The Long Way Home(Doctor Who/Steven Universe crossover)

Fault Lines

The Doctor was hunched over on the cold, hard floor, his head dangling listlessly. His legs were crossed and his face was straight. Pearl watched him with a frenzied, hard look as she stood up straight.
"You're giving up? You're giving up now?"

"Jumping to conclusions, are we?", the Doctor responded with a toneless voice. "That Grey Diamond never specified what would happen to us. Perhaps she'll send us off with a pat on the head and a warning."

Pearl tugged at her hair and wailed through her toothy grimace of a mouth as she ran towards the square wall to her left. She clawed at it, hoping that some kind of opening could be found. That she could find something to get the Doctor and her out of this trap, off of this Earth and back to her Earth. After she'd used up all her fury, however, Pearl felt her insides sink as she slid down the wall and onto the floor, tears beginning to form.

"This is my fault...", Pearl croaked.
"Pearl, just be quite. This is not anybody's fault," the Doctor interjected. "Sometimes things just don't go according to plan-"
"I caused this", Pearl shouted, picking herself up. "You heard what Grey Diamond said. Everything here-everything that happened to the Earth...this Earth, I mean. I wasn't here to stop Grey Diamond- to save my friends..." Just like that, tears were raining down Pearl's pale cheeks. "Now, I've gotten us both trapped again as well, because I got too reckless. I thought I could do it again- be the Pearl that I was during the Rebellion-". All at once, Pearl silenced herself when she looked at the Doctor, staring indifferently back at her and brushed her tears away with a huff.

Pearl sat herself down and hugged her knees, the Doctor lifted his head. One more look at the crying Gem and the Doctor knew that there wasn't much more he could do here. Or was there. Slowly, the Doctor brought himself to his feet, before stepping towards Pearl at an even faster pace and sitting down right next to the distraught Pearl.

"I know what it feels like," he started in a hushed voice. Pearl turned her head to meet him. "And I'm not just saying that because you're feeling sad. I'm saying this because this is partially my fault. I'm the one with the time travelling phone box, after all. The guy who wandered off. Who didn't even have an answer for fixing his bloody TARDIS, so he just took off!" Pearl just looked somewhat confused now, prompting the Doctor to rub his temples and release a sad sigh. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry you took things the wrong way, with getting scooped up in my TARDIS and all."
Pearl's face now took on an irritated glance, before she turned her head away from the Doctor.

"Sorry. I'm not always so good at the whole 'encouragement' thing."

"What am I talking to you for?", grumbled Pearl. You're not the one who has to deal with being a Pearl. A Pearl who can't help anyone. You, you can just go wherever you want, to whichever Earth you came from and it wouldn't make a lick of difference."

"You know Pearl," the Doctor pressed in a low yet strong voice, "you may catch on quicker than most people who come across the TARDIS, but you're still the most difficult thing I've ever met."

Pearl responded with a shrug and "harrumph" still not looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor's face remained the same, but his voice began to rise. "That's all you've done this whole trip", he spoke. "Get all testy over every little mishap. Oh, I'm Pearl and my day has been soooo horrible." Pearl turned her eyes toward the Doctor a bit. "Earth is doomed and it's all the Doctor's fault, oh wait, it's my fault, because I'm just too weak. Everything is so hopeless, I can't even get this stupid old man to sit still. Aren't I just the saddest little thing in the whole bloody universe?!"

Pearl tossed her head around completely to face the Doctor with a disgusted snarl. "Hey, just because we're trapped doesn't give you the right to snap at me!"