White Diamond's P.O.V

I smile down at Steven's peaceful sleeping form, wondering what he might be dreaming about. It's been a number of hours since him, Blue, Yellow, and I were having some nice, relaxing fun in Blue's pool. Steven was paddling around the entire time, swimming from one end to the other and back again on repeat. Needless to say, it really tuckered him out and I personally volunteered to watch over him as he rested. Though Blue and Yellow both gave me jealous looks, I had to remind them that we shouldn't fight over him so viciously. Besides, Blue already had her turn caring for my little Stardust, so it's past time that I get a turn. Of course, Yellow will keep him in her room the next time he needs a place to sleep, seeing as she'd be more than happy to spend some alone time with him, but that's for later.

Right now, I lay sideways on my bed, gazing down fondly while Steven sleeps on one of my pillows. Due to the size of my bed being designed for how tall I am, the pillow is very large in comparison to him, so it looks like he's sleeping on his own little island of white. Sighing, I smile, feeling happy about being able to be this close to him. In his time here, he's really taught me, as well as Blue and Yellow, a number of things and I do believe that in due time, we may be eventually cleared of our past actions should we continue to improve ourselves for the better. Something I've noticed about him, though, is his reluctance to use his powers. I've never asked about it, but I can take a guess and articulate that it's a deep fear of abusing his powers to the point where he becomes like...us. Biting my lip, I gaze up at the ceiling where the millions of constellations are laid out. So many lives we destroyed....and for what? An empire that would've conquered everything until there was nothing left to conquer. At that point, the only ones that would really deserve to be shattered would be us. Thankfully, that's a future I'll never have to see, but it occasionally haunts my mind as something that could've happened if Steven hadn't shown us the error of our ways.

I then hear a light tapping on the door to my chambers, a muffled voice asking for me. I want to tell whoever it is to go away, that I'm busy when I'm really not and just want more alone time with Steven, but that would require me to speak out loud and more than likely wake him. More tapping sounds and I silently huff in frustration, slowly rising from my comfortable position and standing up next to my bed. I then turn and bend down, lightly kissing Steven on the top of his head before walking swiftly to the door. Opening it ajar, I see it's Yellow and Blue.

"Yes?" I say, indirectly asking why they're here.

"Could we have a word?" Blue asks in response.

"Later, Blue" I promise, my mind consciously thinking about Steven, "I'm a bit preoccupied with something".

"Yes, we're aware of that, White" Yellow adds, her arms folded over one another, "And that's exactly why we wanted to talk".

Biting my lip, I glance back at my sleeping Stardust. I frown, not wanting to leave him all by himself and have him wake up feeling like I left him. But, the sooner I get done talking, the sooner I can get back in bed and resume cuddling with him. Sighing, I open the door a bit more and slip outside, shutting it behind me.

"Alright, what is it you wish to talk about?" I relent.

"Well, Yellow and I couldn't help but feel that Steven's done more to help us than we've done to help him" Blue begins.

"I agree, but what is it that we're capable of helping him with?"  I ask, "As far as I know, we're the ones that actually require help. Steven isn't as damaged or in need of moral correction as us".

"I do see your point, White, but I can speculate about something that Steven could receive help for" Yellow adds.

"And it's feeling loved and feeling like he belongs" Blue says, continuing on for Yellow, "I recognize his behavior of having smiles that cover up sadness. I've done it too, many times before. What I believe is going on with him is that he has things bothering him that he doesn't want to trouble us with by talking about them".

"Are you completely sure of this?"  I tilt my head, questioningly.

"No. But emotions are my specialty above all others and I truly feel like this is what's happening to him right now" Blue answers confidently.

"I'll trust your judgement on this, Blue"  I bite my lip,"But what are you suggesting that we do?"

"Simple. We each spend an entire day with him and do something with him to where he feels comfortable being around us. If at all possible, we must be open with him and must not be afraid to tell him some personal things about us. It's how my bond with my Pearl succeeded, so I do believe that it should work. Maybe then, he can also tell any or each of us what's troubling him or how he feels about us" Blue explains.

"If that's what it takes for my Stardust to be comfortable around me, then I'll do it"  I agree. 

Yellow then moves her hand to the back of her neck near the bottom of her helmet, her gaze elsewhere.

"Oh....Yellow. Are you thinking about showing..it to him?" I ask carefully.

"......If he asks about it" Yellow says quietly. 

Some uncomfortable silence then ensues before Blue breaks it with the question we all knew would come next.

"So, who gets him first?" She asks, even though I can tell she only wants the answer to be her.

"I think the answer is obvious,"  I say,"Steven's already asleep in my room, so I should have the first chance at spending some personal alone time with him".

"I had a feeling you were going to say that" Yellow sighs, "Well, as long as I'm next after you, White, then I'll agree that you can have Steven first".

"Yellow!" Blue whines, "You've always supported me before, but now with arguably the most important situation at hand, you back White instead of me?".

"Calm down, Blue. I know Steven is very important to you, I really do"  I intervene, placing a hand on her shoulder while looking right at her,"You'll get as much a chance here as any of us. Yellow and I aren't looking to take Steven away from you. We care about him just as much".

"I guess" Blue mumbles, folding her arms with her head bowed.

"So, when will we start?" Yellow then asks as I smile.

"I'll start right now. I'll get my Pearl to make Steven some breakfast and then I'll show him some of the more 'restricted sections' of Homeworld!" I answer with confidence.

"Umm, White? You don't have a Pearl anymore" Yellow then points out. 

My smile drops upon realizing this.

"Oh! Well....I guess I can try making his breakfast myself, I suppose" I say, now with less confidence. 

After thinking about it for a minute, I sigh and use my bubble to phase down to the ground floor of the Palace, then heading in the direction of where the gems get human food. Before walking inside, I shrink myself down so I can actually fit through the doorway, now being only slighter taller than the average Jasper or Bismuth. Since I'm not as big an expert on what kind of breakfast food is most optimal for humans, I reluctantly have to ask for help from a Peridot in the room, which is something that I hate doing, but am also slowly working on letting it not bother me so much. The Peridot was surprisingly helpful and directed me to one of the many devices, this particular one having something called "eggs and bacon". The creation process is, as expected, quick and swift, making me plenty happy to collect it and exit the room. Back up I go to my private chambers near the top of the Palace, immediately opening the door and going right to my bed. Steven's still asleep, which leaves me a perfect chance to sit on the edge of the bed and lean close to him.

"Wake up, my cute little Stardust"  I coo, smiling and caressing his cheek with my finger.

"Urh, not now, White" Steven groans, rolling over onto his other side. 

Smiling, I set the breakfast tray down and take Steven into my arms, still shrunken down enough so that he fits perfectly.

"How about now?" I ask slyly, before planting a kiss on top of his head, which leaves a black mark. 

Judging by his frown and reddening in his facial cheeks, I can easily conclude that it worked.

"Fine, fine, I'm up" Steven sits up, blinking his eyes and looking around to get his bearings, his gaze eventually settling onto me, "Oh, it really is you, White. I thought it was just a dream."

"Dream or not, I'm still here for you"  I say, holding the tray of human food forward,"Case in point, your breakfast".

"Aww, thanks, White" Steven says, grabbing the tray from my hand, "I really appreciate it".

"Oh, think nothing of it"  I reply, smiling at his apparent happiness. 

He eats rather quickly, giving me the chance to watch in fascination. The more I look at Steven and see what he does normally, the more curious and intrigued I am about his species as a whole. Oh, Pink, if only you could see how much I'm following in your footsteps!

"So, Steven"  I say once he's finished,"Would you be at all open to...spending the day with me?".

"That depends" He replies, biting his lip in thought, "Are we at a spot in our deconstruction process that'll allow for personal time? And are Blue and Yellow ok with it?"

"Why, yes, we have reached a good point, now that you mention it"  I remark in realization,"My former colonies have just now begun their efforts of dismantling their respective Kindergartens. Combined with the fact that Yellow's colonies have also started this process too, that leaves us plenty of time. And yes, I'm absolutely sure that her and Blue are fine with us spending the day together. We came to...an agreement of sorts".

"Then, yeah, I'd be happy to have this today together for just us two" Steven smiles, happiness and excitement radiating throughout my body.

"Excellent!!!"  I exclaim, now smiling with him.

"So, what would you like to do first?" The hybrid asks, setting his used breakfast tray aside.

"Oh, I have the perfect idea"  I hum, growing back to my regular size and taking Steven into both hands,"I'm going to show you the one place on Homeworld that nobody knows about but me".

"Wow! Really?" Steven exclaims, stars in his eyes.

"Yes. It'll be our special little secret~"  I wink.

Steven looks really excited at what I've proposed, making me that much more excited myself at showing him. Raising my palms up to my shoulder, Steven hops on and places a hand on my neck, holding on as I walk to the door of my chambers and open it. Just as I step outside, I form my bubble around me and transport the two of us past the walls of my ship and into the open air of Homeworld. However, instead of heading towards the Palace, I simply descend us through the air in a slow, gradual fall. Steven takes note of this and frowns in confusion.

"Where are we going, White?" He asks.

"You'll see, Steven"  I vaguely promise.

Down and down we go, venturing deep below ground level and further into the lower, more desolate areas below. I take us down at a steady pace, gazing at the cracked walls and dilapidated structures that appear more and more frequent the farther down we go. Soon, we touch solid ground, the bubble vanishing and revealing the full extent of everything around us. Steven doesn't appear surprised by his newfound surroundings, which puzzles me a bit, but my feelings are too caught up in the moment to give it anymore thought. I can hardly recall the last time I came down here. Seeing all the decaying and broken remnants of injectors and Era 1 statues brings back so many memories of how things were like a very long time ago. It reminds me how Homeworld started right here and how we've only expanded, building onward and upward until the point at which we've reached today. It's also the last place I saw her.

"You don't seem that surprised, Steven"  I say, finally speaking on that thought, "Have you, by any chance at all, been down here before?".

"Yeah, I have" He answers, which actually surprises me, "Back when Yellow and Blue still thought I was Pink Diamond, I got captured by Aquamarine and was brought here for a trial. I ended up escaping with my buddy Lars and fell down here. It was really strange, especially seeing the large Kindergarten with hundreds of thousands of holes".

"Ah, yes, the very first Kindergarten"  I say, skipping by the rest of what he said because I know I'll feel guilty by speaking on it, "Did you know that nearly all of the gems you've seen on the surface were created right here?".

"I can believe it," Steven replies.

"Well, how about this? Can you believe that Blue, Yellow, Pink, and I were made down here too?" I add, cracking a small smile in hopes that he'll be amazed. His reaction doesn't disappoint.

"No way! Are you serious?" He exclaims.

"Completely serious, my little Stardust"  I answer, "In fact, on the way to what I plan to show you, would you care if I told you a story?"

"Sure, White. I'll listen to whatever you have to say" Steven complies.

"Great!"  I say, turning around and ducking under some injector wreckage while also stepping over some close to the ground. 

It's a long way ahead, filled with destroyed machinery, but it'll certainly give me plenty of time to talk.

"This story takes place at the very beginning. When the universe itself was fresh and new. After the singularity exploded and released many clouds of dust and gas, the planets of your Solar System were formed with the help of gravity. These eight planets were quite different from each other, in more ways than one. However, there was one thing that they all had in common. Right after the planets were born, powerful pockets of energy formed in each of them, coalescing into a singular form. These beings called themselves the "Geodes" and were the very first of our kind. Their power was immense, so great that they used it to shape their planets into what they wanted them to be. At that time, they were the only living beings within your Solar System and it remained that way for hundreds upon thousands of years. The Geodes themselves were not a chaotic or combative type of race, many of them getting along perfectly fine. All except for one. Her name was Black Geode. Created from the planet that you call Neptune, Black Geode was a malicious, cunning, and greedy entity who merely pretended to get along with her Geode sisters when she really despised them. More than anything, though, she wanted to rule over everything in existence, starting with her sister's planets. She could not do this on her own, though, since the seven of them could easily overpower her. And so, Black Geode was patient, waiting and biding her time". 

"A billion years passed with no changes in the universe. But then the Geodes came together on Jupiter, Orange Geode's planet, and discussed finding a planet that they could all share as one. All, including Black Geode, agreed and each searched and searched through the universe until one such planet was finally found. This planet was bursting with energy, its core quite unstable. However, with their powers combined, the Geodes stabilized the core and reformed the surface into something beyond just plain rock. They built their own palaces upon the surface and came to call the planet "Homeworld". Black Geode was quickly gaining an edge on her siblings, though. The sole method of containing Homeworld's previously unstable core was a device, one that channeled the planet's energy into a singular point. The Geodes saved the planet through this device, but what they didn't know is that Black Geode had her own reasons for its creation. While her sisters were away on their separate worlds, Black Geode would lurk in the chamber holding the device, manipulating the energy limitations and testing the device to see if it worked. In her relentless endeavors, Black Geode made the impossible happen. With her experiments, she turned the stabilizer into a replicator, using Homeworld's core to recreate the same energy pocket that she and her Geode siblings were born from. As a result, many new lifeforms were created, not nearly as powerful as the Geodes, but certainly strong and chaotic. Black Geode named these beings as the "Diamonds" and saw them as her opportunity to take control over the other Geode's planets. With the Diamonds being almost as fierce and ruthless as her, Black Geode knew that they'd be the perfect force to hunt down and kill the Geodes".

"And kill them they did. Going after each Geode, one by one, on their own planet, the Diamonds proved to be successful, though some were also shattered along the way. It soon came down to just Purple Geode left. She, however, was faster than the Diamonds and fled to Homeworld before they could kill her. Black Geode was waiting for her, though, and cornered her while her Diamond army caught up and attacked. In the ensuing fight, the remaining Diamonds were completely shattered, wiped out by Purple Geode. But Black Geode wasn't going to let her walk away, slaying her sister while her power was spent. Black Geode was now the last of her kind and the most powerful being in the known universe. She had plans for the universe, but now found herself without any Diamonds to help her. This led her to use the device that spawned her army once more, her efforts producing one Diamond that was calm, strategic, and powerful. Me. Black Geode told me that I was her only hope in setting her plans for an ever-expanding empire, that would stretch across the stars, in motion. With her help, I made the very first Kindergarten right here on Homeworld, millions of beings with much weaker power formed from the rock of the surface. We called them the "Gems" and made sure that they would never grow to be remotely strong as me or her. The Gems obeyed us with no resistance and started building on top of the surface, going higher and higher into the sky. This went on for ages, our own society growing and expanding. But around the time that I thought we should move to conquer other worlds, Black Geode disappeared".

"She left all her knowledge and plans for a universal empire with me, leaving it up to me to see her vision through. However, I knew I couldn't handle this on my own. So, I returned to the replication device and attempted to start it. I have no idea how it worked, but it did and after two charges, Blue and Yellow were created. However, I couldn't let them know about the device or what it was capable of. Black Geode had told me to keep it a secret when she was still around. So, with my powers, I erased any memories that Blue or Yellow might've had regarding the device. Our progress expanding the Empire then grew tremendously, the ideas of taking over worlds and planting Kindergartens on each one taking off. I claimed my colonies while Yellow and Blue did the same with the planets they conquered. We continued to build upward on Homeworld, though, going up so high that the raw surface of the planet quickly became the lowest level, doubling as a collectively massive pit for defective technology. Further and further we went, pushing our limits out into the universe. But, still, I could never stop wondering what happened to Black Geode".

With my story completed, I come to a gentle halt, pausing in front of this pile of ancient Era 1 Homeworld debris surrounded by broken injector fragments. I then look over and see Steven trying to process everything that I just said. I can't blame him if he feels overwhelmed by it. I know firsthand what it was like because I lived through it. He, on the other hand, had only lived a tiny fraction of the time that I have. And yet, my form is just as fresh and new as it was when I was first created. I wonder what Steven will look like in a few thousand years' time.

"Wow, White. That's some story" He comments, waiting a silent moment before responding.

"It certainly is, Steven"  I say, gazing at the debris, "And it was completely true. Here, I'll show you".

Using both hands, I get down on my hands and knees, digging and pushing the wreckage to either side of me. Soon, enough is cleared away to reveal a diamond symbol just like my gem. Briefly closing my eyes, I concentrate and attempt to activate it with my gem's power. I then hear movement beneath me and open my eyes to see the symbol glowing, the ground slowly splitting apart. I quickly get to my feet and back up, Steven and I watching as a large circular hole in the ground is revealed, some of the debris that was resting on top of the hole falling down inside. A second later, stairs form along the outer ring of the circle, sections falling down in sequential motion. I take my time walking down them, being sure to step carefully so that I don't trip and fall due to my crystal heels. Though it was already dim being this far down, it gets even darker the more steps I descend. But then, just as I'm about to use my gem for lighting the way, my feet touch the bottom. Feeling around the wall for the switch, I eventually find it after a couple tries, placing my hand over it and activating the lights.

Like the symbol on the opening, the switch glows semi brightly and causes light to spread all around the chamber. Running along the walls and the floor, trails of light illuminate the area enough so that Steven and I can make out the podium in the dead center, its design a mixture of diamond and hexagonal-shaped rock and crystal. Crossing the room until I'm right in front of it, I hold out a hand for Steven to jump on to, which he does, and then lower it down to the level where he can stand on the surface. Though the relative size of the device isn't equivalent to my own, Steven still looks rather small on it.

"So this is the thing that made you?" Steven remarks, looking around from where he's at.

"Yes, it is"  I simply reply, running my hand gingerly over the refined surface,"It's also what made your mother too".

"That would make sense, but how did she come out smaller than you, Yellow, and Blue?" He asks.

"I wish I could tell you, Steven, but I really don't know. We never figured it out, maybe from a lack of caring at the time, and it simply was waved aside without another thought. The replicator functioned perfectly fine when undergoing the creation process, so the alteration was not at fault there. I can, at least, tell you that much, but the mystery still remains"  I say, leaning on the surface while resting my chin on my hands, staring down inside the podium-shaped mechanism.

A period of silence then ensues, both of us just taking in the room around us and keeping to ourselves. That quickly becomes old and my attention then readjusts to Steven, my gaze solely on him. I really hope that I've proven to him that he can trust me. I care for him deeply and quite immensely and I would really like if he and I could be close. I think telling him the oldest and most important secret on Homeworld is guaranteed to be a step in the right direction to gaining his trust. But, at this point, I wonder if he would let me ask him something, because there's something about him that's been stuck in my head for the longest time.

"Um, Steven?"  I speak up.

"Yes, White?" Steven looks up.

"If I may ask, why is it that you choose not to use your powers?"  I politely inquire. 

He bites his lip at my question and I begin to worry that maybe I shouldn't have asked.

"It's a couple things. The first is probably the most obvious, that being that I just don't have a need to use them. My shield is something I reserve for fighting and I usually prefer to resolve conflicts without violence. My healing powers are used for helping others when they're injured and unless your gem gets cracked, I don't really need to use it. The other part is that....well....I want to approach situations in my life the way a human would. I've grown up going about life the way a Crystal Gem would and have rarely gotten the chance to experience it the way a regular human would. So, since I'm part human and part gem, with the second half being the most dominant, I want to try and embrace my other half. Does that make any sense to you, White?" Steven explains.

"I think I understand. You feel as if you've been living your years in a fashion that was not originally intended for you, since your roots have a different calling, and you simply desire to see what you've been missing out on, right?"  I ask for clarification, seeing him nod in response, "Good. However, I wanted to take the chance to offer you help. If you want, I can teach you different ways to use your powers and how to utilize them for the most optimal efficiency".

"Really? You would do that for me?" The hybrid asks, his tone having a hint of surprise.

"I would love nothing more"  I answer him, smiling warmly, "I taught Yellow and Blue how to control their abilities a long time ago. Pink was a different case and I was waiting to see what abilities she would manifest over time. But, now that I have a better understanding of what powers you have, both from what you have told me as well as Blue and Yellow have told me, I can assuredly say that there are some methods I could teach you that would extend the limits of your abilities and have you practice news ways to use your already existing abilities. This offer is entirely up to you, though. If you would prefer not to, I completely understand".

"........You know what? I think I would like that, White" Steven accepts, "Besides, if it means getting to spend more time with you, then who am I to say no?"

His subtle compliment easily makes me go off-color, a slight bit of embarrassment evident on my face. Collecting him back into my hands, I press the switch on the wall once more and walk back up the steps leading out of the chamber, only stopping when I reach the top. I then form my bubble around the two of us and hover upwards, rising towards the upper surface. As I do so, I look below and see the steps disappearing as well as the hole closing, sealing it away until the next time I should come down, which will probably never happen but who knows? I then look back up and increase our speed, flying us faster towards the surface. In a matter of minutes, we emerge and set down near the Homeworld Warp Pad, my bubble vanishing.

I then let Steven down and together, the two of us walk the rest of the way to the Homeworld Arena. To make sure that I don't accidentally step on him, along with any other gems that just so happen to pass by, I shrink down a significant amount, coming out only two feet taller than Steven. I know Blue and Yellow would shatter me if anything happened to him and I wouldn't forgive myself either. It does feel odd though, being this small and not looming over literally everyone else around me. While it's not entirely an uncomfortable feeling, it still is a little uneasy, something Steven picks up on and responds to by holding my hand. A small shock goes through my body when he does this, his skin feeling warm and soft. The hand that he's holding works on its own, my fingers overlapping his. I can't help but smile, the gesture being something I both appreciate and want him to do all the time. The two of us do receive some curious glares from gems around us, but I merely glare back at them with my eyes glowing and that makes them think twice about saying anything.

Before long, we reach the Arena and walk right inside, finding the area completely empty. The two of us then go right to the center and stand across from each other. I then ask him to show me all that he can do and do it the best he can so that I can assess his limits and see what techniques I can train him on. Steven nods his head and I step back to give him some room, watching as he performs his various abilities. I analyze and track his movements very closely, looking for any area that could use improvement.

I spot a couple things right off the bat, like his stance being a bit off and his strikes coming off a tad sluggish. But, as I continue to watch him, I notice some level of hesitation, as if he's not using his full strength. It's possible that Steven's never tapped into it before or doesn't even know that he can do more. I'll have to make it a focus of mine, that's for certain. He then stops and turns to me, wondering what I thought about the display. I tell him that it was a good effort, but that there are definite areas of improvement. Steven then asks me what they are and I list them off for him, giving him a general idea of each that will be explained in further detail once we get to them. I can tell that he's slightly nervous about this, but still tries to act enthusiastic about it when he says that he's ready to learn. I smile and rub my hands together, ready to be a teacher once again.

And so began an extensive and thorough training regiment. While I didn't push him as much as I did when Yellow and Blue were starting out with their powers, I was a bit firm with Steven as we went through this. I had him practice a movement, have him do it again with minor adjustments, and, if he had particular trouble with it, have him repeat the motion until it became more natural to him. Through this devised method, Steven was able to shield strike with more force and targeted energy, which was also accomplished after I had him practice using more of his base strength. It took him several tries, but eventually, he could manage using more of his strength that he couldn't push past previously. And then came some new uses of his powers that the both of us discovered and honed fairly well. Steven could create diamond-shaped shields, which we found out after attempting to stretch the limits of his regular shield. Not only that, I had him try to summon multiples of these new shields at once. Given that he had already worked on his strength and energy, this proved to be relatively easy. However, this also opened up more possibilities for other uses. After some practice, Steven was able to form a dome of diamond-shaped shields over top of himself as well as use the shields for creating steps to walk on and walls he can either climb or jump back and forth to. All in all, the progress was great and I felt exceptionally proud of my Stardust, feeling like he accomplished a lot within a small amount of time. As thanks, Steven gave me a hug, something I wasn't expecting but happily accepted. It felt like the nicest thing ever and just like with the hand holding, I wished for more of it in the coming future.

Assuming that "a small amount of time" translates to "the rest of the day", that is. Before I knew it, the buildings around us were starting to dim, indicating that the evening was quickly coming upon us. When coming to this realization, I sighed and visibly pouted, wanting to have more time to do other things with Steven. But then, just as we're finishing up, that strange gurgling sound appeared once again, making me internally facepalm and curse myself for not getting him anything to eat at midday. Steven then speaks up about this, having noticed it too, and suggests that we head to the food dispensary. I couldn't have agreed more and walked with him as we went there.

By the time we arrived, Homeworld had dimmed even more, which made it slightly more difficult getting around. But, when Steven and I walk into the spacious area, I'm happy to note that we have the area to ourselves, which is a welcome continuation from having the Arena to ourselves as well. I patiently stand by as Steven trudges over to one of the dispensers and makes his meal appear. After collecting the tray into his hands, Steven turns around and suggests that we sit out on the platform outside. Liking this idea, I don't hesitate to agree, following him as he passes by the other tables and goes through the door leading outside. He then picks the table in the middle and sits down, leaving me to pull out the other chair and sit down across from him.

Before he begins eating, though, Steven taps the diamond panel hovering in the center of the table, making it glow yellow and bring more light to our surroundings. Then he starts eating, using some form of table etiquette to not appear sloppy. I don't think Blue taught him that, but it's kind of him to try and be proper just because I'm here with him. I merely sit with my legs together and my hands folded over each other on top of my lap, curiously watching him. We make a bit of small talk, though I do most of the talking since Steven's tired from today's events. It always feels nice to talk openly with him. It makes me feel closer to him than before.

"Do you want to try some of my chicken skillet, White?" He asks.

Like many things he's done already, I was not anticipating that he would do this, so my first reaction is pausing and my face turning a light shade of red.

"Uh...um...are you sure you're ok with that?"  I ask him in response.

"I'm fine with it if you are," Steven answers simply.

"O-Ok, then"  I accept.

Steven then leans forward in his seat with his utensil pointed towards me and I lean forward myself to bite the piece off his utensil. I sit back and chew, finding the texture a bit off-putting and the taste strangely foreign at first, but after a couple more chews, I begin to find it more enjoyable.

"Thank you, Steven,"  I say to him after swallowing.

"No problem, White" He smiles tiredly.

The rest of Steven's dinner is soon gone and judging by how weary he looks, I do believe that he'll probably wish to rest here shortly. I stand up with him and follow him back inside as he goes over to play his now empty tray back into the machine. I doubt he's in the mood to walk back to my chambers, so I repay him for his kindness and hug close to me when he comes over, letting him rest his head on my chest as I form my bubble and fly us out of the dining area. I send us right back to my ship, going at a bit faster rate than normal. Soon enough, I'm opening the door to my chambers and guiding Steven inside, shutting it behind us and leading Steven over to my bed.

He's the first to lie down out of the two of us and I join him after I take off my heels and place them on the floor. I then snuggle up besides him and make the ceiling transparent, allowing for a lovely view of the star-filled sky. Neither of us speak and merely relax while basking in each other's warm and comforting company. Blue and Yellow would probably lose their minds if they saw Steven in my bed and, if I'm being honest with myself, I'd probably act the same if he was in bed with either of them too. It just...doesn't feel wrong to me and I want him to feel comfortable. And I can tell that it's succeeding too because Steven turns on his side and falls asleep after a few more minutes. Smiling, I make the ceiling normal again and turn on my side too, holding Steven close to me as I too fall asleep with him.

Today ended up being shorter than I thought, but if one thing's for sure, my feelings for him were all but assured. He's been nice to me for the longest time, has complimented me when I don't feel like I deserve it and has even enjoyed my company like no one else ever has. I think......

I think that I love him.