(I was originally going to put the OST up there, but this harp version of Pearl's Room is just too good not to share it!)

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The soothing melody repeated itself once more, an interlude of silence allowing you and the Gem some time before you settled yourselves back into another dancing position.

You held onto Pearl's hand, a faint heat making its appearance over the back of your neck and ears as her fingers interlocked firmly with yours.

She directed you towards the makeshift dance-floor, the lustrous and pink glow of your (tone) skin becoming brighter the moment she began to lead you left and right across the sandy terrains resting below your feet.

Though attempting to fuse with the Gem before you was out of question, she still appreciated sharing these moments with you. She made sure to immerse herself into each of her movements with as much as passion and emotion as she could muster, wanting to make your day as bright as the current glow of your skin.

After discovering the corruption residing in your body, Steven and the rest of his companions insisted that the most adequate decision to take was of you staying at Beach City. Traveling back to your hometown wasn't exactly the best idea, seeing as folks living there weren't used to seeing as many unusual things as the residents of Beach City did.

For that reason, you ended up renting an apartment near Steven's home, thinking it would be the best action to take now that you would be in for a longer stay.

Your stay had been peaceful and thrilling. You'd managed to meet up again with Sadie and 'Hotel Guy' every once in a while, and your new boss had been kind enough to offer you another photography job that could benefit your current situation better. The days had gone by about as smoothly as a sturdy sailboat navigating on calm waters.

In contrast to those peaceful weeks, these past seven days had been long and stressful ones, with you almost being taken captive by yet another restless Ruby during one of your everyday walks back to your apartment, and witnessing Steven's recent return after his unforeseen absence from Beach City, having been taken away by a small, but persistent Gem referred to as Aquamarine and her supposed assistant named Topaz.

You'd dealt with the Ruby by yourself, and were able to come out of the situation alive and well without having to go through the same procedures taken for the angered Eyeball from many months ago.

However, realizing you couldn't be there for Steven when Aquamarine had been running around asking for her "dad" proved to be a downer for you. Every time your clouded mind decided to overthink and look back to that day, you ended up with a gloomy expression and a persistent headache. Your mind could only think about the 'what ifs', even though Steven was already back and managed to find a way back to Homeworld with the help of his pet Lion's mane.

Luckily, your current dance with Pearl served as a momentary distraction from all the commotion and unfortunate events that'd been going around recently.

Her movements were firm and precise, each step she took more purposeful than the previous one. Twirling you around once — then twice — she came to a graceful halt and placed her hands over each side of your waist, lifting and sweeping you so expertly off your feet that it made you question her strengths.

With an amused chuckle on her part and a cheerful laugh on yours, she set you back down on the sand, letting go of her hold over your waist once your feet gained some stability over the ground.

Meeting briefly with her eyes, you were quick to look away once noticing the emotion behind them. Her eyes were bright with happiness, and — from the brief moment you'd met with her staring — you could see how much this calm, almost placid moment helped with bringing peace between the two of you.

"(Y/N)?" The call of your name through her gentle tone made you focus back on her gaze, seeing that she now stood straight and was an arm's length away from you.

The music had finally stopped and there only remained the sound of crashing waves and squawking seagulls, both of them together serving as a relaxing tune after long periods of dancing.

"This might come off as sudden. . ." She continued. "However, I would like to invite you somewhere close — a place where I usually reside at, in hopes to sort out my thoughts."

"Oh?" You trailed off for the slightest second, curious as to what was going on in her mind and just what was the precise reasoning behind her inquiries. "Well, sure! . . .Where's that place at?"

"It's in my room." She responded, passing a hand through her copper hair as a wistful breath left her lips and replaced it with a small smile. "I believe it could be helpful photography material for your career — and perhaps it could be of use for your sketchbook, too."

"Alright. . ." You mumbled, taken aback with the suddenness of her invitation. "Well, if isn't any trouble, then. . . I'd love to!"

At that moment, you could see Pearl's face illuminate with joy and how her previously small smile grew warm and free.

She held out a hand for you afterwards, remaining in patient wait for you to take it.

"Wonderful!" She spoke, the moment you took her hand in yours. "Let us be going now!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a two minute long explanation regarding how certain doors and entrances worked over at Steven's household, Pearl was able to open up the one leading to her room and lead you inside without much hesitation.

Once your eyes laid upon your surroundings, you found yourself unable to speak.

The room was expanse and — though it was mainly composed of waterfalls and one, large lake — a placid temperature hugged at your exposed skin and pierced through your summer clothing.

The different hues of purple, blue, and white managed to create an almost dreamlike atmosphere, the faint sound of rushing water enhancing it.

Cautiously, you reached a hand out, looking towards Pearl for a brief second as if to ask for her authorization to touch the waters.

Seeing her smile in what you labeled as encouragement, your hand came in contact with the rushing waters of a small, though mesmerizing waterfall. The liquid felt cool against your skin, and you felt how your worries began to melt away from your body.

It wasn't until you heard the light, rhythmic splashing of footsteps on water that you realized you'd gotten lost in the experience and that you'd kept your eyes closed ever since your hand brushed with the waterfall.

"You. . ." Pearl stopped on her sentence, an awkward sigh leaving her vocal chords as your eyes fluttered opened. "You are welcome to visit this place anytime you please."

Finalizing with that sentence, she remained silent, allowing you to continue on exploring her room on your free will.

Yet, something felt off.

The silence that'd followed after that sentence had come off as inconclusive. To you, it felt as if there was still something left that she desired to voice out.

Looking towards her, you decided to go for it and ask her in the most subtle way possible.

"Are you alright, Pearl?"

Her body tensed visibly at that question. Despite that, you could see how she began to turn around to meet with your face, how a sheepish smile spread across her mouth, and how a blue blush spread over her pale cheeks.

"I'm quite alright, (Y/N)." She replied, strengthening her smile as she took steps closer to you. "Mostly, I'm. . . worried about you."

"Wh — Why's that?"

"Though I'm gladdened to have you living here for longer, as it does suit your condition. . . I sometimes worry what the flower Gem did to you might suddenly worsen one day, and that I won't be there to lend a hand." A pause. "After Steven disappeared on us that day. . . that thought came to mind, and it's been troubling me since."

Your pupils dilated in shock at the sight of her eyes becoming watery and a large frown replacing her previously gentle visage.

Instinctively, you hurried over to her side and placed a hand over her shoulder.

"Seeing that I couldn't do anything for his sake, my mind became so troubled, with it going back and forth through the same scenarios of what I could've done."

The hand you'd placed over her shoulder traveled to her back, and you found yourself pulling her close to you, permitting her to rest her head over the top of your hair, the difference in height proving to be a bit awkward to provide her a place to rest on.

Not wanting to dampen her confessions and alleviations with words, you chose to offer physical support until each and every one of her troubled thoughts were spoken out loud.

~ ~ ⭐️ ~ ~

Slightly Long Author's Note Ahead:

Hello!

I would like to inform that there's one final update related to this story titled "Shatter Me". I do believe it could serve as another ending for this story, however, the theme is rather dark and the reader's discretion is advised.

The idea was given to me by ILoveDrapple on the previous story update (Alternate Ending #1), so many thanks to them for providing it! Said chapter should be up by either Saturday or Sunday.

Now, since I wasn't able to come up with any sort of holiday update for December and I've had a few other people request one-shots before, I've decided to open up a "one-shot requests" sort of thing for a while.

If you're interested, you can leave a comment here to let me know. It can Steven Universe related, though if you have another fandom in mind, feel free to let me know, and I'll see if I know about it!

That would be all for now, and thank you for reading! ^^