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Spending time with Steven is always something Lapis looks forward to.
She sits with her knees drawn up to her chest, watching the half-human intently as he excitedly relives his day.
The sunset hangs overhead. It’s beautiful. She couldn’t care less about it right now.
”And so my dad starts getting all sentimental, talks about the 80’s and about mom–“ Steven rambles, hands gesturing wildly as he does so, and Lapis finds herself focusing on that instead of the words pouring from his mouth.
He’s so small, more so than other humans his age, she’d be willing to bet, but his hands are bigger than hers. Thicker, holding the childish pudge that the rest of him had as well.
“And he got so sappy so quickly, started telling me stories about her I’d heard a million times, haha…”
He’s close to her, and doesn’t think anything by it, either, considering the way he’d plopped down earlier, near enough for their skin to brush if either moved just a bit. She wants to move, but something keeps her from rushing to do it. Lapis loathes her own tendency to waver.
“So then I–“
She could grab his hand, hold it in hers. He probably wouldn’t even bat an eye. She wants to, she wants…
He’s still talking. His voice is endearing, the way it cracks ever so often and lilts in tone. She wonders if that first thing is a human affliction, or just a Steven thing.
“And Lion just wouldn’t move–“
Telling her about his day, sitting so closely– it makes her feel important, valued, even though she’s aware that it’s just how he is. Considerate and friendly to everyone. It baffles her, how he could’ve been raised by someone like those three.
He looks over at her for the first time in a while, and must catch something in her expression. He pauses, mid-ramble, concern etched along his brow.
“You okay, Lapis?”
“Of course I am, Steven.” Lapis says, and her voice doesn’t come out quite right. She tries again, going for a more playful tone, “Something the matter with my face, um, bucko?”
The words sound alien coming from her, but it does the job. Steven’s concern drops.
“No, no,” he giggles, rocking a bit. The movement makes his shoulder brush her arm. A rush of warmth goes up her spine. “I was just making sure! You looked kinda mad for a second.”
Mad.
It seems Lapis needs to work on keeping her face more neutral.
“I definitely wasn’t mad,” she says, too quickly, and there goes that flash of concern again, as brief as it is real. “I promise. So, please, tell me more about your day. I’m in such suspense!”
Steven goes pink in the face, and she resists a grin. He’s as easy to flatter as he is to read.
“O-okay!” He agrees happily, still a bit flustered. “So, then, um–“
She’d berate herself later for tuning him out like this, she really would, but Lapis finds herself focusing on other things already.
One of his hands is braced against the grass, between the two of them. It would be so easy to reach out.
So she does. Inwardly, she’s shaky, unsure, but on the outside it’s effortless, as simple as lifting a hand and laying it on top of his. Steven pauses, looking curiously down at their hands– her stomach goes cold with nerves, but then he’s smiling sweetly up at her and intertwining their fingers. Goes back to talking as if it were nothing.
The feeling that floods her chest is indescribable.
Lapis must be drunk on it. A delighted giggle nearly springs free. Nearly.
This is perfect. Steven’s perfect. She wishes she could hug him, but that would be getting too greedy.
For now, she’s content.
“-gems said that I couldn’t go with them on tomorrow’s mission,” Steven huffs, and it’s rather embarrassing how quickly Lapis tunes back in.
“Wait, wait–“ She says, brow crinkling. “They said what?”
“The gems! They said I couldn’t go with them tomorrow on a mission, and it sounded like a really cool one…”
“Why can’t you go?”
“Pearl said I’m not ready.” Steven does air-quotes for that last bit. He’s pouting, too. She’d find it adorable in less infuriating circumstances. “And Garnet agreed! Heck, even Amethyst didn’t even back me up this time.”
Her lip curls with disgust. They’re as unbearable as ever.
“I mean, they’re probably right…” He says after a moment of silence, and flinches a bit when Lapis leans closer. Her eyes are alight. Narrowed.
“No, Steven, I don’t think they are.” She thinks the Crystal Gems are a lot of things, but right usually wasn’t one of them.
“You don’t?”
“No. You’ve done so much, haven't you?” Her voice rises in volume, just enough to be noticeable. Her hand squeezes his. “So many good, selfless things. I’d bet you’re ready for anything now. They’re being overly cautious.”
“Well, maybe, but…” he seems to hesitate, gaze flicking about. Uncertainty. “Isn’t that because they care?”
“In a stupidly overbearing way? I suppose.” She sounds borderline venomous, and her own temper doesn’t let her linger much on the hesitance creeping into his frown. “I care, too, Steven. Do you see me restricting what you can and can’t do?”
Steven doesn’t look like he wants to talk much anymore.
“I–I guess not…”
His hand twitches against hers, like he wants to pull back, and that’s when Lapis realizes she's taken it too far. There’s still so much she wants to say–
They aren’t worth your attention, much less your love.
Quit listening to them.
...please, just...
stay with me.
–but Lapis knows when to push things, and it isn’t right now. She leans back, the hand holding Steven’s going slack. Tries her best to even out her expression.
“But that’s just what I think. I get where you’re coming from, too.” She says lightly. “I’m sure they’ll take you on lots of cool missions in the future, yeah?”
Steven doesn’t exactly bounce back, but the uneasiness does appear to lessen.
He even tries for a smile, strained as it is, and says, “Yeah. Yeah!”