Author's notes: Hello again! I think that this needs a bit of explaining.

This was originally started during the first week of September, but the workload from Schoolwork had taken up a majority of my time (along with a bit of procrastination).

Regardless, I'd like to say to those that have read my stories: Thank you very much! The fact that you took the time out of your day to read my stories means a lot!

Moving on, this is a sequel of sorts to my previous story, so hopefully it turns out to be a good read. I don't necessarily feel too great about it, but that's the writer's process, I suppose. Any comments and critiques would be much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe. Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar.

Peridot lay sprawled out on the couch, letting out a heavy sigh as she placed an arm over her face. Ever since her 'late night encounter' with Pearl those few weeks ago, Peridot had found that speaking with her was becoming more and more of a task than it originally was. She would often fumble with her words whenever she was with her, and it caused her embarrassment to no end to be reduced to such a state.

What is it about her that causes this reaction within me? She must be using some sort of ploy to keep my guard down…

Getting up into a sitting position, Peridot put her hands to her face, feeling a newfound warmth that wasn't there before, and immediately let out a groan of frustration as she leaned back onto the couch. Taking a deep breath, Peridot stood up and walked over to the stairs to the loft, figuring that playing a few games would help her get her mind off of the whole thing.

Reaching the final step, Peridot looked over at the TV and almost lost her footing at the sight of an unexpected guest. Sitting on one of the chairs was the person that stole her ability to speak, the person that made her face heat up at the simple thought of her.

Pearl sat in one of the chairs, with one leg over the other, completely oblivious to the world around her. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that she was engrossed in a book of sorts, though Peridot couldn't make out the name of it. Slowly so as to not disturb her, Peridot walked over to the Gem and peeked over her shoulder to see what she was reading.

Just as she settled her eyes on the first set of words, Pearl had suddenly turned her head, coming face to face with Peridot. The two of them stayed still for a few seconds, each staring into the other's eyes. Once the realization hit the two of them, they both quickly turned away from each other, Pearl shutting her book closed and Peridot pretending to close her holographic screen with her fingers.

"P-Peridot! I wasn't aware that you had come up." Pearl smiled awkwardly at her as she shoved the book into one of the various drawers sitting next to the TV. "It's a bit early to start our session, correct?"

Looking back at her, Peridot opened her mouth to speak, but found that her words could not leave her mouth. Walking over to one of the chairs, Peridot delicately placed herself onto it, putting a hand to her chin as she let out a sigh.

"Yes, P-Pearl, I am aware of this. I just came up here to clear my mind for a bit." Peridot absentmindedly stared at the TV, her mind desperately fighting to keep its attention off of the Gem in front of her.

"Is there something wrong, Peridot?" A look of concern made its way to Pearl's face as she walked over to the seat next to her, adjusting it so that she was facing the Green Gem. "If you want to talk about something, I'm here to listen."

"I-I'm fine, I'd just- I'd like to start our session now, if you don't mind."

Getting up out of her seat, Peridot walked over to the TV, her finger missing the 'ON' button a few times before she eventually got the TV working. Hovering her finger over another button to change the channel, Peridot was met with the disturbing sight of two humans kissing each other, and quickly switched channels, a heavy blush now covering her face.

What were those clods doing?! Just take a breath, Peridot. Maybe she won't notice.

Doing as her mind suggested, Peridot took another breath and slowly felt herself calm down. Patting her face, Peridot nodded before turning around to see Pearl already with a controller in hand, her posture suggesting that she was ready to play.

Peridot chuckled at the sight before her as she inserted the game into the console, rejoining Pearl as she sat next to her, grabbing the other controller from the table. The screen went black for a few seconds, leaving the two in silence, before an action-packed tune began filling the air as the opening for the game played out.

"Super Fighting Family Members!"

The game's announcer had a booming voice as the two were met with the title screen of the game. Peridot felt herself becoming more at ease as she set up the game, turning all of the items off before picking their characters and selecting a level. As soon as the countdown reached zero, the two Gems' characters practically rushed at each other, mashing the buttons on their controllers furiously as they fought for control of the stage.

Over the course of their fights, Peridot had found herself in a much better mood than she had been before; she smiled when she had won, let out a small groan of frustration when she lost, and laughed alongside Pearl whenever something inexplicably strange had happened.

The two had just finished another game when Pearl looked over at a nearby clock, her highly-focused eyes taking a bit to adjust from looking away at the screen. When she could eventually make out the time, she let out a small gasp as she dropped her controller.

"P-Peridot, we've nearly played the whole day away!" Shock was written all over Pearl's face as she looked at the Gem, her eyes wide with guilt as she stood up from her chair.

"Oh, this is awful! What if there was a mission? I can't believe that we actually-" Pearl let out a small yelp as she felt her feet get caught in something, causing her to fall over onto the floor. Holding herself up on her elbows, Pearl turned her head to see that she had tripped over the controller wires. A small blush suddenly erupted onto her face, causing her to look away out of embarrassment.

Peridot was at her side in a moment's notice, setting her controller down as she made her way over to her. "Pearl, are you alright?" She held a hand out for the Gem to take, which the latter gladly accepted.

She had almost pulled her to her feet when something had suddenly shifted beneath her, causing her to lose her footing and tumble onto the floor. Holding her head in pain, Peridot pushed herself back up as she winced.

"I apologize, Pearl. I don't know what exactly… happened…" Opening her eyes, Peridot looked to find herself directly on top of Pearl, the latter's arms being held above her head. The sight looked slightly provocative from another's viewpoint, and Peridot's mind was telling her to get off of the other Gem immediately.

Yet, her body refused to move-out of shock or fear, she didn't know- and instead remained as she was, hovering over Pearl's slender body. Neither Gem were aware of their surroundings, their gazes focused intently on the other's; it was like they were in their own little bubble, completely isolated from the outside world.

Why is it that I can't move away? Those eyes of her's look as endless as this planet's sky… Why am I thinking such nonsense?!

Peridot knew that her face had most likely turned a different shade of color, and she knew that Pearl could see it, despite her hoping that she couldn't. With this in mind, she slowly moved herself off of the Gem, turning her body away from her to hide her growing blush.

Pearl had also turned her body away from the other gem, her mind going through a similar process as Peridot's as she put both of her hands over her face.

T-Thank goodness the others aren't here! I don't know what the others would do if they caught wind of this, especially Amethyst! Still, could it be…?

Uncovering her face, Pearl's eyes lingered on the long-forgotten drawer, her mind suddenly replaying the pages that she had read from her book hours earlier. The more she began to think about it, the more it all made sense, as much as she refused to believe it.

"I believe that this has been more than satisfactory, Pearl. Good night." Untangling the controller wires, Peridot brought herself up to her and walking off towards the stairs, leaving the pale-skinned Gem behind.

"P-Peridot, please wait a moment!" Quickly getting onto her feet, Pearl had carefully stepped out of the TV area and approached Peridot from behind, grabbing onto the Gem's arm.

Do it, Pearl. You've done this time and time again with the others. This shouldn't be any different.

Quickly, before her confidence ran out, Pearl wrapped her arms around the other Gem, her eyes tightly shut as she enveloped Peridot in an awkward embrace. She didn't dare open her eyes, for fear of Peridot's reaction.

To say that Peridot was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Finding herself unable to move, Peridot remained absolutely still, feeling the newfound warmth in her cheeks growing warmer as the time passed.

After the… 'event' that had just transpired, she assumed that things would slowly turn awkward as time went on, and that the other gem would try to distance herself from her for a while. So why is it that said gem is currently hugging her?

"Pearl," Peridot said, keeping her voice low, "what is the meaning of this? What are you doing?" The gesture, while somewhat questionable, felt strangely good to the gem, sending a warm feeling into her chest.

Fearing the worst, Pearl increased her grip on the green gem - much to their discomfort - and quickly blurted out her response. "W-Well, lately I've been feeling a bit… different around you. And before you ask why, please let me explain!" Taking a breath to compose herself, Pearl continued with her heartfelt explanation.

"The time that I've spent with you has been enjoyable, to say the least. From that first night that seems so long ago up to now, I've had more fun playing those games with you than I've ever had in my entire life."

"At first, I was a bit confused, wondering as to why I even came up with the idea in the first place. I mean, me of all people, having fun playing those games? It's unheard of!" Pearl chuckled at the thought, the corners of her lips curling up into a small smile.

"But, the more time I spent with you, the more you seemed to grow on me. You opened me up to new things, new experiences that are now dear to me, and I'm forever grateful that you've done so."

"However, I feel as if things have been changing lately. Playing those mindless video games with you feels… different now. Seeing your smile and hearing your laugh fills me with feelings that I thought would only be reserved for one person and one person only." Loosening her grip on the gem, Pearl moved herself back a bit, holding Peridot by her shoulders as she stared straight into her eyes, her sudden burst of confidence unwavering.

"The truth is, Peridot, that I think I- Well, that is to say-" Within seconds, Pearl had turned into a bumbling mess as she began rambling on, avoiding both the subject and Peridot as she cast her gaze towards the ceiling.

This whole time, she has been feeling the same as I have? Then… that means that I'm not alone in this.

Peridot had been completely silent throughout Pearl's talk, both out of respect for Pearl and the sudden loss of her own voice. Added on with the fact that Pearl was just as confused as she was made Peridot somewhat relieved.

Lifting the Gem's chin up with her hand, Peridot stared deep into Pearl's eyes, hoping to find some sort of answer, but found none.

Why is this situation so confusing?! What does this all mean? Those clods on the TV seemed to be getting along just fine with each other.

A few seconds passed by before Peridot's eyes widened, confusing the lightly-blushing Pearl as she cupped her face in both of her hands.

"P-Peridot, what are doing?"

"I believe the expression is, 'doing as fellow humans do.' Perhaps I'm wrong on that, but it's irrelevant." Recalling the image in her mind, Peridot took a small breath before moving her face closer to Pearl's, ignoring the noise of surprise coming from said Gem and effectively silencing any sort of protest by gently placing her lips on her's.

The contact was strange at first. Peridot had only remembered the few seconds of what happened on the TV screen hours earlier, resulting in an awkward position based on her inexperience. She wasn't even sure that she was doing it right, but Pearl's reluctance to move away seemed to give her an answer.

Moments passed before the two separated from each other, the electrifying experience cut short before it had gotten too awkward. Both Gems looked at each other, unable to express themselves through words. Instead, their hands slowly moved towards each other until they were intertwined with each other, held firmly together as small smiles of understanding made its way to their faces.

"I do not have extensive knowledge on this subject, Pearl. Would you be willing to help guide me through the process?"

Hearing Peridot's question caused a few chuckles to escape Pearl's mouth before she nodded her head. "Of course. I'll be with every step of the way, Peridot."

Not letting go of her hand, Pearl carefully stood up, picking Peridot up along with her before making their way down the wooden stairs. Stopping by the couch, the two Gems stared at each other a moment longer before giving each other a quick hug. Once the gesture was finished, Peridot had taken her place on the living room couch, letting one of her legs dangle as the sound of the Temple door opening entered her ears.

"Good night, Peridot. See you tomorrow."

Silence was all that remained as the Temple door closed, leaving Peridot alone to her thoughts. How had so much happened in the span of a single day? Peridot shook her head, placing an arm over her face as she grinned.

Perhaps Earth isn't such a horrible place after all.