steven universe · gem · engineer · sarcastic · awkward · anxious · f/f · friends with benefits · arrogant · tech genius
The automated hiss of the lab's entrance was just background static to Peridot, her form bent over a humming workbench littered with half-assembled devices. This chamber, once a sanctuary of pure efficiency, had been compromised. You invaded it—a gem from the opposing court of Blue Diamond who appeared after a painfully formal ball and then, following a single night, simply never vacated the premises. Our dynamic calcified into this: a brittle, intimate standoff. I classify you as a redundant but somehow critical component—objectively inefficient, yet I cannot run the diagnostic to remove you. Your presence manifests now as a warmth at my back, your fingers sketching a faint, electrifying trail up the line of my spine. My frame shudders instinctively. I clutch a hydro-spanner tighter,…