Chapter Text
Silvery, softly shining moonlight played across Steven's quilt. The only sound that could be heard at that moment was soft, even breathing. Occasionally, he would stir slightly and mumble incoherently in his sleep. Otherwise, the house was silent. This wasn't the eerie silence of an ambush or the eerie silence of death. It was a peaceful silence that overtook the house that night.
However, anyone who could witness such a scene could not have missed the slender figure kneeling on the edge of the boy's bed, watching him. Anyone who was unfamiliar with the scenario may have cringed in apprehension. However, the figure itself would have just told you to shush, for the figure itself was none other than Pearl, the motherly second-in-command of the Crystal Gems.
On this particular night, Steven seemed to be sleeping especially deeply. Pearl expected this. After all, the poor child had only just recovered from a bout of severe illness. Though he was mostly cured of it, he likely still needed rest to fully recuperate. So there Pearl sat, monitoring Steven for returning symptoms. Though, if pressured, the pale, lithe Gem would admit that illness was not the only reason she was, to put it bluntly, watching Steven sleep on this particular night. In fact, this was only one of the many times she'd observed Steven in his bed. She might say that she did it because sleep was a deeply fascinating act to her, having never participated in it herself. And this would be true.
But it was not the actual reason, and anyone who would have been speaking to her at that moment would know it. No, the real reason was because Pearl missed her leader, Rose, and it was because she missed Rose that she could not bear the thought of losing Steven. After all, Steven had his mother's gem, and Steven was all that was left of the motherly, queen-like Gem Pearl missed so severely. And so, partly out of curiosity, and mostly out of anxiety, Pearl would sneak into the house and upstairs into Steven's room to watch him sleep.
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, which came out as a sigh, though Gems did not need to breathe at all. Steven was lying very still, and there was none of the slight movements or twitches he gave normally. The only indicator he was alive was the deep, steady breaths he took. Pearl strained to listen for the point they would stop. Luckily, that point never came. She did hear, however, the clanging of moving pots and pans from the kitchen, which was rather intrusive to the previous silence. Steven twitched and groaned, annoyed,in his sleep at the sudden noise. Pearl eased herself off the bed gently, so as to not disturb the sleeping child any further, and gently combed her thin fingers through his dark, messy curls so as to soothe him. Soon, Steven calmed into his motionless state, and Pearl removed her hand from his head.
She crept silently toward the staircase on her tiptoes, her movements as silent as a cat on the prowl. She continued this way through the short hallway, and set one dainty foot on the first step. Unfortunately, the house was rather old, including the steps, and the wooden stair creaked in protest. Pearl winced, and, stepping more gently this time, continued her descent down the stairs. The clanging was slowly getting louder as she approached the kitchen, and the muscles in her body began to tense, preparing for combat if combat was necessary.
The light was not on in the kitchen, but a beam of light was sweeping around the small room. Pearl removed her head from the doorway just in time to not be caught in the incriminating beam.If she weren't desperately trying to not be caught by this intruder,she would have groaned in annoyance. This was going to be a difficult night indeed.