(Alternate) Steven Universe x Corrupt gem reader Insert

part 129: Hard Work

You awoke with a gruff snort, feeling something cold press again your cheek. Cracking an eye open, you find lion standing in front of you. You had to squint against the early morning sunlight glinting off the shiny wood floors to see that he was holding a (fruit) in his mouth.

"Hrm... Lion..." You greeted softly, slowly raising your head to greet him with a tired smile and soft pat on the head. "Good morning." He grumbled in return dropping the (fruit) at your forepaws and giving you a soft nudge against your muzzle. "Thanks."

You were about to take a bite of your offering until a bright, cheery voice greeted you from the kitchen.

"Good Morning, (Name)!"

"Wh-Wha...?" You blurted in startlement, dropping your (fruit) as you peered behind lion and was surprised to find Steven, Spinel and Amethyst already sitting at the bar stool. Pearl was already in the kitchen, pouring a cup of (morning drink) for you.

"Bout' time ya got up, Mama G!" Amethyst laughed, as you somewhat quickly arose to your paws and hooves, stumbling slightly as you did. "We were waitin' on ya!"

"Mmm... Why wait on (Name)? Spinel, Steven and Amethyst can eat without her." You said, pausing for a moment to stretch out all of your limbs with a long, weary yawn.

"It's better to have breakfast with you." Spinel cheered kicking her legs excitedly. "Besides, you're the one that makes the best kinds of breakfast!"

"Yeah! Plus it's really cool watching you make stuff," Steven adds. "It's like watching a professional fluffy chef at work!"

You chuckled softly, shaking yourself off and lumbering towards the kitchen. "(Name) only wants the best for her family."

Pearl smiled as you pulled yourself up onto your hind legs. "We really do appreciate your efforts, (name)." She says handing you your cup of (morning drink).

"Does anyone want anything specific?" You asked, taking a sip of your drink as you opened the cupboards.

"I'm down to whatever ya make, Fluffy G!" Amethyst shrugged. "It's gonna be good either way!"

"Yeah!" Spinel and Steven cheered enthusiastically, making you snicker quietly to yourself.

"Well then... French toast it is, then. You snickered, putting your mug into a midpaw as you started rummaging through the cupboards. "With bacon and eggs of course."

You smiled when you heard the three cheer behind you as you gathered your ingredients. "Can Pearl get the eggs and bacon out of the fridge, please?"

As Pearl assisted in gathering the ingredients, you heard the Temple Doors open as Garnet exited her room, as cavalier as ever. "Morning, everyone."

"Hi, Garnet!" Steven and Spinel spoke in cheerful unison, with Amethyst giving a lazy "yo" and wave.

"Good Morning, Garnet." You and Pearl said as you stirred the batter and Pearl laid out the rest of the ingredients and put the needed pans on the stove. "What's today's schedule?"

Garnet putting a finger to the rim of her visor and hummed. "...it's gonna be a rainy day today."

"What?" Spinel and Steven looked startled as you turned away from your task to look at her with a raised brow. "Really?"

"Mhm." She was silent for a minute then turned to you. "No big missions for today."

You were inwardly relieved, but Steven and Spinel slumped in their seats with a disappointed 'aww...'

"Why can't we go on missions?" Spinel pouted, crossing her arms. "It's not like it's gonna hurt us or anythin'... it's just water, ain't it?"

"Well, water makes things slippery, spinel." Pearl explained, idly watching as you put the ingredients in their respective pans. "And we can't focus on missions if we're slipping all over the place."

"And Steven might catch a cold." You added, flipping the bacon as well as the battered bread. "Or get hurt multiple times. By slipping."

You heard a defeated groan from the duo behind you, as you idly turned your head to look up at the ceiling, where the robonoid had spontaneously dropped through. You winced upon seeing the semi-large hole that was still there. "Mm... remind (Name) to patch that hole up. Wouldn't want anyone slipping in the house."

"Will do." Pearl agreed as she set out the places, glancing up at the ceiling herself. She sneered at it in discomfort, before looking back down at her tasks. "I still can't believe that thing came through the roof of a places..." she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

You hummed softly, sparing a glance over your shoulder at Steven and Spinel, who were quietly playing rock, paper, scissors with each other. "We're just lucky it didn't hit anyone important."

Pearl must have sensed your tension because you felt her hand on your shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll just take it easy for today..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later after breakfast, Steven and Spinel had gone to play outside while it was still dry out with Garnet and Lion keeping watch of them while you got to working on mending the hole in the roof.

Thankfully, the hole wasn't too big, but you needed to replace some of the damaged roof shingles and splintered wood planks. It was a rather lengthy process, but after an hour or so, you sighed and pulled your Goggles up from your eyes, sitting back on your hocks to study your handiwork. Aside from the slight discoloration of the new roof shingles, the hole was so perfectly mended that one wouldn't know that anything had fallen through it in the first place.

Woth a huff, you climbed down from the roof, leaning against the porch railing with a groan as you brushed your bangs away from your sweat slick forehead.

"(Name)?"

You looked over your shoulder to see Pearl walk up to you, handing a large glass of lemonade. "Hello, Pearl."

"Are... you finished with the roof?" She asked tentatively. You took a long sip of your drink, sighing at the refreshing coolness. "Yup. Finally."

"It really is impressive; how you crafted those shingles with materials from the barn." Pearl commented, leaning against the railing beside you. "But... don't you think it would have been easier to just nail some planks over that hole?"

"That wouldn't have been enough. It still would have caused leaks. And (Name) doesn't want anyone slipping." You replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, a little extra work never hurt. Hard work builds character."

"Well, you have a point there..." Pearl chuckled idly, staring out at the beach. "It certainly did build you."

You chuckled softly, but flinched as a drop of water came landed on your muzzle. You looked up, and was startled to find a the sky has turned a darker grey.

"Uh-oh. Just in time." You noted, turning to face the horizon where Steven and Spinel were running. "Steven! Spinny! Time to come inside!"

As you walked off the porch to gather the two gemlings, Pearl stood there and watched with a thoughtful look on her face.

She then sighed softly to herself before walking into the Beach House.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Course I had to return with this.

But now you should know the episode starts next chapter.

For real this time-