Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe. Rebecca Sugar does. Any OC characters mentioned belong to me.

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Lapis had always loved the feeling of flying. That rush of air hitting your face, reaching out your hand to gently touch the passing leaves on the trees. She breathed in a huge gulp of air and let it out. Yes, there was nothing quite like it.

This was something she had often taken for granted before the war. Being trapped inside a mirror for six-thousand years really helped you gain a new perspective. Not to mention being buried under the ocean to keep a toxic fusion in check. She suppressed a shudder at the memory. It was all in the past now, the gem who had tormented her so long now nestled in the chest of another. Besides, she had Steven to thank for all of this. And, in a way, so did Destiny.

She ceased her aerial acrobatics, leveling out. Her sour thoughts came, unbidden, regarding the young gem-hybrid. She was just as surprised as everyone else at his decision to stop teaching at Little Homeschool. It seemed out of character for him to do. He loved helping people. What had changed? She wrapped her arms around herself. Since then, she had hardly seen the boy. He had become increasingly distant, even from the Crystal Gems. She wracked her brain about what could possibly be going on. Something was wrong.

If he was simply down in the dumps, maybe her and Peridot could come up with something to cheer him up. He always loved seeing what new concoction they had created. The blue gem smiled, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. She couldn't help but feel the butterflies beating their wings inside her whenever she thought of the small, spunky gem. She had to admit that she was growing more and more fond of her over these past few years. It was definitely a better relationship than with Jasper.

Her spirits lifted once again, she let out a "whoop!" of excitement. Diving down into another loop-the-loop. The leaves on the trees were a lush green, having just come in for spring. She couldn't wait for the fall, when they all started changing color and falling from their branches. Ever since Steven had shown her the world for the first time, she was mesmerized by all the yellows, reds, and browns, fluttering gracefully to the ground. It was from that moment on that autumn was her favorite season.

While diving below the tree cover, her joyful reverie was interrupted by something catching her eye. It moved quickly out of sight, whatever it was not detecting her presence. Lapis frowned. She wasn't far from Little Homeworld. If this was a corrupted gem they had somehow missed, she had to inform the others about it. Rising above the trees again, she was about to take off to raise the alarm, until she heard something unusual. A small sob.

That was odd. She had never heard of a crying corrupted gem before. Maybe they were hurt and needed help. Still, her gut warned her to air on the side of caution. Slowly and methodically, she soundlessly slipped between the branches, landing silently a few feet away from the noise. They were definitely sobbing, and the sound was louder this time. They were interrupted periodically by sharp inhales of breath, as if they were in pain. Lapis calmly walked forward towards the stranger, more confident that this person was injured.

She stopped in her tracks momentarily. She had caught a glimpse of deep purple, and a flash of pink. Now that she was closer, this person's voice was awfully familiar. She reached out a hand to part the underbrush blocking her view, hesitating. Gulping, she hoped that what she suspected wouldn't be what was waiting for her beyond the mass of greenery.

She hated being right sometimes. Especially now. Of course, she had no idea what a hybrid like Steven was capable of or susceptible to. She knew he had the powers of a Diamond, but his organic body kept him from destabilizing. But all of that was irrelevant. How could this have happened? How was it even possible?

She slowly approached the sobbing boy, who was crumpled down onto his knees at the base of a tree. He was using one of his arms to lean against the trunk and the other was wrapped around his middle, clutching at where his gem was hidden underneath his shirt. The cause of his suffering was clear all over his body. Patches of dark purple spots swarmed all over his skin, growing larger by the second. Crystallized horns curved up and out of his forehead, and two others sprouted from the base of his jowls, curving their way forward. Razor sharp spines had torn through the fabric of his sports jacket, running down his spine. His fingernails had lengthened into claws, the hand on the tree digging itself into its rough wood.

"Steven!" Lapis cried out in horror. The young hybrid snapped his head up at the sound of his name. The sweat dripping down his face mixed with the tears spilling from his eyes. The blue gem had to hold in a gasp at the sight of them. His pupils were diamond-shaped, surrounded by pink irises. His scleras had turned black. His expression devolved into terror at the sight of her. "No, stay back!" he cried. "Don't come near me!"

Lapis' initial shock and fear was replaced by heartbreak and panic. She rushed towards Steven, ignoring his plea. "What happened to you?" she asked, dropping to one knee directly in front of him. She reached out her hands to assess the boy's new developments, but she froze when he flinched away. The blue gem struggled to recall what Garnet had told her about corruption. She had described it as a tear in the mind, a physical manifestation of a gem's unstable emotional state. But Steven was only half-gem. Shouldn't his organic body keep him from corrupting? But as the thick, purple hide expanded over his skin, it was clear that it was possible. And she didn't know what to think.

Lapis lowered her hands, staring at Steven with a solemn expression. "Steven, what's wrong?" The boy flinched again before slowly looking up to meet her gaze. She suppressed a shudder at seeing his eyes again. She didn't know if she would ever get used to them. The young hybrid returned her stare for a few seconds before a fresh wave of tears cascaded down his cheeks. "I don't know!" he sobbed. "I thought I could... finally move on... from everything. But I keep screwing up. I can't stop thinking about Mom and the awful things she did. I tried the Diamond essence, I tried the fountain. Nothing's working! I just feel so... bad."

Lapis' expression softened as the boy broke down in front of her. She knew that Pink Diamond had made some... questionable decisions when she was alive. Whether she had anticipated these consequences or not, it didn't matter to her. All of it was in the past, a memory. But she had no idea that Steven had been holding this in for so long. And now that it had come to this, she felt resentment for the former matriarch boiling inside her. Intentional or not, her son was suffering because of her selfish actions.

Suddenly, Steven started to scream, clutching at his head. Her hands hovered over his form, hesitant to touch him. "Steven?! What's happening?!" He was in too much pain to answer her. He doubled over, head pressed against the ground. Lapis watched in horror as a lump began to form at the base of his back. Steven wailed in pain as a tail burst out from his skin, covered in the same hide coating his skin. It twitched back and forth sporadically, the boy whimpering from the effects of this new development.

Lapis could feel the beginnings of despair creeping in. She squashed it firmly under her metaphorical heel. Her fists clenched. This was only getting worse. Steven didn't have much time left. She startled as the young hybrid pushed himself upright, trembling. The tears were like rivers flowing down his cheeks. He looked at her with unnatural, pleading eyes. "I'm scared, Lapis," he said. He sounded like a young child, desperately grabbing at their mother for a hug after a nightmare. The only difference being that his mother wasn't there to comfort him. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to become a monster." He rubbed at his eyes, trying to dispel the tears. "I don't want to feel trapped anymore."

Something inside of her snapped at that. I don't want to feel trapped anymore. She felt her form fixed into a hard surface, unable to move. She felt the weight of wet chains around her wrists, pulling her down into her watery tomb. Without even thinking, she pulled Steven into a hug, carefully avoiding his spines. He gasped when he felt her arms around him, tensing before breaking down into sobs again, clinging to her. She was glad that she could at least do this for him.

She gently stroked his hair, holding him close. "It's going to be alright, Steven," she said, a steely edge of determination in her voice. "You won't turn into a monster. And even if you do, I'll find a way to set you free. I promise." The boy responded by tightening his grip. He continued to cry, ugly sobs tearing from his throat. She held him during all of it, whispering sweet words of comfort in his ear. Eventually, exhaustion caught up to him, and he slumped into her, eyes slipping closed.

Lapis didn't move. She knew she had to bring him to the Crystal Gems as quickly as possible, but her body wouldn't obey her. Fear threatened to overwhelm her. She didn't know what would happen if Steven completed his transformation, and she couldn't bear the thought of having to fight him. But she had a promise to keep. She tightened her hold on the boy, lifting him up in her arms and spreading her wings. After all that he'd done for her, she wouldn't simply stand by and let her friend suffer like this. She took to the sky, her gaze trained on the beach house in the distance.

I'll set you free, Steven. I promise I will.

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Author's Note: Been awhile, hasn't it? I've been stressing out about tests in the past couple weeks. Not doing do hot in chemistry right now.

This is one of my official contributions to the Corrupted Steven Theory. I am so excited for the final episodes to start airing a week from now. The new episode titles strongly lean more towards this theory that the fandom's been freaking out about for months. There's another piece I'd like to post here too, an actual story, of an alternate take on the theory involving my OC character.

And if this theory turns out to be correct or not, it still means that Steven can now officially join the Bad End Friends AU.

Let me know what you think of this.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower