be around here somewhere,"
"Well, she's definitely not in that barn!" Ruby said nervously
"Whoa, I didn't see that before. Maybe we SHOULD look around in there," Doc said
"There's just humans in there," Y/n assure, "M-my family!"
"Uh, I'll go! With Y/n!" Ruby said as she grabbed Y/n's hand and tugged them towards the barn
"Make sure you bring Y/n back!" Doc called
"O-of course!" Ruby said as she ran to the barn, dragging Y/n with her
"Ba-bye!" Navy waved
"They want to search the barn!" Ruby told as she closed the barn door behind her and Y/n
"We heard," Steven nodded
"We saw," Pearl told
"So I'm scared!" Peridot clamored as she hugged Y/n's waist again
"Let's ambush them!" Amethyst said as she raised a baseball bat
"That's not necessary," Y/n frowned
"No one needs to get hurt. Let's be sensible," Sapphire said
"What do I do?" Ruby asked as she bit her fingers
"Just go out there and tell them this is a place where humans live," Sapphire said
"Y/n already said that!" Ruby told
"Well... Maybe if you bring me they'll believe you!" Steven suggested
"And here's some backup for your backup," Amethyst said as she handed Steven the bat.
"Let's go," Y/n whispered as they opened the door for Ruby, who carried Steven out with her, Y/n trailed behind as Ruby set Steven down
"I checked the barn, and I just found a bunch of humans! Hah! Just like Y/n said!" Ruby said clearly nervous
"Yep, this is my brother!" Y/n said, putting their arm around Steven's shoulders
"Brother?!" Steven gasped with a large smile
"Yeah! We've been sibling since you were born! T-that's how siblings work!" Y/n said, giving a side glance to Steven
"Right! Right! Yeah, I'm Y/n's younger brother!" Steven said
"Ooh, what's it like living with Y/n?" Leggy asked excitedly
"Not relevant to the mission!" Doc told, "But uh... Answer the question anyways,"
"It's great! Y/n's great!" Steven said
"Looks like we failed...! Time to go back home! Hah...!" Ruby suggested
"I think we better double-check. You remember what happened last time," Doc told
"Last time?" Ruby questioned
"Oh, Ruby, you're so forgetful!" Navy laughed
"Alright, let's search the barn!" Doc commanded
"Yes, Ruby!" All the other rubies called out
"Wait!" Ruby called out, "You can't, beca-because... uh..."
"You have to... uh... play baseball!" Steven told
"Yeah! It's a human thing. I-If you win, you can go inside, and if you lose, you... gotta leave forever," Y/n jumped in on the lie
"Base... ball," Doc murmured
"I... saw that this was a possibility, though I am surprised that this is the path we're taking," Sapphire told as Ruby, Steven, and Y/n returned. Steven cheered as he ran and grabbed a whistle
"Alright. My human baseball knowledge will lead us to victory. Let's just go out there and pretend to be humans. Except Peridot. You stay here in the barn and hide." Steven told
"I guess I'll be the ref," Y/n said
"Here, take this whistle," Steven told as he handed it to Y/n
"Alright," Y/n laughed
"Everybody in? Lapis?" Steven asked
"This plan sucks," Lapis Lazuli laughed
"Tell me about it," Y/n laughed as well
------
"We're the humans! Steven!" Steven told
"Earl!" Pearl introduced
"Amy!" Amethyst said
"Bob," Lapis Lazuli said with a face that seemed like she longed for the sweet release of death to take her off this miserable planet
"And Sophie," Sapphire said as she blushed
"And what about Y/n?" Doc questioned
"I'm the referee," Y/n told, "If there's a dispute, I have final say on the outcome,"
"Hey, but you're a human!" Eyeball called out, "You're just gonna side with the other humans!"
"No, I won't," Y/n said
"Good enough for me. Y/n is reliable" Doc said, "Our team is the Rubies! Consisting of... Ruby!"
"Ruby!" Ruby said
"Ruby!" Navy introduced
"Ruby!" Army said quickly
"Ruby." Eyeball told
"And Ruby!" Leggy told
"Here's the rules of the game!" Y/n began as they blew their whistle, "Each team take turns throwing the ball at each other. The batter tries to hit the ball with the bat, and then they run around the bases. Whoever gets the most runs wins. You get three tries to hit the ball," Y/n told, "If you miss, you get a strike! Three strikes and you're out! If the ball gets caught, you're out! If you get tagged with the ball, you're out. After three outs each team switches sides! Understood?"
"Yes, Y/n!" All the Rubies said as they rushed to the home plate, ready to bat
"Alright, Humans. Are you ready?" Y/n called out as everyone got into the outfield
"Yes, Y/n!" Steven called out from the pod, which he was using as the pitcher's mound
"Rubies? Ready to go?" Y/n turned to the line of rubies
"Yes, Y/n!" Ruby gave a thumbs up as she grabbed the bat and stepped to home plate
"Play ball!" Y/n called out as they stepped to the foul ball line
Steven nodded to Ruby, who nodded back as Steven threw the ball lightly. Ruby purposefully missed as Amethyst caught the ball from behind, "Striiiikkeee one!"
"What?!" Army groaned
Steven tossed the ball again, and Ruby missed again, "Strike two!" Amethyst called. Steven threw the ball again, and Ruby of course missed again, "Strike three!"
"Out!" Y/n called, "Next batter!"
"Oh, darn! Guess I'm out..." Ruby said, pretending to be dissapointed
"You swung too slow!" Army said as she punched Ruby in the back
Y/n grabbed their whistle and blew it loudly, "That's a technical foul! Any unsportsmanlike actions will count as an out! This is everyone's first and last warning,"
"Y-Yes, Y/n! Sorry!" Army said as she grabbed the bat, "Do it like this, Ruby!" Army told. Steven sighed as he threw the ball to Army. Army hit the ball so hard, it flew from the field and off into the distance
"And that's a home-run!" Y/n called, "Run the bases, Arm- Err... Ruby," Army proudly ran the bases till she came back to home base, standing to Y/n excitedly, "Good job!" Y/n smiled as they patted Army's hair, "1-0! Rubies have the lead!"
"My tuuurrrnnn!" Navy smiled as she skipped to the base and picked up the bat. Steven threw the ball to Navy and she hit it into the outfield where Pearl caught it before it hit the ground
"Out!" Y/n called, "Two outs! Next batter!"
"Aw..." Navy looked down sadly
"It's okay, Ruby," Y/n assured Navy as she walked past, "You'll get 'em next time,"
"Thanks, Y/n," Navy smiled as she skipped back to her team
Next up was Eyeball, she went to the base and hit the ball, it hit the ground and rolled up to Steven, who caught it and ran to Eyeball, tagging her, "Out!" Y/n called, "Switch sides!"
"Grrr...." Eyeball glared at Steven
"Switch sides!" Y/n repeated again, this time with more urgency
"Yes, Y/n," Eyeball mumbled as she angrily walked away from Steven
"Let's go," Amethyst said as she grabbed a bat and began to blow bubbles with gum
"Where did you get the... Never mind... Play ball!" Y/n blew their whistle
Doc stood on the mound as she threw the ball to Amethyst. Amethyst hit the ball as hard as she could out of the field, she ten turned into a ball and spun around all the bases, ending on home plate striking a pose.
"Nice!" Pearl said approvingly
"Wow! That purple human is really good!" Leggy said
"Yeah, really good..." Y/n glanced to Steven as he rushed to Amethyst
"Hahahaha. Us humans, we're full of surprises," Steven laughed nervously as he shoved Amethyst away
"...Don't need future vision to see where this is heading," Y/n mumbled as Sapphire ran up to bat
"Heeeeey Ruby," Sapphire waved to Ruby as she held the bat over her shoulders.
Doc threw the ball, going right down certain plate, unfortunately, Y/n couldn't call it a ball, "Strike one!"
"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Ruby asked with a small smile
"I don't know. I don't get off planet much," Sapphire joked, causing both of them to start laughing as Doc threw another ball right down the home plate
"Strike two!" Y/n called, trying to mask their dissapointment
"What's going on? What are they doing?" Steven frowned
"Flirting," Lapis Lazuli told as she approached
"Uh-oh..." Pearl murmured
"Strike three!" Y/n called as Doc throw the last ball down the homeplate, "Out!"
"Uhhh..." Ruby and Sapphire looked to the rest of the Gems in embarrassment, but Lapis Lazuli just gave a thumbs up
Doc turned to Y/n with a blank look on her face, as if waiting for Y/n to do something, "Uh... Good job, Ruby!"
"Thank you, Y/n!" Doc said in a military call as she turned back to the mound
-------
"Alright, it's the bottom of the ninth. We've got Lapis on second, but one more out and the game's over for us. We need to hit a home run," Steven told the rest of the "human" team, except for Sapphire who was up to bat
"Wait! I call a timeout!" Steven called to Y/n
"Time out!" Y/n blew their whistle, "Thirty seconds begins now!"
"Listen, you two," Steven told to Ruby and Sapphire, "I know it's hard being separated, but we have to keep them out of the barn or they're gonna find Peridot. Remember?! Ruby, stop being cute, and Sapphire, keep your eye on the ball!"
"Pun...intended?" Ruby asked
"What did I just say?" Steven snapped
"Time out over!" Y/n blew their whistle, "The score is 7-6, Rubies have the advantage! Batter up!"
"Heeey, Y/n," Navy smiled with a small palm wave as Y/n stood near first base
"Hey, Ruby," Y/n greeted as they watched Sapphire. Doc threw the ball to Sapphire, who swung and missed, "Strike one!" Y/n called.
"Come on, I know you can do it," Ruby whispered to Sapphire
"Hmmm," Sapphire murmured as she looked forward. Doc once again threw the ball quickly, Sapphire swung again, but missed.
"Just look at the ball," Ruby told
"I'm trying, but all I want to look at is you," Sapphire told
"Don't worry, you can look at me when you're running for home," Ruby assured
Doc grew an odd sense of determination as she light the ball aflame and threw it to Sapphire. When the ball touched the bat, Sapphire stood her ground and froze the bat, withstanding force from the ball and rebounding it to give a home run. The "humans" celebrated as Sapphire ran around the bases while Lapis walked casually, "And that's a two-fer! Humans win 8-7!"
"Yeah!" Steven cheered
"Dang it!" Army grunted in anger as she threw her mitt to the ground
"Hey, Rubies, come here," Y/n motioned for all the Rubies to come to them. Soon, all five rubies came to Y/n, except for the original Ruby who was high-fiving Lapis Lazuli, "Y'all put up a great fight. It was a really close one two, but humans had the advantage from the start. Considering this was your first game, it was amazing. I'm really proud of you all,"
"Thank you, Y/n!" All the Rubies called out as Y/n was bombarded by tiny bodies and hands that hugged their lower body.
"Aww... Look at Y/n and their little Ruby children," Steven awed as Sapphire ran towards Ruby
"Come to ME!" Ruby laughed as the two jumped towards each other, after spinning in a circle, the fused together, leaving Garnet laughing as she spun in circles be herself
"Hahaha...Ha...whoops...." Garnet slowly calmed down as she realized what happened
"They're Gems!" Doc called as she looked from in between Y/n's legs
"Huh?" Army let got of Y/n's right leg as she looked forward, "We've been tricked!"
"What a turn of events!" Navy said
"S-Sophie was a Gem? W-whoa! I didn't even knooooowwwwww...." Y/n said in poorly feigned ignorance
"Huh? W-what?" Leggy frowned as she looked around
"Sorry, guys. Game is over," Garnet said as she joined the Crystal Gems, Y/n stood in No Man's Land as the two had a stare down
"That's it!" Doc growled as the rest of the rubies jumped to Doc and stood in formation, "Rubies... Combine!" After a brief shine of light, the rubies all fused into one, giant, Ruby.
"Wait!! Oooh, wait! Stop! Don't hurt them!" Peridot called as she ran from the barn, tripping onto her face several times as she finally made it to the group, "Wait. Oh, please, please! It's me you're after right? I'm not gonna stand by and let my friends fight my battles!"
"Awww, Peri loves us!" Steven smiled
"Are you the Peridot assigned to the failed Earth mission?" The large Ruby asked
"Not sure if "failed" would be the right word to-" Peridot said nerously
"Where is Jasper?" The large Ruby asked
"You're looking for...Jasper?" Peridot questioned
"Correct," The large Ruby said
"Wait, but I'm the one who betrayed the mission, who called Yellow Diamond a clod, the new leader of the Crystal Gems?" Peridot said
"What?" Pearl frowned at Peridot's last statement
"Tell us where Jasper is NOW!" The large ruby demanded
"Ruby! Be polite!" Y/n chastised
"Yes, Y/n..." The large ruby mumbled
"Jasper-umm, we know where Jasper is," Peridot said as she turned to Pearl, but Pearl only shook her head
"Well?" The large ruby questioned impatiently
"Neptune! She's on the planet Neptune!" Steven chimed
"Well, why didn't you say so?" The large ruby said, suddenly unfusing
"We all here?" Doc asked
"Let me count," Y/n said as they went around to each ruby, patting their head as they counted, "One, two, three, four, five! Yep, five rubies!"
"To the planet Neptune!" Doc said
"Let's move out, soldiers!" Army called
"What a lovely-sounding planet," Navy said as she followed to the ship
"But we just got here...." Leggy sighed as she hugged Y/n's leg
"Sorry, newbies," Doc said to Y/n as she grabbed Leggy and dragged her to the ship
"Thank you," Eyeball said to Y/n as she boarded the ship
"Bye, Ruby!" Y/n waved as the ship began to hover up, the door still open
"Bye, Y/n!" The rubies all called back
"Byyyyyeeee, Y/n," Navy waved with a small smile
"You said 'bye, Y/n' twice," Leggy commented
"I like Y/n," Navy said as the ship door closed, soon the pod shot off back into space
"Man, Rubies are dumb," Amethyst commented
"Not all of them," Garnet smiled
"Wow, every gem you meet just loves you, huh?" Steven laughed to Y/n
"It's like I'm the main character of a poorly written fan fiction," Y/n mumbled
"You mean one where all the characters just seem... out of character," Steven asked, "And the main character just kind of seems like they can do anything,"
"Yeah, exactly," Y/n nodded
"Eh, I'd probably still read it," Steven laughed
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Make sure to comment any mistakes I made in this chapter. I am very sick boi and I have exams coming up so my mind ain't the clearest. WHoops.