The rest of the day carried on uneventfully for the most part, but it was pretty clear that Steven was still quite bothered by what he'd supposedly seen.

The whole time, he seemed quiet, contemplative and on edge, even to the point where he almost couldn't eat lunch and dinner. It didn't help that the gems chose to brush off this behavior, claiming it was merely a hallucination caused by his hayfever. Seemed kind of aloof of them to brush this kind of thing off, but then again, his vision at the time was affected by the pollen.

A good night's sleep should help him...

That night, after giving Steven some chamomile tea to help him relax, you tucked him into bed and put spinel to sleep on the couch.

It was then you decided it was high time to inspect what trinkets Rose has left behind for you.

You sat near the couch, holding the box in your paws. Now that you had a chance to actually hold it, you realized that it actually felt quite weighted. As heavy as a book or two. You hummed, giving it a light shake, hearing a few things rattle inside. You read the label once again. Wonder what Rose could've possibly collected for me...

You huffed through your nostrils, sparing a glance up at the portrait before picking at the tape that kept the lid in place.

"Uhm... hey, (name)?"

You paused at a tiny voice whispering from a top the loft. Looking up, you saw a pair of anxious dark brown eyes peering down at you.

"Can... you come up here? Please?"

Furrowing your brow in concern, You set aside the box and quietly made your way up the stairs and scooped him up. You felt that he was still very tense, and you frowned.

"Something wrong, sweets?" You asked softly, walking back over to his bed and sitting down at the edge.

"I... can't sleep." He mumbles, pressing his face into your soft fur.

"Oh...? What's the matter?" You knew what it likely was, but you still felt the need to ask.

"It's-"

A light suddenly comes over the both of you, causing the boy to yelp and press himself deeper into you. Looking over at the source, you saw a familiar purple gem rummaging through the fridge.

Spinel was roused awake from the sudden sound and pushed herself up from the couch, squinting her eyes against the bright light. "Mmh... Ameythyst...?"

Ameythyst turned at the sound of her name, innocently munching on the foodstuffs she got her hands on.

"Hey Spins! Want some macaroni cheese?" She offered, messily chewing through said food.

"Mmm... no thank you." Spinel muttered, turning around and pulling the blanket over her shoulder, swiftly falling back asleep.

Ameythyst shrugs, and started to walk to her room, before she notices you up in the loft with Steven clinging to you as he sighed in both irritation and relief. "Yo, Mama B whatcha doing up there?"

"Steven can't sleep." You said, rocking Steven slightly.

"Why?" Ameythyst lifted her brow. "Is he scared of that thing he saw warping right into the house and attacking him in his sleep!?"

You felt the boy tense up in your grip. "...No?"

You growled. "Not cool, Ameythyst."

"Just jokin' around!" Ameythyst shrugs again, walking back to her room, but before she enters she turns back for one last taunt; "Nighty night! Don't let the warp monster bite!"

"Ameythyst-!" Her room doors close behind her, leaving you both in silence once again.

You groaned. These gems may be his guardian, but they sure don't know how to cater to emotions well. "Give (Name) a moment."

You sat Steven on his bed, and walked over to the kitchen and open the fridge. After checking the expiration date, you poured a small cup of milk and put it in the microwave for a few minutes.

"Wh-What're you-?"

"Don't listen to Ameythyst." You interrupted Steven's question, taking the now warm cup out. "Nothing will come through the warp."

You carefully walked up the stairs and handed Steven the cup of warm milk. Steven looks down at the cup, looking mildly surprised before looking up at you. "And if anything does, (name) will be there to stop them."

He stared at you for a lengthy period of time, almost astonished.

"Drink up. (Name) will spend the night up here if it makes Steven feel better. Okay?"

Slowly, he smiles and nods, swiftly drinking up his glass of warm milk and snuggling back up in his bed.

You pressed a kiss into his forehead. "Goodnight, Dewdrop."

"Nighty night!" He seemed chipper as he snuggled back up in bed, smiling as he finally let himself fall asleep.

You sat there watching his sleeping form until you heard faint snores come from him.

With a sigh, you circled the spot beside his bed and curled up on the floor. You tried to let yourself sleep, but now all's you could think about was Ameythyst's taunt.

What if something actually did warp here? What if we actually got attacked?

You clenched your eyes shut in a last ditch effort to take your mind off those troubling thoughts, but you finally gave up, snapping open with a huff.

Looks like I'm not sleeping, tonight. You thought with resignation as you kept your eyes on the warp room doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~~

"(Name)? (Name), wake up. We have a surprise for you."

You felt a light tapping on your muzzle, which pulled you out of your sleeping trance. Your eyes fluttered, and you had to squint against the very bright light that filled the room. It didn't take you long to realize that you had somehow fallen asleep during the night. Well. I guess this earthly sleeping is really starting to wear on me now, huh? You thought with a grump rumbled softly in your throat, slowly lifting your head and rubbing your eyes.

Ugh. When did I even lose consciousness? What time is it, even?

Better yet, where's-?

Your nostrils flared as a sweet scent wafted the air. Namely in front of you.

Blinking your eyes a few times, you found a chocolate chip cookie being held in front of you by pearl. You smiled and took the offered cookie into your mouth, humming in delight at the taste.

You peered down from the loft, and found garnet holding a tray of fresh cookies, with spinel and amethyst munching on them as well.

"Good morning mama!" Spinel chirped cheerily upon seeing she had your attention. "Ya scared me this morning, I couldn't find ya!"

"Sorry about that," Turning your head, you saw Steven sitting on your back, enjoying a cookie himself. He seemed rested, but he did still look a bit on edge.

"Steven just had trouble getting to sleep last night."

"Oh steven!" Pearl scoffed. "This isn't about the thing you think you saw in the warp stream yesterday, was it?"

Steven furrowed his brow. "It was real!" He exclaimed, now appearing frustrated. "Something was warping somewhere in the warp!"

"Listen," Pearl suddenly places both her hands in his cheeks, making him look at her. "Nothing on earth can use the warps but us. Do you understand?"

Steven averts her gaze.

"Steven, nod in agreement if you understand."

Your eyes flickered between Pearl and Steven, suddenly feeling a sharp flicker in your chest. He looked dejected. Why was she even speaking to him like that to begin with?

"Nod in agreement-"

Your midarm came up and gripped pearl's wrist, startling her into looking at you.

"Don't talk to him like he's an animal, pearl." Your voice came out hard and cold. "If he feels there's something out there, then take his feelings into consideration."

Pearl blinked. She looked shocked at your reaction. "I-I-I wasn't-- He- I just"

"I'm confident pearl is right." Garnet speaks up quickly. "But if it'll make him feel better, we can just go check."

You nodded and grunted, releasing pearl's wrist. "Good."

As pearl rubbed her wrist, shuddering as she backed away from you, Steven felt a light smile brighten his face as he took another bite of his cookie.