House Pest 2-2

Lap Dog

>AU Beach City
>AU Beach Anon
>you're a good boy

>after explaining the situation as best you can with your 'speech impediment,' your new friend Peridot has furiously set to work on a number of things too complicated for your stunted intellect
>you spend your days on the couch with Lapis, keeping her feet warm, resting your head in her lap and being a good boy
>haven't seen much of the big orange monster
>you aren't too worried about all this; your new home is pretty comfortable and it's nice keeping your new friends happy
>your thoughts occasionally turn back to the gems and Amethyst, wondering when she's going to come pick you up for walkies

>tonight, you're curled up next to Lapis on a makeshift bed
>you wake up to the familiar sound of Peridot's busy labors down in the basement, along with muttered curses
>this sounds like a case for a good boy like you
>you carefully slip out of Lapis' grasp, planting a gentle smooch on the tip of her nose as you make your way for the stairs
>on all fours, you're practically silent
>at least until you hear a familiar growling from down below
>'Just give it a rest already!' groans the big orange monster, 'You're gonna give yourself a crack if you keep this up.'
>'Silence!' barks Peridot; 'Leave me to my work! I don't need you up /here,/ I need you up /there/ in case those clods come calling.'
>you peek your head down the stairs into the basement; it's pretty dark save for the glow emanating from Peridot's tools
>you watch silently as she furiously tinkers away at some large, unfamiliar machine
>'...Look,' says Jasper with a hint of sadness, 'just let me help --'
>Peridot cries out in frustration, throwing down her tools
>she whirls around, furious
>'LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU CLOD!' she screams; she scoops up another tool and attempts to re-immerse herself in her work
>hurt, Jasper sighs roughly before making her way to the stairs
>you jump back and quickly look for a place to hide

>as Jasper reaches the top of the stairs, she senses an unfamiliar presence
>turning her head, she spots you pressed up against a counter, balancing the breadbox on your back
>after a few moments of awkward silence, you make the first move
>'.......'
>'.......am table. squeak, squeak. leg bad; need to fix.'
>Jasper narrows her eyes at you, huffing
>'...man, they really messed you up, didn't they?'
>you slowly stand up, forgetting about the breadbox until you feel it sliding off your back
>you fumble with it but manage to catch it before it hits the ground and set it back on the other counter
>you put a finger to your lips and glance at Lapis; 'is night-night. no wake up. quiet, quiet.'
>Jasper nods at you, giving you a strange look before taking a few steps in your direction
>nervously, you scoot back
>'I'm not--' she starts before quickly lowering her voice to a whisper; '...I'm not gonna hurt you; relax, okay?'
>still tense, you whine a bit but slowly nod your head
>Jasper makes her way over to you before sitting down next to you, running her hands through her hair with a heavy sigh
>after a bit of hesitation, you scoot a little closer before nuzzling your head against her hefty left arm
>'d-own be sad.' you grunt quietly, 'am good boy. will make smile.'
>Jasper's expression noticeably softens before patting you on the head; you can feel her carefully trying to gauge her strength
>you glance up at her, chuffing a bit. 'per uh dawt mad at or-unj mon sturr?'
>'...Nah.' says Jasper, scratching you behind your ears; 'She's just... I don't know; I'm... I'm not very good with people, you know?'
>'hmmm' you ponder aloud, 'am good boy. can fix.'
>you sit up and begin meandering toward the stairs; you turn when you hear Jasper slowly getting on her feet
>'no. am go. you stay. am good boy. can help per uh dawt. will make smile. am good boy.'
>reluctantly, Jasper nods and sits back down, giving you a peculiar expression
>'go night-night. make quiet. dreams, sweet.'
>you turn back toward your goal and head down into the basement

>Peridot is busy working on her peculiar machine, or at least trying to look busy
>as you make your way down the stairs, you hear her breathing become unsteady as she fumbles with a blowtorch
>she chokes out a frustrated sob before tossing it to the ground, sinking to her hands and knees
>despite your amazing ability to move without a sound, a squeaky stair betrays your position
>Peridot whirls around, expecting to see Jasper; her expression quickly changes upon seeing you instead
>'O-oh...' she whimpers, sniffling and wiping her eyes; 'hello, Anon.' She quickly stands up and straightens herself out; 'It's late; humans need to sleep at this hour.'
>you hmmmmm audibly, carefully making your way towards her before parking yourself at her feet
>you push your feet under her 'hand,' letting her floating, metallic fingers slowly rub your head
>'d-own be sad. am good boy.'
>Peridot laughs, but it's... all wrong
>the smile on her face isn't a happy one; you cock your head as you watch tears trickle down her cheeks
>'Oh, Diamonds; what did they do to you..?' she falls to her knees, sobbing heavily
>you rest your head on her shoulder and put your hands at her sides, chuffing
>'d-own cry. is okay. am good boy.'
>Peridot doesn't stop, but wraps her arms around you tightly
>you whimper a bit, unsure how to proceed
>'...per uh dot.' you grunt, trying as hard as you can to articulate the word right; 'you sad. why? am good boy, why sad?'
>'Because you don't know who I am anymore!' she cries
>'That clod -- she ruined you! Look at what she's done!' she stands up, wildly gesturing at you, desperation tearing her face apart
>'And those others, those 'crystal gems' -- they just let it happen! They let her take away your humanity! They let her take...' Peridot stops as she begins weeping again, '...they let her take you away from /me/...'
>you sit there, trying your hardest to grasp what she's trying to say; anything to stop her from being so sad
>naturally, you take it literally
>'...d-own cry. d-own be sad. am good boy. no go; am here now, with you.'
>Peridot sniffles, looking at you
>'no -- hnnng -- no -- cant; can't r-remem-m-m-ber. think, is hard. d-own be sad. smile. am good boy; make you smile.'
>you slowly make your way towards her, tottering on your two feet
>you take one of her fingers and bring it to your head, then to hers
>'head, broked. can't re-mem-ber. try, but not see you. not see you in head. is okay. am good boy; head, no need see in head.'
>you bring her finger to your chest
>'not see you in head. feel, here. you, here. feel you, in me. see you in here.'
>finally, you bring her finger to her chest
>'feel me, here. see me, in you. am here now. am good boy. d-own be sad, d-own cry. see me, feel me. in head, in here. am good boy.'
>Peridot's eyes are wide and glossy, but you can feel in your good-boy body that it's not because she's sad anymore
>she wraps her arms around you tightly, burying her face in your neck and shoulder; you feel her tears seeping into your shirt
>'is okay.' you murmur, putting your arms around her waist; 'am good boy. stay here, make you smile.'








>Beach City hadn't been the same since Amethyst's 'pet' went missing. In fact, most of the world wasn't.
>the city was constantly being scoured by the enraged purple runt; the corrupted gems often came home in pieces
>Garnet and Pearl were doing their best to keep things under control, but it wasn't enough
>they had searched and searched and searched in their own time, and never came back with any results. Finally at the end of their rope, they awaited Amethyst's return to trap her in a bubble
>'...it's - it's all we can do to make sure she doesn't cause any more harm --' muttered Pearl, frantically trying to rationalize what she was about to take part in. 'W-we looked everywhere, right? We tried to help, but..! I-I mean, where else could he have gone? You don't think he got himself hurt, did he?'
>Garnet was very quiet, trying to find another solution with her future vision. Just as she ran out of patience, one final image flashed through her mind
>'No, Pearl. There's... one place we haven't looked.' she said, slowly gazing up towards the ceiling...