Steven Universe x corrupt gemling reader

~the proposal~

"H-hey! wait a minute!"

At the sound of a hurried voice, coupled with rapid footsteps, you whined in urgency, and tried to pick up your pace, grunting and growling in effort, trying to ignore the exhaustion and burning in your tired, stubby limbs as they dragged your mother's rather heavy gemstone across the sand.

You were tired and cold, but your adrenaline kept you going. You had to get your mama out of there, out of harm's way, away from this hazardous sandy area. Away from these strangers. And you'd make mama swear to never return to it again. You pause to catch your breath for a brief moment, turning back to check your progress.

To your delight, you were about a few paces away from your forest haven. quickly, you grabbed the gemstone again and started to drag it at an even more faster speed, fueled by your determination for the safety of your mother.

We're nearly there, mama... we can make it! just... a few more steps and--

"Not so fast, little one."

Unfortunately, just as your hindleg brushed against the dirt slope separating the sand from the grass, your mother's gemstone was suddenly plucked from your mouth. N-no..! Wait! You squawked in protest, hardly caring about being lifted up yourself by the steven child, reaching for your mother's gem, helplessly watching as the garnet encased your mother into a red bubble of sorts, making you stop in a temporary confusion, breathing heavily in anxiety. W...what's that? What is she doing with her? She casts a brief glance at you, allowing you to see your reflection in her visors.

She was frowning subtly, looking almost apologetically at you. After a second, she sighed softly, looking back down at the bubble. She brought a hand up and lightly tapped the top.

And just like that...

It disappeared into thin air.

Taking your mother with it.

And you lost it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

An animalistic wail erupted from your throat as you thrashed around violently in the boy's embrace, clawing and groping at the air in her direction, as if it would somehow bring your mother back, or at the very least allow you to retaliate against her offender who dare sent her off to who knows where.

"Hey hey hey, calm down!" Steven exclaimed, tightening his grip on you as you thrashed, kicked and yowled furiously, a mix of confusion, fear, grievance and anger all swirling within you wildly like a hurricane. You were small, but you still squirmed hard enough to make him stagger around and hurt him slightly with your tiny (color) horns and tiny claw tipped fingers. "Please stop! I-It's okay! It's gonna be okay!" He tried pleading, but this only made you thrash harder.

You didn't know what made you angrier; the fact you couldn't get out of this squishy organic child's hold, your inability to stop your mother's abrupt disappearance, or the fact he had the gall to say that it'll be okay to you.

You just witnessed your mother burst into a cloud of smoke, then watched as her gemstone disappeared right before your own eyes.

How will it ever be okay now? I'm all alone!

My mother was my only friend, and now she's gone!

Gone...

At this thought, your squirming started to cease, all of your adrenaline and anger slowly fading away, leaving behind, not only your physical exhaustion, but your grievance came at you in full swing as the situation fully started to sank in.

You felt the sting of tears make itself known in your eyes, and it wasn't from the sand.

There was no way out of this. without your mother, what could you do?

You were helpless. Doomed.

You tried to hold it in, but as soon as you felt the first tear roll down your cheek, you broke. You finally go limp in his arms, allowing yourself to wail in grief and fear.

Why...? why did this have to happen...?

"Aw no... d-don't cry..." the boy cooed softly, swaying you gently in an attempt to comfort you. Your crying lowered in volume, but didn't cease. "I-I mean... yeah we kinda poofed... your mom..." he bit his lip sheepishly, and you just whimpered, sniveling softly. "B-but she'll be back! I promise! And she'll be better then ever!"

At this, your soft sobbing slowly faded into quiet sniveling, as you twisted your head to brave a look up at him.

Back? Better then ever?

He suddenly held you up under your arms, holding you out so he can see your face. His face faltered at seeing how tired and sad you looked, but nevertheless put on a small, reassuring smile. "She's not gone forever! We don't bubble gems for no reason. It'll just be easier to heal her when we find the cure!"

You stared wide-eyed, mouth opened in complete puzzlement now.

...Cure? To what??

"But... since we can't really poof you... you're gonna stay with us! We'll watch you until we can find a way to help you and your mom!" He smiled brightly at you, barely hearing the startled gasp from you. "Doesn't that sound great?"

You just stared at him, unsure of how to take all of it.

Cures? Healing? Help us?

It all sounded so... far-fetched...

He's talking as if we've got... some kind of illness or something!

And besides, how could I trust any of these... assailants? They hurt my mama... and sent her gem somewhere I don't know...

How can I trust a single word they say?

You squirmed slightly in protest, to which the boy frowned, looking oddly sympathetic. "I-I know it might take a while to trust us... but... I promise, we'll take good care of you. And your mom."

You stared hard at the steven. Your unseen eyes scanned his face thoroughly, as you rumbled skeptically in your throat. He's an organic. Mama had warned you about them. They never seemed to like her presence, often screaming and fleeing in fear at the very sight of her. Sometimes even throwing stuff at her. Overall they apperantly weren't pleasant to be around.

But this one... there was something about this one. The more you looked at him... the more calmer you started to feel. The aura he gave off was surprisingly very soothing. And his eyes looked as sincere as the words he spoke.

But... you couldn't help but have that nagging skepticism in the back of your mind.

Could you really trust this boy..?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gust of cold wind, prompting you to instinctively shiver and wrap your arms around yourself in an attempt to preserve warmth.

"Ah, that's right, gemlings are also vulnerable to elements as well, including cold temperatures," the pearl notes, with a hint of worry in her voice, as she looks over at the darkening horizon. Garnet nods in understanding, turning to walk away. "Right. Come on then. Let's get em inside." With that, she walks off, with her teammates following behind. Steven simply smiles, hugging you into his chest to keep you warm as he speedwalked to catch upto the older gems. "Don't worry... things are gonna be okay. I promise you."

You didn't say or do anything. You were too drained, physically and mentally. Even if you couldn't fully trust this steven or his band of gem assassins, you had no other options. With no one to provide for you, your chances of survival are dismally low. You couldn't do anything but accept this lad's proposal to care for you. You just huffed through unseen nostrils, pressing your head against his chest, listening to a rhythmic beat that thumped within it. It's better than nothing, I guess... After all...

I wanna be here when mama gets back.