"Connie?!" Steven's voice was rife with concern and panic as he grabbed her shoulders pulling her to the side of the beach house out of earshot from the other gems, but particularly Spinel.

The girl wrenched his hands from her arms in confusion, though his frantic worry didn't seem to cease.

"What's wrong?" She asked, preparing herself for more terrible news about the diamonds.

"I kissed Spinel!?"

The theory that had been slowly inching close to the front of Connie's mind now crashed into the small wall she built up and invaded her thoughts. Temporarily freezing her as she stared dumbfounded at the boy.

"You what?"

Steven grabbed her again, shaking her as if jostling her would somehow help the girl process his words.

"I don't think she knows what that means!" He stopped, looking down at the sand, "I don't even know what it means."

Connie finally relaxed and pulled herself from his grip, resting her hand on his shoulder, she opened her mouth to speak, but had to reform her thoughts for a moment.

"What do you mean?" She said, far more calmly than tmshe thought. Steven rubbed his neck, somewhat nervous to speak his thoughts.

"I think I might..like her?" What was he saying, of course he liked Spinel, she was kind and comforting and trusted him far more than he had expected and she was soft and sweet and funny and gentle and the way she-

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she feels the same." Connie's words ripped him from his thoughts, forcing him back into reality. She was right. Spinel was a gem, she knew love and friendship but did she comprehend anything beyond that platonic relationship?
He may have kissed her but that probably only looked like a simple gesture of affection, she probably had no idea how much it meant.

Steven sighed, closing in in himself, guilt and embarrassment lingering over him as his thoughts turned dark.

Connie didn't intend to be so blunt, but she noticed how his demeanor immediately shifted.

"I mean, you could just ask her?" She backpedaled, knowing the providing him some kind of light at the end of the tunnel would bring him out of his depressed stupor.

"You're not mad?" Steven's words were quiet, he had forgotten how close he and Connie had been, and he had called her so quickly to tell her of his actions, he expected her to be upset.

Connie blinked, looking down at her feet, suddenly made uncomfortable by his question.

"Well, I kind of had a feeling.."she mumbled in reply.
Steven looked up and into her eyes, not entirely comprehending what she meant.

"What?" He felt lost now, suddenly swept up between her words and his feelings, and being lashed around by the great waves of them.

"I mean- you kind of made it obvious." She shrugged, still trying to find her words, she wasn't mad, she was a little sad, but it wasn't as if he would just dissapear on her. They would still be together, still be jam buddies.

"I did?" He questioned, trying to guess what he had done or said to make his conflicted feelings so known. Connie was smart though, and she could read him like an open book if she wanted, he wanted to smack himself for being so dumb all of the sudden.

"You talk and worry about her a lot, so I figured maybe.." she trailed off, stopping as she noticed the tears beginning to fall from his eyes. Steven wiped his face, shocking himself from his sudden outburst of emotion.

"Steven?" Connie's voice grew concern, causing the boy to look up, still wiping the small tears from his eyes.

"Connie I'm sorry." He mumbled, reaching for a hug, she obliged, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

"Why?" Steven pulled away in confusion, did she seriously not understand? Or did she know him so well that he didn't even need to explain?

"Steven it's okay if you love her, I'm not going to be mad about it. We're still friends anyways!" Connie chuckled, confusing the boy further he looked at his feet, shuffling them in his discomfort. He had worked out his feeling enough to understand them.
But Spinel was entirely in the dark.
And he kissed her, knowing she wouldn't understand.

He hunched his shoulders, mot enjoying the guilt and shame that creeped up his spine at the thought. He had to explain things to her.

Steven nodded reluctantly, moving away from Connie and rubbing his arm in effort to calm his jumbled mind.

"I've got to tell her." He said quietly. Looking back at his friend.

"I mean, you don't have to if you're not ready-"

"No, I've got to because I took advantage of her and she needs to know, I don't think she does." Steven explained, sinking further into his own despair at the thought. Connie let out a reluctant sigh, resting her hand on his shoulder in effort to reassure him.
She agreed completely, but felt it would only dig deeper into his guilt if she were to mention that.

Steven approached Spinel as she sat on the bottom steps of the porch, drinking in the sunlight, dreamily recalling his odd gesture.

"S-Spinel?" His voice shook, his whole body shook, he couldn't stop shaking, suddenly feeling all his anxiety smack him in the face at once. The gem looked up, her magenta eyes peircing into him making Steven feel ten times worse than he already had. And then she smiled.

"Oh, hi Steven." She replied, scooting over and patting the step for him to sit. Steven hesitated, unable to move toward her, he could hear his heart beating in his ears as he tried to come up with the words.

"C-can we talk?" He stammered, still not sitting next to her. Spinel nodded, worry edging along her face as her thoughts becan to race. He could still be mad at her, for pushing him in the pool, for fighting with him, he could not want to be her friend. He probably didn't, maybe he'd leave her here, if he was to go with Blue- he could make her go with Blue.
And she could get hurt oh no. Oh no.

"Oh..okay." she said softly, looking away from him, trying to hide the tears that were welling in her eyes.
Panic dropped Steven's heart to his feet at the gem's response, he must have said something bad, perhaps she hated him now? Since he was so upset with her, when he was corrupted.

He sucked in a breath, glancing around at the landscape, making sure none of the gems or Connie could see his utter discomfort.

"Spinel, I really like you." He said softly, the pink gem's head rose, and she turned to look at him, he was shifting his weight nervously, crinkling his toes. Was something wrong? He said he liked her, but he didn't look like he did, he looked like he wanted to run away from her in that moment.

"You do?" Her voice was small and she seemed to quizzically look him up and down, as though sizing him up to see if he was worth her time. Steven gulped.

"Yeah, I like you a lot and that's why I did that-"

"The thing with your lips?" She interrupted, pressing her finger to her lips to indicate what she meant, Steven nodded quickly, and wiped the nervous sweat from his brow.

Spinel's mind eased, now sure that he wasn't upset with her, he was her friend and she didn't care what he did to show that.

"It's a cool way to show you're friends." She smiled, standing up to face him, she stretched a little taller and repeated the kiss on his forehead. The boy nearly collapsed underneath her, his knees shook with anticipation and delight all at once. He could barely contain the bright glow in his eyes.

"It's not..for friends." He replied shakily, Spinel retracted, shamefully looking down at the sand, her eyes no longer looking into his as she ringed her hands together in forlorn confusion.

"Oh..I didn't know." Her joy suddenly flew out from under her and she stress fully fidgeted under his gaze.

"Am I...not your." Spinel couldn't finish the sentence, tears began to well in her eyes, suddenly the world began to crash around her, she had tried so hard, she stopped hurting people, she was doing so much better about hurting herself- was it not enough? She must have done something wrong, she must have messed up somewhere- was it because she corrupted him? Because they fused? Because she was angry and wouldn't forgive him?
What was it? What did she do wrong?

She began to cry, unable to hold back her tears, startling Steven from his own nearly inescapable worry, he grabbed her shoulders to stop her shaking just for a moment.

"Spinel you're more than a friend, more than a best friend!" He drew her attention finally and she sniffled, still looking down at the feet, not sure if she could believe him.

"B-but.." she studdered, unable to speak through her gasps and weeps.

"Spinel it's okay!" Steven tried to pull her from her grieving tears, he messed up, maybe he shouldn't have said anything- he should have left it alone, let her think it was just for friends, but then..she wouldn't know.

Steven paused for a brief moment, hoping his small idea would work, it only needed to work for a second, he just needed to explain to her, show her.
He pulled the weeping gem close to him and promptly kissed her, quieting her soft sobs with his lips.

Spinel's eyes shot open in shock as the two of them began to glow, fusing for an inordinately brief second before they snapped apart, landing in the sands a few feet from eachother.

Spinel looked at the ground, her mind wrapping around the thoughts that Steven had put in her head if only for a moment. Her eyes flickered up and she stared at him in confusion.
While he looked at her with compassion, guilt and somehow, a deep longing.

A soft breath escaped her lips and she shook for a moment, before standing, she glanced back at him, before her eyes traveled to the beach house.
She bolted, stretching far away from him and into the home before running into the kitchen, standing at the infinity door, hoping that Peridot had reprogrammed it.

Steven stood in astonishment at her sudden disappearance, what did he do? She just ran. He leapt up the stairs, bursting through the door just as he caught the last glimpse of the pink gem stepping into her room. The door slammed shut. Leaving him to wait. Until she decided to come out again.