Notes:

Stevidot Month Week 5! This is the second story I wrote for this event, but had to hold it back this long because it didn't fit any of the earlier prompts well enough. So this entry embodies the Late Night and Frustration. You could also sort of count Upgrade (in terms of Peridot's "promotion" in her position on the team) and naturally Vacation, although quite a few stories have that bonus prompt covered fully by this point.

This is the set-up to the vacation premise I mentioned in my This is Who I Am notes; Plans Change takes place just a few HOURS after the last scene of Gem Ascension. This has been very weird since the stories I've already posted that were written after this at least gave me the benefit of knowing my foundation for this premise. You guys aren't getting that until... now.

To fully embrace the Memento-esque method of how I've been releasing my Stevidot Month prompts, I do have at least one final official story planned out... for the FUSION prompt. That fic will take place just before THIS one. Which means, yes... those of you I trolled with the ending of Gem Ascension in regards to the legit Stevidot fusion will finally have your curiosities sated!

This is easily the shortest of all the prompts I've done so far. I packed in quite a few obscure references in this as well. I especially hope someone catches on to a certain line from Garnet in that regard. Anyway, enjoy yourselves! And maybe laugh to yourself because you're aware how a lot of things discussed here will play out in the future if you've read the other prompts before this.

---

"I am the great and lovable Peridot and I'm fine…!"

…

"I-I am the great and lovable Peridot and I'm fine!"

…

"I AM THE GREAT AND LOVABLE PERIDOT AND I'M FI–"

"Mm, Peridot, are you okay…?"

"I JUST SAID I'M FINE!" Peridot barked out before looking to the familiar-sounding visitor at the bathroom door.

Instant regret seeped into the diminutive, heaving gem when she saw her beloved Steven, clad in pajamas with a tired look on his face before the boy yawned on reflex.

"Oh stars, I forgot you were asleep," Peridot realized, horrified to needlessly dramatic levels. "Steven, I'm so sorry; I keep forgetting you organic beings need your eight hours of sleep, and we already––"

Steven lightly chuckled at that last point. "Our date kinda lasted longer than we meant it to; I already wasn't gonna get a full night's sleep. And I'm pretty sure I told you not to blame yourself for that before we came home."

Peridot shyly glanced back to the mirror over the sink she was previously bellowing her mantra before quickly looking away from it again; it was still embarrassing for the young gem to visibly see how flustered Steven could get her… and how easily he could make her that vulnerable.

"W-well, I wasn't going to do that," she uneasily assured her boyfriend. "Even so, it's all the more important you get in as much sleep as you can! T-tomorrow is–"

"We both know what tomorrow's gonna be," Steven gently told her. "And it's getting to you way more than you're ever gonna admit, Peri."

Peridot scoffed at such a presumption. "If my voice woke you up, then you clearly heard what I've been saying; therefore you should already know that I am fine, Steven."

Steven tried not to snort out loud at that claim. "If you're really fine, I think you're smart enough to know you don't need to keep reminding yourself that you are… don't you think?"

"How dare– nyrrrrgh!" Peridot hated it when Steven scored a logical checkmate over her. It rarely happened, but every time it did, her pride stung deeply. "Maybe some part of me is being stubborn about acknowledging this 100%, indubitably confirmed fact that I. AM. FINE."

Peridot was met with a sudden hug from her side; she saw Steven's face lean beside hers in the mirror's reflection.

"I didn't wanna say anything, but… I'm really not comfortable with how fast this is all going," Steven quietly admitted. "I'm not doubting your ability, but y'know… we've barely had time to breathe since we came back from Homeworld. It's only been three days since then, and already you're expected to face millions of your kind to explain all this mess in a few hours all by yourself."

"I-I have to do it by myself, Steven," Peridot shakily reminded him. "I promise I'll bring you in eventually, b-but they're gonna have a hard enough time accepting everything that happened… and the reality of their situation. Your presence will just give them more cause for alarm until I can… can gain their trust."

With Steven's powers evolving to the point where he could read feelings in anyone's statements or thoughts… or even gestures, he quickly caught on to what was really tearing his girlfriend up.

"You're gonna have to get used to the fact that I'm gonna see right through your bluffing every time now," he pointed out; still maintaining a calm, gentle tone. "I'm not gonna abuse this power, but right now it's necessary."

Peridot only now remembered this. "Crap. I really can't hide anything from you anymore, can I?"

"Can't imagine why you'd want to," Steven teased her before sobering down. "What I really heard from your last statement is how worried you are… that they're not gonna accept you, trust you, or even listen to you. Because you know there's at least one Peridot who's aware of the 5XG you used to be; there's definitely gonna be more, and you know how hard it's gonna be to convince them all that you're not the 5XG they remember anymore."

"I thought forgiving myself would render me immune to this," Peridot sorrowfully admitted. "B-but if I can't get these other Peridots to hear me out, they're going to scatter across the entire planet and either get themselves shattered or they'll end up hurting innocent earthlings. They don't have a single reason to trust me, Steven. It's going to be enough of a challenge to convince them I'm 5XG in the first place!"

All of these thoughts had crossed through Steven's mind over the past couple of days… and earlier tonight especially. He was very well aware the way the Crystal Gems scheduled this was not at all fair to Peridot and was in fact highly risky.

"Right; I get it," Steven understood. "You could shapeshift back to your old form and hide your diamond, but you really don't wanna start this off by lying to them all when you're trying to earn their trust. You know you'll have to show them who exactly you are now eventually… but the way everything happened, it's gonna be hard for them to really believe it. There's already so much crazy stuff they're gonna have to accept in their lives."

"–I'm not ready for this, am I?" Peridot wailed weakly; her voice already starting to crack. "How can I do this if I'm not ready, Steven?! I should be ready! I-I gotta be responsible because these are the consequences we have to live with after what we did on Homeworld!"

He wasn't sure how effective this would be since he'd done this so many times mere hours ago, but Steven leaned over to calm Peridot with an earnest kiss. To his relief, he felt his panicked girlfriend start to settle down.

"You're not alone in this, Peridot," Steven assured his cherished gem. "And I think even now we've got some tough decisions to make. If we let out all the Homeworld refugees at once and we're not ready, that could lead to a serious problem… something that could threaten Earth if they decide they wanna go rogue."

"I really, really really want a week off with you like you talked to me about earlier," Peridot lamented. "Like you said when you were Pink 2.0, we… we glossed over a lot of details. There's so much about us and everything else we gotta talk about that we've had to put off because of our mission. St-Steven, is it wrong of me to think we really need a break before we commit to these tasks assigned to us?"

Steven shook his head. "No, Peridot… it's not wrong at all. We gotta be on top of our game to do what we wanna do from here on out," he told her. "And right now, we're all exhausted… you more than anyone else, Peri. You were working nonstop for almost three days, then tortured for six… we all need more time to prepare. I don't know why Garnet planned it out this way, to be honest…"

Peridot bit her lip in frustration. "It's not right of us to just keep everyone bubbled, is it? It's not fair to them to keep them trapped for so long when they have no idea what's going on… that's probably why Garnet's insisting on us getting this rehabilitation project underway as soon as possible."

"You know what? Maybe we should just talk to Garnet," Steven boldly suggested. "We've just been going along with these decisions and no one's been questioning anything, even though this all really thrown together, don't you think?"

Peridot nodded, though she looked hesitant. "Honestly, I've believed that to be the case since Garnet laid down the plans. I should've said something about it sooner, I guess… none of this feels right to me. B-but, I shouldn't let my personal feelings get in the way of my responsibility, so…"

"Dot, I promise you it's okay to question Garnet if something isn't sitting right with you," Steven boldly said before treating Peridot to another soft kiss. "I think you keep forgetting that everyone's getting into the habit of looking to you for guidance just like they do with Garnet, y'know. If anyone's fit to object to the way she's having us do things, it's you."

It wasn't just the kiss that elicited a blush from Peridot; she quickly forgot how abruptly she rose through the ranks from Crystal Newbie to leading the entire team, with or without Garnet. So many of her friends thought she was a perfect fit for the job; quite the turnabout from her very amateurish performance as a leader for the Crystal Temps.

"They all do take me a lot more seriously these days, don't they…?" Acknowledging this calmed Peridot down considerably, as her rationality seemed to miraculously come back to life and remind her host that she does have a right to dispute these executive decisions now. In fact, it was likely expected of her to have done so already…

But Peridot was so mentally preoccupied with other worries, concerns, doubts, desires, fears… she had completely forgotten her place in the team.

Until Steven came by to remind her just who the hell she was.

"My sweet little center of gravity comes through once again," Peridot practically sung out before pulling Steven into an embrace and rewarding him with a very deep kiss; one more powerful than anything she had given her boyfriend on their date earlier. "Stars above… Steven, I love you so much."

Steven tried to hold in a chuckle before he briefly kissed back and ran a hand through his girlfriend's pale chartreuse hair. As much as he was enjoying this, Steven knew they shouldn't get carried away; this was not the time nor the place.

"I know," Steven casually affirmed. "And you already know how much I love you, Peri. So, how about we go visit Garnet together and settle this, huh?"

Peridot blinked in confusion and stared at Steven silently for a moment before responding. "Wh-what, right now…? St-Steven, you really need to sleep…"

"My internal clock's already gonna get messed up," Steven assured her. "And it's not the first time my sleep schedule got turned upside-down. Besides, I gotta be there to back up my girl. We're in this together, aren't we?"

That earned Steven a wide, quibbling smile with bright eyes on the verge of tears.

"Without a doubt," Peridot agreed. "And… considering we're expected to start up this nonsense in a few hours anyway, it really is now or never."

Peridot took Steven's hand in hers and headed out of the bathroom. "So, let's not waste any more time and find Garnet. She told me her door is always open should I need to consult with her about anything."

"Yeah, she shouldn't be–"

Just as the pair exited the bathroom and turned to walk in the direction of the kitchen, sure enough, Garnet was sitting on a stool as if she anticipated their arrival.

"… far…"

Peridot huffed out a sigh; she knew this was far too convenient to be a coincidence. "I suppose your inner Sapphire gave you a preemptive signal that you would be getting some late-night company. How far off am I, Garnet?"

Garnet grinned shamelessly in return. "You've gone from barely knowing my two halves to reading them like a book in record time," she quipped. "Very perceptive. Come; both of you take a seat."

The pair obeyed and took a seat on neighboring stools. It was still bizarre both for Peridot and Steven to see their legs hanging so much further down the seat than they once did. Those unprecedented growth spurts were yet another change that would take some time to adjust with.

"Uh, I swear we weren't, y'know, doing anything in there," Steven quickly brought up; it didn't take long for him to be reduced to a paranoid nervous wreck. Then again, the pair had eluded the Crystal Gems for most of the night to enjoy a date earlier. This was the first time any Crystal Gem had seen the pair since dinner time.

"Believe me; I know what to listen for in that regard," Garnet said with a knowing smirk. "I was curious why you went along with everything without question, Peridot, but I see now how important it is for you to have Steven by your side. Center of gravity, indeed."

That caused both teens to blush heavily in embarrassment as they shamefully covered their faces.

"Urgh, never again! It just sounds awful when someone other than me or Steven says it!" Peridot exclaimed.

While Steven was every bit as embarrassed, he was quicker to cut to the chase. "Garnet, I know it's important we get all the new gems accustomed to their new lives on Earth as soon as we can, but we're worried we're gonna do a bad job of that with how exhausted we both are… and everybody else, really."

"I-Indeed!" Peridot quickly followed up. She was still flustered, but firm. "First impressions are everything, and we don't get a second chance at making another one if we make a poor showing of ourselves. I've been working and fighting nonstop for so long now, I feel as if I'm ready to fall into a period of hibernation like your various native mammals. I was looking forward to at least a week where I could just… calm down and take everything in. To converse with Steven without the feeling of being on a time limit…" She looked to her leader with pleading eyes. "I know I was selfish on the mission and got self-indulgent with Steven a couple of times, but please believe me when I say I needed that to keep going!"

"I believe you," Garnet quickly assured the technician. "Everyone can see how burned out you are, Peridot. I assume that was another major reason why you haven't been as forward with me lately, but that's completely understandable. You are correct that to varying degrees, we all need a little time to recover from that mission. And when we start rebuilding, we need to start small… millions of gems going rogue throughout the Earth would make our efforts to capture the corrupted gems look like child's play. We are taking many, many risks in this operation… we cannot afford anyone to be less than their absolute best to achieve the results we're aiming for."

While it was comforting to hear this, Peridot remained confused. "Garnet, if you knew this all along, why didn't you bring this up sooner? We're just a few hours away from when we're supposed to start all of this!"

"I would have set back this operation myself immediately before we started anything," Garnet told her. "I was merely waiting for our co-leader to act on her instinct and take charge of the situation. Then I would know for certain that she would be worthy of a full-time promotion."

Both teens' eyes widened at this revelation… but one set soon grew irritated and angry.

"Seriously?! Did you just put me through a secret test to determine something like that?!" Peridot barked out. She definitely recalled feeling this ticked off before…

"It worked wonders for Lapis and Bismuth when they tested you to determine whether or not you were a fit leader for the rescue mission to save us," Garnet noted; unabashedly cheeky in her delivery. "I wanted to be sure this is the route you truly want to pursue, Peridot. Like it or not, you will have gems looking to you for guidance, and I'm not referring to our team. In your message to me, you expressed how much you enjoyed taking charge of the situation, Peridot. I want to give you the opportunity to prove you can fill in for me to lead the team should a situation like before happen again."

Peridot grumbled and tried to stifle her rage. "I don't wanna sound ungrateful because I don't intend on turning said opportunity down… I'm just quite disappointed you of all gems would dare to test me. And if Steven hadn't woken up, I probably would have failed this stupid test!"

"Remember that I wouldn't exist without the bond of a loving couple," Garnet slyly reminded her. "You are no different; it's quite obvious your destinies are intertwined given what you two have become in the wake of Homeworld's destruction."

Steven shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as she knew what the fusion implied. "The Diamond thing, right. But that doesn't mean there's a Diamond Authority anymore… that's not what me and Peridot wanna be."

"I never said you had to," Garnet coolly responded. "Despite the ball that took place when Blue and Yellow Diamond escorted us to Homeworld for your "homecoming", Steven, it's my belief that Era 3 did not truly begin there. With the self-destruction of White Diamond and the collapse of Homeworld, this is where Era 3 starts off: on an entirely clean slate. When the time comes that we make contact with the former colonies of Homeworld, unfortunately, we will need Pink Diamond 2.0 and Chartreuse Diamond to have any hope of making headway with the gems who weren't brought here. But that does not mean your duties are set in stone; I have faith you two will be able to educate our fellow gems that they can live their lives without being under the constant watchful eye of a Diamond."

"Garnet, I thought you agreed that we need to relax," Peridot complained. "Reminding us of how much unwanted publicity we're gonna get is having the opposite effect, shockingly enough!"

Steven looked pleadingly to his wisest motherly figure. "Are you really gonna let us have a longer break? I promise we'll work extra hard when we're ready. I feel bad leaving the gems bubbled, but…"

"You know that is far more acceptable than to make them fend for themselves while you recuperate," Garnet finished for him. "Steven, Peridot: I will grant you a week to spend as you see fit. If you wish to have privacy, consider it granted. I guarantee the other Crystal Gems will be so thankful to have this break that they won't be inclined to babysit you two. But I'll stop anyone who tries regardless."

That certainly made both faces light up with glee and relief.

"Y-you're really, honestly trusting us to be on our own if we want to?!" Peridot excitedly asked. "D-don't get me wrong; I'm super grateful, but I figured, well… considering what recently happened to us and all…"

Garnet smirked. "I figured you would be discouraged from trying anything if you always kept in mind that I'm well aware of what a risk this is; teenagers are very hard to trust. But I do have a condition I expect you two to follow in exchange…"

"A condition? Hooboy…" Steven already looked worried.

Peridot rolled her eyes. "Always a catch, isn't there… what is it, then?"

The answer was something neither Steven nor Peridot expected: Garnet brought out a red bubble containing a peridot gemstone; no doubt one from Ruby's solo frenzy on Homeworld's final day of existence.

"I want you both to keep this Peridot in your custody the entire time," the fusion requested as she handed the bubble over to her co-lead. "I will leave it to your discretion when the right time is to set her free, but I do expect her to be released before the week is over, understood?"

Steven looked inquisitively at the bubble held in his girlfriend's shaking hands. "Is this some kind of warm-up exercise? Like a preview of what work's kinda gonna be like when the week's up?"

Garnet nodded. "Something like that. If you two can keep a single refugee Peridot under control… or better, earn her trust, then you'll know how prepared you are to take on hundreds at once. There's no better way to truly be prepared."

Peridot couldn't argue with that logic, but this still didn't sit right with her. The technician's eyes were glued to the bubble as she dared to pose a question. "Garnet, is this who I think it is…?"

She groaned the moment she saw Garnet smile knowingly at her.

"Ruby promised her you would welcome her to Earth," Garnet reminded her. "And she is the best candidate to start easing you into this process, Peridot: she knows very well who you used to be, but was not directly subject to your actions. If you can prove to her you are no longer that gem, she may be a great asset in your efforts to earn the trust of the rest of our refugees."

Steven liked the sound of that. "Well, we definitely need all the help we can get. I'll make sure we don't put her off until the last minute, Garnet. We were able to help Peridot adjust; I'm sure her big sister is gonna love this place, too!"

"How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling 5XF that?" Peridot asked Steven, clearly cross with what he said. "We've had zero sibling experiences together, unless you want to count the ride on the limb enhancer assembly line. And even then, I paid her no attention."

"But she knows about you, Peridot," Steven insisted. "And it's never too late to reconnect with someone in your family; you saw how we got Dad and Uncle Andy to make peace with each other."

"You know what's not gonna endear me to 5XF?" Peridot pointedly asked her boyfriend. "Her constantly interfering with our private time."

Garnet chuckled at that; she didn't need future vision to picture that humorous scenario.

"I didn't say you had to free her immediately," the fusion pointed out. "Just that you make some time for her before your week ends. With your powers, Peridot, you can tour 5XF through Earth in ways we've never had the means to. The sooner you let her out of the bubble, the better your chance is to win her over."

"Oh, and how convenient - she can act as your moral proxy to make sure Steven and I behave without any other supervision," Peridot snidely noted. "I see your wicked little game, Garnet. You're fortunate that I'm exhausted enough to willingly fall into your trap."

"You've deciphered my motives so quickly," Garnet noted with amusement. "And yet you are now mature enough to acknowledge this is the best path for you and Steven to take despite that. Your capacity for growth continues to surprise me even now…"

Peridot looked down at herself to study the changes to her body, though she had already done so many times. They weren't extreme changes, but significant enough to make it look as if Peridot had truly matured. It was a phenomenon she rightly never expected would happen, but now that Peridot knew she was born a product of White Diamond's mad science, the technician was forced to accept she would be the exception to the rule in many ways from here on out.

She always wanted to stand out and be the center of attention. She was thrilled she actually surpassed Amethyst in height. But heavy prices came with these achievements… and Peridot still wasn't sure if she was ready or able to uphold the massive load of responsibilities on the horizon.

"Well, yes, my growth would surprise anyone," Peridot acknowledged, missing Garnet's point. "Gems aren't meant to grow like organic beings, so a gem changing should send any gem in shock."

Steven chuckled at that; he even found Peridot's tendency to construe Garnet's words as something else entirely adorable. "Peridot, she doesn't mean how your body grew. She's talking about the Peri on the inside, you know?"

"O-oh." Predictably, Peridot blushed slightly and fidgeted a bit. "Of course. My personal growth… the Me I had to become to rescue you all in the first place. I, uh… don't induce these growths intentionally, but…"

"It's a good thing," Garnet assured her. "You are still the Peridot we know; make no mistake of that. But you've found where your true potential lies and you are making the best of it. It gives me hope that your fellow kin will be as receptive to change as you've been."

Steven looked so comforted by the prospect. "Yeah… I just gotta remember how I taught Peridot all those months ago. Maybe it won't be so bad."

"They'll have to discover who they are as individuals, just like I did," Peridot somberly noted. "Homeworld was never much for encouraging individuality in the first place; they were more lax on the higher-class warriors and nobles because of their natural capabilities, but… that kind of thing was strongly discouraged for plebeians like my class. We were literally made to do the grunt work and that's it. Personality never fit in that equation."

"So it'll be kind of cool to see how the other Peris discover themselves, right?" Steven suggested. "I can already picture they aren't gonna be just like you, y'know. They'll all have a wide range of personalities and they're gonna be so happy we helped them find themselves!"

"That is the ideal outcome," Garnet agreed. "You two can still call on any of us should you fall into any kind of danger, and keep in mind that the rest of us are sharing in your struggle. Handling the non-Peridot survivors on a case-by-case basis will be a grueling task and potentially very dangerous. That's why we're all getting a vacation in before we commit to building the true Era 3."

Peridot nodded in agreement. "You all really deserve it… I don't wanna think about what my life would be if you really did leave me behind like I kept telling you all to. If you listened to me, I'd be shattered by now. So… th-thank you for following your instinct, even if it meant disobeying my order."

The young gem was met with a hug from Steven. "We're all a family here, Peridot," he said. "And the first rule of family is that no one gets left behind or forgotten."

Garnet slid out from her seat to hug the couple. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Steven," she said; her tone indicated that statement truly touched her… and momentarily, she lost her cool. "I know you two will be staving off temptation; that will be one of your biggest challenges after 5XF."

Peridot blushed heavily at that remark. "Wow, thanks for reminding us, Garnet," she grumbled. "Poor Steven is trapped in this hormonal nightmare called puberty; I don't even know what's going on with me anymore. Garnet, the more I think about it, the more I believe there's a chance Steven and I will come home even more stressed out than we are already!"

She had a point. It had only been a few days since Steven's sudden growth spurt resulted not only in him appearing as old as he truly was, but now there were the dreaded hormones to contend with. This was something none of the Crystal Gems had real experience with.

"There is one other reason I'm giving you this much freedom so soon," Garnet noted. "Reckless behavior of this kind often results in life-long consequences that very few are able to own up to. Peridot, I imagine you've indulged in independent research on human anatomy very extensively by now."

"Wh-what's that got to do with anything?" Peridot squeaked; she felt like she was about to melt away under this pressure. "I-It's important to know the inner workings of humans, Garnet! In case Steven… or Connie, or even Papa gets injured! We should all at least know the basics just in case Steven isn't available with his healing power or Pearl isn't around to treat a wound!"

Steven just smiled at Peridot. He didn't need his aura reading to see how badly Peridot was trying to gaslight Garnet. Though he wouldn't dare say it, Steven found Peridot absolutely adorable when she tried to lie or misdirect her way out of a confession. She was just so hilariously bad at it.

Garnet decided to sidestep this deflection and get to the point. "Peridot, you have an extremely versatile power now most gems would shatter to have," she pointed out. "You needn't worry yourself of any consequence, because you can make yourself immune to them at any time with merely a wish."

Peridot's eyes bugged out when she was told this. She knew exactly what Garnet implied; she hadn't felt this humiliated since she had to talk to Pink Diamond, but at least she knew her co-leader was bringing this up for her benefit.

"Despite that, I would much prefer you two to refrain on going into this too deep until you're a little older," Garnet added. "You two still very much act your age, after all."

"Can we ask what the right age is?" Steven nervously inquired. He wasn't quite as knowledgeable as Peridot on certain things, but since his body matured to match his chronological age, there seemed to be a great number of things Steven knew to do, but only by virtue of instinct.

"Hm… I've never measured this with a human before," Garnet admitted, rather amused with herself. "No doubt you both would explode if I projected a couple of centuries being the "right" age. So, for you two… let's say… 17."

That was a little over two years for Steven; both his and Peridot's birthdays were just a few months away. Peridot herself had an extra year to contain her normally unbridled feelings and urges.

"17, as long as you're in love?" Steven questioned. "I know that's how Pearl would put it."

Garnet shook her head and adjusted her shades. "Just 17. You'll be ready; trust me."

Peridot didn't know how to feel about this… but this kind of talk made her all the more anxious to leave.

"Okay… y-you have my word we'll take care of each other," the technician promised in a professional, yet shaky tone. "And… 5XF as well, I suppose. We'll behave ourselves… and we'll come back better for it, ready to be the Crystal Gems of a new era."

Peridot was rewarded with a light pat on her forehead.

"I've been waiting to hear that," Garnet playfully teased. "If you have no more questions or concerns, you're free to leave at any time."

"Seriously?" Steven was shocked with disbelief. "Shouldn't we at least say goodbye to everybody first? We're gonna be gone a while.."

"They'll understand," Peridot said sharply as she hopped out of her seat. "We have the means to contact them any time we desire. Don't even bother packing, Steven; I'll conjure any provisions we'll need. Just point out your specifics to me and I'll store them in a pocket dimension."

Steven just slid out of his seat and followed his girlfriend, still uncertain of how quickly this was going. "I, uh… yeah, okay. I'll just get some stuff from my room - oh, and some actual clothes." He forgot he was still in pajamas. "Geez…"

"–Oh, shoot! I need to figure out how we'll handle Pumpkin," Peridot realized. She turned around to see her beloved pet - now better matching her favorite makeshift comforter Lion in her pink-and-chartreuse coloration - peacefully asleep.

No way she would have been able to sleep in the bathroom while Peridot was trying a chords of steel routine.

"You think it's a good idea to bring her along?" Steven asked her. "We've already got one wildcard in our group as it is."

He nodded to the red bubble Peridot still carried.

"Honestly… I don't," Peridot admitted. "For everything I wanna do this week, it's gonna be risky having her along… we could lose her easily; for good this time. Oh, but if everyone's gonna be on vacation too…"

She tried not to panic, but this visibly worried her until Garnet re-entered the conversation.

"Let me take care of the matter for you," she offered. "That's not to say I will be the one to play babysitter, but I'm fairly certain someone like Greg or Connie won't even leave Beach City for their vacation. Rest assured, I will pick only the best candidate to watch over Pumpkin."

Garnet lowered her shades a bit to reveal her three eyes to give the pair a wink. "After all, I have seen what you can do to planets should anything happen to her, Peridot. Believe me; I'd much prefer to never endure that again."

Peridot nervously chuckled at the thought. "Oh, right… I guess you all already know what you're in for if you screw up. Haha… well, that's great! And I trust you anyway, Garnet. I'll be sure to call her every day; I don't want her to get too sad that I'm leaving her again after finally coming back for just a few days."

"I hope you find what you need to be ready for the Crystal Gems' new initiative," Garnet warmly told Peridot and Steven. "Come what may… Steven, Peridot: know that I could not possibly be more proud of you both for what you've accomplished in the face of adversity. More importantly… know that I love you both."

She gave the pair a brief, but warm hug before turning away in preparation of going elsewhere.

"W-wow, thanks!" a happily shaken Peridot exclaimed. "U-um, the feeling is very much mutual, Garnet! A-and, uh… everything you've done for us is very much appreciated!"

"Love you too, Garnet!" Steven called out; the verbiage of his sentiments were short, but sweet. "Thanks for everything! We're not gonna let you down!"

Garnet gave the pair a thumbs-up gesture before she finally vacated the living room to enter the temple; most likely the Burning Room.

Peridot looked to Steven and quickly moved to gently embrace him. "That… that went way better than I could have hoped for… a-although she inadvertently woke up that stupid, needy feeling of mine," she muttered. "I think I'm ready to go whenever you are."

Steven patted Peridot on the back to reassure the poor, conflicted gem. "For what it's worth, I like that stupid needy feeling you've been getting lately; you're not alone in that, by the way. Um, it feels so weird to just leave now, but…"

"I just don't want to waste one precious second of this week we have to ourselves," Peridot pleaded; needlessly dramatic in her delivery. "We'll only get prying eyes here at home, everyone seems to know everyone in Beach City, so that's too risky… everyone knows where the barn used to be. But… I thought of something. I'm not sure if you'll be on board with it, but…"

"Spill it, Dot," Steven said, gently coaxing her. "Remember what I said when I healed you in Homeworld's Kindergarten? I always like to hear your ideas…"

Peridot hummed in acknowledgment before speaking up. "I remember you told me you toured Lapis to some places well beyond where I've been on this planet before she decided to stay in the barn. I was thinking… I ranted at Lapis a lot because I was the complete opposite of her: she's a drifter by nature, but I prefer a stable and consistent environment. A permanent home, if you will. I told her I got my fill of seeing the world when I was first stranded on this planet before I ran into you all again… and because of how horrifying those experiences were, I didn't want to really travel like that ever again."

Steven nodded in understanding; he didn't know all of these details, but most of the core pieces he had already picked up on his own. "So what makes you wanna travel now? I think you told me it really traumatized you back then; I'd feel terrible making you go through that again."

"At that time, I didn't have you," Peridot firmly told her boyfriend. "I didn't have anyone, in fact. And I didn't know this planet at all. Now that I have you… and I know this planet a lot better, I wanna give it another chance. I genuinely love Earth now, Steven… so I should appreciate everything it has to offer. And since I have you at my side, nothing will hurt me."

That earned Peridot a very intimate kiss from her boyfriend; the pair stood on the precipice of an adventure just waiting for the two of them. The more Steven thought about it, the more eager he became.

"Peridot… you're wonderful," Steven breathed out after the kiss. "And amazing… that you're gonna face your fear like this."

"It was more to ensure true privacy than overcoming a phobia," Peridot bashfully admitted. "But I suppose that is a bonus. We've got quite a challenge on top of this; that'll keep things interesting."

"I guess it would be cheating if we gave in while being Pink 2.0 and Chartreuse, huh?" Steven sighed out. "Because man, that's tempting…"

A flustered Peridot shook her head, "Definitely not a route we should take! If there's one difference between me and Chartreuse Diamond that's apparent, it's that she has virtually no self-control when it comes to… indulging in pleasure," she said with clear unease. "Must be that overly developed body of hers, hmph."

Steven wasn't going to dispute that at all. "I think she has a body like that because you wanted her to," he said with a cheeky grin. "But don't worry about stuff like that, okay? Even if you were still the same little Peridot I last saw at Ruby and Sapphire's wedding, I wouldn't feel any less for you, Peri.

"I'm glad to hear that, Steven," a calmed and relieved Peridot replied as she hugged him tightly. "So… are you ready to go?"

"Where are we even going?" Steven rightfully asked. "It's not like I can play tour guide for the whole planet; what places do you even have in mind?"

Peridot released her hold on Steven just then to take out her tablet and swipe through a map on the screen. "Television has a knack for showing exotic, foreign locations as well as landmarks within your own country. I want to see those locales… heck, I kinda wanna end the trip with the moon if we can make it possible."

"Guess that's one thing we can test out the next time we fuse," Steven slyly suggested. "We can take advantage of all this time to hone our skills and really surprise everybody."

"We're definitely returning home fused," Peridot smugly decided. "Just to rattle them for a second; it'll be great! For now, though, I think we should start small. This satellite map I'm using displays a very lovely-looking manmade lake just one state over in Kenohten. Middle of nowhere, nice and quiet, and the humans will never find us. We can have discussions with no chance of interruptions, we can reflect on everything that's happened without any urban noises breaking our concentration… and we can…"

Steven smiled nervously. He had a pretty good feeling what was next. "You don't need to finish that one, Peri."

He leaned over and wrapped a hand around her waist. "A quiet scenic place sounds like a good idea to start out with. I'm… I'm ready to do this. Just make sure you don't lose 5XF, okay?"

Peridot let out a grunt and rolled her eyes before pecking Steven on the cheek. "Don't you dare let her out behind my back. She can wait; we are in desperate need of that "therapy" you told me about."

"Wouldn't dream of it. This vacation is about us, so… let's have fun being selfish without having to feel bad about it, okay?"

They both felt a great deal of guilt every other time they had spent time together; now it was actually encouraged.

Just hearing Steven of all people say that, and only for her, made Peridot feel the full extent of their mutual love for each other. This was how Steven felt every time Peridot put him on a pedestal.

"I've got the coordinates, I've got the visual… we're definitely departing now," she confirmed before looking deeply into Steven's eyes.

The tablet was dismissed into a pocket dimension. Peridot still had the bubbled 5XF in one hand, but suddenly felt another hand overlap hers and slide into the appropriate angle for them to securely hold the gem together.

It suddenly felt like they were the only two beings who existed in the universe. Perhaps three, counting the protected bubble.

With one hand free, Peridot caressed the side of Steven's face before leaning in.

"I love you, Steven."

She had said it so many times tonight alone, but somehow, it never got tiresome; it never lost its meaning. Steven would always know when Peridot spoke from the heart; for once, her feelings matched up perfectly with her spoken words.

"Heh, uh… wow, thanks?"

Just as Peridot smirked devilishly and dropped to crash her lips into his, the pair vanished into thin air.

They were no longer in the house. No longer in Beach City. Not even in Delmarva anymore.

As the light of dawn emerged from the horizon on the east, the seven-day journey of shameless self-indulgence officially began.