A/N: For clarification this is an older Steven X Peridot story. I really love these guys together and there is a serious lack of good fanfic on them. The story is set after Gem Drill except with Steven being older (Age: 18) during these events. If you like it or something stands out to you feel free to drop a review. I plan on this thing being an epic when I'm done so if you like long stories without the padding then I think you'll enjoy the ride and I'd love to have you along. I release new chapters roughly every 2 weeks. Anyway enough of that. All Aboard the S.S. Stevidot! Keep your touch stumps and gravity connectors on deck at all times, and most importantly enjoy.

Steven sifted through the pantry. The clanking of soup cans and crinkling of chip bags disguised the soft pitter patter of feet behind his back. The Gems had left on a mission not even a half hour ago, and he was becoming peckish. His hand seized what he had been looking for. Success! He pulled out his blueberry blast granola bar for inspection. On the cover was a blueberry that was being launched into space by an impractical looking slingshot. I know how that feels. Well...almost. The bar had been tucked away all this time hiding from the mighty jaws of the voracious Amethyst. He ripped the package open and took the first bite. Steven turned around towards the couch where Peridot had just been sitting. She was gone. Her tablet too. He was about to look around for her when he heard her familiar nasally voice. It almost always carried something absurd or ridiculous, and it still managed to put a smile on his face.

"Steven. This isn't rain. Oh, my stars! It must be some new weapon from homeworld." Peridot was at the window, and she dived down taking cover behind the window seat. "Yellow Diamond." She added, her voice quivering with fear. Steven did his best to restrain the urge to chuckle or smile. He wasn't sure what it was that had her so upset, but Peridot was prone to theatrics, so it was probably nothing. However, he was sure that dismissing it entirely would only serve to upset her further. He approached the window and took another bite of his granola bar. Peridot was aghast at how casually he had strolled over. They were under attack for diamond sake! Steven couldn't help but smile as two small hands grabbed his right hand and tugged.

"Steven! Get down!" Peridot hissed.

Steven sat down, his back against the window seat. He stretched his legs out and took another bite of his snack. Peridot peered over the seat checking to make sure their position was secure.

"Peridot?"

"Yes?" She asked without turning to him. Her eyes scanned the sky outside as if any minute a light cannon beam would cut through the clouds.

"It's snow," Steven replied. He put his hand on her shoulder.

She lowered herself back down and stared at him. "Another Earth thing? Not a weapon?"

"Not a weapon. Promise. Think of it as…" He put a finger to his chin. "The cold version of rain. When it's cold, the rain turns to snow and falls almost the same way. It tends to clump together on the ground, and it stays until it melts."

Peridot sat down beside him and picked up her tablet. She typed something into it and read for a few minutes while he finished the rest of the granola. "Oh," Peridot concluded. She set the tablet down and brought her knees up to her chest. "I'm doing a cloddy job of adjusting to Earth."

Steven stood up and offered a hand down to her, "The crystal gems have lived here forever, and they still don't get everything, but I know it won't take you very long Peridot. You're one of the smartest gems I've ever met."

Peridot smiled, and she took his hand in both of hers pulling herself to her feet, "Well I am a Peridot. It's kind of what I was made for." She wore a cocky smirk, but her eyes were hopeful. She picked up her tablet and returned to her spot on the couch while Steven threw away his granola wrapper. Peridot curled into herself looping her arms underneath her knees. She looked as if she was trying to recede into her gem. "I don't know what I was made for anymore. Earth makes everything complicated."

Steven leaned against the kitchen counter. "Hey...I think that's the point, ya know? When you served homeworld, it told you everything about your life. It told you what you wanted. What you should think. Who you were." Steven walked around the counter and sat beside the green gem. Peridot looked up at him, lost. "Who your friends were. Who you hated. Who you could love." Steven raised a hand to gesture toward the snow outside that was now falling faster, "Earth doesn't tell you anything for certain. You get to discover it all yourself, and it lets you decide. It sets you free." He smiled at her and Peridot smiled back.

She pulled her tablet into her arms and cradled it against her chest, "I like when things make sense. When it has a logical answer, a set figure. At least Pierre and Percy make sense. I've done all the calculations."

Steven chuckled, "How's the fanfiction going?"

Peridot brightened up, "It's a success! I have convinced other humans to read it, and this machine gives me statistics on them. I am happy that others are convinced of their superiority." She picked up the tablet and scrolled through her story statistics, but something made her scowl. "Grrrr, I must find a way to remove some of these reviews. My ship is more valid than any other combination! I have explained why in my author's note in chapter one. DENSE CLODS!" Peridot stabbed her finger repeatedly at the screen.

Outside the snow fell steadily. It had been getting colder these last few weeks. Steven loved winter time, especially with the Gems. He would build snowman armies with Garnet. She would summon her gauntlets which were the perfect tools to scoop up and roll a bunch of snow. He would always use his shield. Then he would sled with Amethyst, and sometimes she would shapeshift into the sled so they could get the perfect amount of control. Finally, Pearl would make the most amazing gingerbread cookies he had ever found anywhere. She put the big donut to shame. But now something was different. He would have Peridot this winter, and she had never got to do any of those things. He couldn't help but feel giddy at the idea of showing her everything she had been missing.

"Steven? Are you in a hibernation state?"

"Huh?" He turned back to face Peridot.

"Oh, you were smiling and staring out the window for a long time without moving. I thought you might be hibernating." She had given up on her attempt at deleting the reviews on her story and was now gazing up at him.

"No, that's sleep. You have to close your eyes for that to work. I was thinking about all the cool stuff I'll get to do now that its winter. It's the time of year that gets cold enough for snow to fall. The Gems and I have all kind of things we do during this time of year."

Peridot perked up, "So snow days have their own pre-approved activities like rainy days have?"

Steven tilted his head, "Uh, kind of. Well yeah actually."

The green gem bounced up and down in her seat, "Show me! I wish to conquer these snow day trials as well."

Steven laughed, "Alright, it'll be fun. It's cold in here, and it's only going to get colder, so I'm going to start a fire for us in the stove there. That's one thing we do in the winter. Are you cold?"

"Of course not." Peridot smirked and crossed her arms, "A gem's projected form adjusts to the environment around them. The vacuum of space is much colder than the current temperature." Before she could list off another fact she stopped herself and reached out toward him, her hand hovering just above his arm, "I still want you to make the fire though."

Steven nodded, "Wait right here." He stood up, "I think Amethyst has some firewood in her room." He opened the temple door to Amethyst's room, and before he entered, he looked over his shoulder. Peridot had followed him with her eyes, and when he turned around, she gave him a shy smile and a small wave. He smiled at her, and for that moment she looked almost as lost as she had sounded earlier, the whole world ground to a halt and only when he had returned would it start up again. Steven waved back and entered Amethyst's room. The door closed behind him with a thud.

He knew that Peridot was more than a capable gem. She hadn't been easy to capture, and she was persistent. That had been before she joined the crystal gems before she had called Yellow Diamond a clod to her face. Everything that she had known and lived was all over now. He would have to do more than show Peridot what winter was like. He would have to take her under his wing, make sure she felt safe enough to find her place in all of this, on earth. Steven spotted a red toy wagon next to one of the junk piles. He had no idea what that was doing there, or even where Amethyst had gotten it from, but it would make it easier to carry out the wood.

After hunting down the pile of firewood, he soon returned to the living room rolling the red wagon. Peridot put her tablet back down and observed him. He parked it next to the stove and loaded the logs into the mouth of the furnace. The green gem crawled off of the couch and was now crouched behind him taking mental notes of everything that he did. Steven lit a match and caught the starter wood on fire.

At last, when the logs began to crackle, he sat down in front of the stove, "What do you think?"

"It's fascinating," Peridot whispered. The reflection of the flames flickered in her visor. The excitement burned in her eyes like coals as she studied the fire. She was beautiful. Steven blinked. He had never noticed before or thought of it. She was a gem, and he was...something. He wasn't sure what exactly. Peridot tore her eyes away from the fire and turned her small features up to him.

Steven swallowed, "So there's other stuff people do during the winter."

Peridot sat down next to him copying his cross-legged style. She had sat close, and he could feel the corner of her hair brush against his shoulder. "Like what?"

"Well there's uh...there's uh…" Steven's eyes darted around the room frantically until they came to rest back on the fire, "Oh yeah! I know what we can do." He jumped up, and the corners of Peridot's mouth almost seemed to turn down. "When you have a fire. You can roast marshmallows. You'll like that." He went into the kitchen, "Amethyst is crazy for them so I think we should have a bag." Steven rummaged through the pantry again and found what he was looking for. Peridot watched with renewed interest as he brought the bag over with two wooden sticks. He sat down next to her giving them a little more space between each other this time.

Steven handed her one of the sticks, and she took it with both hands, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You do this," Steven put a marshmallow on the end of her stick and then one on his. "Now you hold it out in the fire and cook it on all sides until it gets dark. Then you can eat it." He demonstrated for her and then took a bite.

Peridot held her stick out in front of her at arm's length and copied Steven's movements. When she brought it out of the fire, the marshmallow was still aflame. "Nyeh! Steven! It's on fire!" She waved the stick side to side as if she was wrestling with a corrupted gem, struggling to keep it at bay. Steven laughed and leaned over. With one sharp breath, he blew it out. Peridot narrowed her eyes at the roasted marshmallow, "Wow, thanks." She brought it to her mouth and gingerly took a bite testing its hardness with her teeth. Her eyes grew wide, "These confectionery puff rocks are amazing when heat is applied."

Steven laughed, "Yeah, they are." The pair took turns roasting marshmallows. Whenever Peridot would catch hers on fire, she would hold it up to Steven's mouth for him to blow it out. At last, when they had both made it halfway through the bag, they decided that it was enough.

Together they watched the snow fall outside, their backs against the crackling fire. After a few moments, Steven reached back and pulled out an old camera out of the red wagon. "Hey, I found something cool in Amethyst's room when I went to get the firewood." Steven held it up for Peridot to get a good look at it, "Check it out."

"A strange looking device. It has a lens. Is this some kind of surveillance equipment?" She asked.

"Well, you are sort of right. It's a camera. It takes pictures, but it doesn't upload them digitally. This one spits them out here at the bottom on a special film." Steven pointed to the horizontal opening that Peridot was now scrutinizing., "I figured we could take some pictures of this snow day or some of us."

Peridot grinned, "Yes! Another snow day activity to add to my accomplishments. What do we do?" Steven held out the camera to her. "Me?" She asked.

"Of course. I've taken pictures before. I want you to do it." Steven held the camera up to his eye, "You hold it like this, and when you see what you want to capture, you hit this button."

Peridot gasped, "Capture? I thought this tool was for data retention. It is also a containment cube?"

Steven grinned, "No, it's just a figure of speech."

Peridot took the camera in her hands, "Nyeheheh right."

"Try taking a picture of the fire. We want to remember your first one. Next time, I'll let you make it."

Peridot held the camera up to her eye and pointed it towards the stove. It clicked, and she flinched when the picture ejected. She pulled the photo out and watched the image slowly appear. She sucked in a breath, "This tool is amazing. This is like my log but with a permanent visual reference."

Steven sat back resting on his hands, "It must seem silly. Gems live for thousands of years, and humans are lucky to last for a hundred, yet we are the ones that have a tool to remind us what happened just ten or thirty years ago."

Peridot aimed the camera at him and peeked at him from around it, "I don't think it's silly. Maybe gems never had anything worth remembering." There was a click, and Steven pulled the picture out.

"You sound like a rebel." He said. He was clear in the picture, a half smile on his face. There was something in his eyes that he hadn't seen before, an intensity. He couldn't place it.

"That's me. A traitorous clod." She droned. After a moment she held out her hand and beckoned for the picture. "That's mine."

Steven smiled, "Oh alright, but you should be in one too. Let's get both of us. It's called a selfie." He took the camera and turned it backward, "Now you need to get in the shot with me. Come close, so it has both of us and smile."

Peridot came over and leaned into him pressing her arm against his. Steven angled the lens toward them. Her cheek pushed up against his as she brought their faces close and it was surprisingly soft. The other gems could alter their appearance. It wasn't like Peridot couldn't do the same. He smiled for the camera and could feel Peridot's cheeks rise against his to do the same. There was a click, and the camera spat out the photo. He held it up waiting for it to come together. Steven had given a pleasant smile. He had always been photogenic. He couldn't help but notice Peridot. She was smiling, but it wasn't at the camera. She was smiling at him. Her eyes were gazing to the side.

"That came out great!" Peridot beamed.

"Yeah...it did," Steven said taking one last look at it before placing it in her outstretched hand.

Peridot placed the picture on top of the stack that was now starting to grow. She held them in both her hands and rocked side to side smiling down at them. With a thumb, she rubbed the photo of both of them gently as if the image might disappear the same way that it had appeared.

"I know something that you're missing. You're going to need it for the winter trials." Steven said.

"I must have it." Peridot answered suddenly, "What is it?"

"Winter clothes. During the winter people put on thicker clothes and coats to keep them warm when they aren't around fires. I know you don't get cold, but you can look the part. Even Pearl has her Christmas scarf she likes to wear during this time of year and Amethyst has her earmuffs."

"Of course. A new uniform. I could change this?" She pointed to her v-neck outfit.

"I had something else in mind. I have a blue sweater with stars on it. I've outgrown it, but I bet you would fit in it perfectly. I think it would look great."

"Finally! I was wondering where I would put the star. Now I get to have a bunch of stars! Nyeheheh. How many? More than the other clods?" Peridot leaped up and was waiting for Steven to show her.

He stood up and chuckled, "Yeah. It does have more than all of them. I'll show you." He made his way up the stairs. The small green gem followed closely behind giggling with anticipation. Steven went to his closet and flipped through his t-shirts. It must be toward the back. He hadn't worn it in a long time. He moved his clothes to one side and reached toward the back. The sweater was still there, beside it was his pink puffer jacket.

Peridot held her hands together in front of her chest as if to silently clap, "It's perfect. The number of stars on this personal temperature optimizer will certainly prove that I am the most loyal!"

"Let's see if it fits first."

Peridot held the sweater in her hands making jittery squeals of excitement. She held it above her head, and he watched her hips wiggle from side to side as she put it on. To Steven's surprise, her hair offered no resistance as she popped her head through. It snapped into its previous pointy form instantly. "So? How do I look?"

Steven's throat went dry again. Even though Peridot didn't know the first thing about modeling a piece of clothing, she looked cute standing there waiting for his verdict. The sweater was a bit baggy on her, and the sleeves hung a few inches over her wrists, but it only served to make it that much more endearing. She scrunched her lips together.

"You better not call me cute again." She warned.

"I was going to say...adorable," Steven said.

Peridot groaned, "I didn't think it could get worse."

"What? That's not a bad thing."

"Yes, it is. I don't want to be cute. Young doglings are cute." She grumbled.

"Well then, what do you want to be?" Steven asked.

Peridot turned her eyes up in thought for a moment and then replied, "Imposing. Profound! Extraordinary!"

He put his hands on her shoulders, "You are extraordinary Peridot."

"You're just saying that." She said. She looked down and adjusted her sleeves so that her hands poked through.

Steven smiled awkwardly, "Can't you be both? Adorably imposing?"

"Ugh, I suppose. It is technically a compliment after all." She held her face up to him, holding her head to the side with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. The way she looked at him froze him in place. A gleam of something playful flashed across her eyes, and there was something else there too. A hint of submission. She stood by to react to him. All day it had been there hiding in the background, but it was plain to him now. Steven couldn't believe he hadn't caught it until now. Peridot had always been a bit bossy. She tried to take charge of every mission they had gone on since she arrived. The other gems were barely able to control her, and she rarely listened to them or their instruction. But she hadn't acted that way with him.

Steven scratched the back of his head, "You're all dressed to go outside and see the snow. When the gems get back, I can show you a bunch of stuff we do outside in the winter. For now, I figured you at least want to get used to it before they get here."

Peridot nodded her head. She let him take her hand, lead her down the stairs, and when he stepped through the door and onto the deck, she followed. It was beautiful. A small layer of white fluff covered everything. The ground crunched underneath her feet. She lifted one foot up and stomped down a few times to make the crunch sound again, giggling when it worked.

"Pretty cool huh?" Steven asked.

"This is even better than the rain! Prettier too." She wobbled over to the railing. Peridot put her hands on the railing sinking her fingertips into the slush with a childish grin. Steven appeared beside her, and both of them took in the view in silence. The temple had always felt disconnected from the rest of the town, but now a more profound peace had settled over everything.

"Steven?" Peridot asked. The sound of her voice cleared the silence as if it was the only sound made for miles.

He turned to her to answer but before he could Peridot grabbed both of his arms and pulled the two of them close. She was standing on the tip of her toes so that their faces were inches apart. He closed his eyes expecting the crash of the gem's lips against his own. Her small nose nudged into his and after a few moments, he opened his eyes. Their lips hadn't touched. The only thing between them was a little cloud of smoke from their breath intermingling. Peridot stared back at him. She had removed her visor, and now only her blue eyes twinkled back at him, they were the same color as her sweater. She had kept her eyes open all this time. In them, Steven recognized the same look she had given him back in his bedroom. Her cheeks turned a dark green, and she pulled away.

"I'm sorry...I saw Pierre do this when he wanted to show someone they were special to him." She stammered.

Steven couldn't laugh. As hilarious as Peridot's attempt at kissing was, he could tell that everything hinged on his next reaction to her. He had never seen her be more sincere.

He smiled, "You don't have to apologize. It's called kissing. You had everything right except one thing. You have to put your lips on theirs." Steven wrapped his arms around her waist. Peridot's blue eyes blinked up at him, and she brought her hands up to his neck. She leaned back into his arms as if to surrender entirely to his wishes. He wasn't sure what it was about the way she was acting, but he felt a raw energy surge through him every time she did. He leaned in, and their faces hovered near each other before he pressed his lips against Peridot's. She didn't pull away but instead pushed her lips even harder against his own. Her lips felt warm against the contrast of the cold air around them. His whole body flushed with heat, and he half expected for them to be surrounded in one of his bubbles when he finally opened his eyes. It felt like a spark had jumped between the two of them. Steven had to pull away for a breath. When their lips parted, Peridot moved with him a few inches as if whatever had drawn her to him was still coaxing her.

"That was much better." She said bringing a few fingers up to her lips.

"What did that mean for you?" Steven asked.

Peridot pushed the sleeves of her sweater up that had fallen over her hands, "You're special to me. Like my Diamond was. But you treat me better, and I have fun with you." She put a hand on her other arm, "I could be your Peridot just as I was Yellow Diamonds. If you will accept me."

Steven rested against the railing of the deck. He had to hold onto something, or he would float away. No one had ever spoken to him like she was now. It felt intoxicating. His Peridot. His heart skipped a beat at the words. The way she had looked at him was burned into his mind; he didn't need to see her to know that she was looking at him now like that again. But it felt different to him, and he had a feeling that it was unusual for Peridot too. She was carrying a diamond sized hole in her heart.

"Do you want to replace Yellow Diamond with me? Is that what you're looking for? Someone to tell you what to do? Give you orders?" He asked.

"No Steven...that's not it." She replied. She whimpered struggling for the right words when she needed them the most.

"Then what is it?!" He shouted.

Peridot shrunk away and clasped her hands together, the bottom of her lip trembling, she was on the verge of tears, "Because you are the only thing on this planet that always makes sense to me."

Steven's features suddenly relaxed, "Peridot…"

"You don't feel the same." She tried to finish for him. She crossed her arms.

He put a hand on her arm, "No...I do feel the same Peridot…"

Despite what he had said or his touch she took a moment to process the words as if running them through a special Peridot scanner in her head. When she got the results back, she suddenly gasped and jerked back. She looked down at his hand on her arm and then back up at him confused. She hadn't been prepared for that answer, "You…"

Behind them, the warp pad sent out a beam of light and a blast of sound. The gems were back. With a flick of her hand, Peridot put her visor back on. The bottom covered part of a light green blush, the heat leaving her cheeks. Her words were still circling in Steven's head. He wondered if the gems would ever get to see the Peridot he had just met. Those blue eyes had offered him loyalty higher than she had ever provided to any Diamond. Could he even handle that? What had she really offered him?

"You're special to me too, Peridot. I just want you to like me for the right reasons." Steven said in a low tone.

Peridot raised her fists up towards the door shaking them and growled as if it would keep the other gems at bay while she explained herself thoroughly. She spun back around to him, her face falling at the realization that it wouldn't happen. She stood trapped between the moment with him and the next one that lie behind the door at her back. Peridot bit the side of her lip, "We can talk later?"

Steven nodded.

"Steeeeeeeeee-maaaaaaaan, we're back bro. Where you at?"