Steven Universe: Broken Peridot.

Lion was lying down in the desert, completely alone. Unlike in the old times, now he was a magical being.

There was no need to eat, sleep, or even interact. All his family had died a long time ago, and his master was no longer there.

This was the path he would follow, and he lived better than before. Lion was comfortable in this environment; it was his perfect lazy life.

"AAAhhhh! Ahhh!!"

Yes, it was, at least until a bug disturbed his peace.

Lion covered his ears with his legs, but the sound didn't stop.

This was his favorite place in the desert. The sand had already molded to his shape, the sun was comfortable, and the wind was just right for a nap.

But now, he couldn't nap or sleep deeply because of this damn bug.

"Ruwar!" growled Lion in an attempt to scare the noisy bug.

"AAAAHH!"

But it didn't stop... for days!

Lion had to make a difficult decision: kill the bug to recover his peace.

It had been a long time since he had hunted. Normally, Lion would never fight first. He was used to humans, and he knew things could become troublesome if he tried to fight other species.

He had died once catching a human, and since then he decided never to mess with those strange monkeys again.

He was appreciating his second chance as a tamed lion and had never touched a human since then.

But now his long-kept promise was being forced to break.

Lion extended his claws in the direction of the human sound and a small green monkey appeared.

Usually, the monkeys would never leave their babies alone, as they would become prey for predators.

But this bug seemed to have lost its parents.

Lion remembered the words his master once told him: "You need to take care of the baby well."

He retracted his claws and approached the green bug. With his paw, he covered the bug's mouth with his majestic mane.

Silence finally returned.

All of Lion's worries seemed to vanish at that moment.

He had a good nap for the first time in a long time.

✦

A little time passed since the bug invaded his territory. It was a little troublesome being.

"Ah- Ah--!" cried the bug in pain while squeezing his mane.

But, as if his mane wasn't enough, the bug kept crying in pain.

Lion tried to lick its face to relieve the pain and clean the dirt from the bug's body.

He had never had babies until now. Because of his pink skin, the lionesses wouldn't accept him.

Taking care of the bug wasn't so different. No, maybe it was easier.

The bug didn't need food like him. The only problem was that the bug was a bit louder.

With these thoughts, Lion slept again.

✦

These days, Lion wasn't able to sleep as usual, for some reason, the bug stopped crying.

In the beginning, he wished it to stop desperately. But he got used to it now.

He could feel a familiar and low energy; he knew the bug was alive, but why had it stopped moving?

Lion's worries were only relieved when he noticed the occasional movements the bug made with its fingers.

His bug must be very sick. Maybe he should leave it with the monkeys instead of living together.

Lion was worried about the bug. He had already become familiar with it.

He touched the little body with his paws; the energetic bug was so sick that it didn't even react to his touch like before.

Lion wanted to stay with the bug a little longer.

Unconsciously, Lion hugged the bug to give it warmth, even though it was unnecessary now. It was just a habit.

✦

Despite his worries, the bug started to show signs of better condition. It moved its arms strangely after a long sleep.

Maybe the bug wanted to feel a different environment. Even Lion walked around sometimes.

For the first time in a while, Lion stood up. With his mouth, he gently bit the bug's neck as if it were a cub.

This became a routine for Lion. He would walk around every time the sun went down.

He noticed the bug's movements often increased every time they walked together, so Lion thought the bug was having fun too.

When the night came, he could hug the bug. He hadn't noticed before, but the bug fit perfectly in his mane.

The monotonous days changed suddenly thanks to the bug.

His bug was quieter than before and wouldn't interrupt his naps now.

Lion had gained a good pillow for free.

✦

His bug stood up for the first time since he saw it.

Lion licked its face as if praising it.

When the bug couldn't move anymore, he would put it on his back.

Lion had become more active than before after noticing the bug liked to ride on him.

He would jump higher each time the bug moved his arms.

Lion was happy, how much time passed since he felt this way?

However, this happiness couldn't last forever.

The next day, his bug made a strange figure on the ground. There was a monkey like his bug.

Lion knew the cubs needed to go someday, but it was too early.

So, he ignored the drawings of his bug. But, his bug kept drawing the monkeys day after day.

Sadness filled his heart. He hadn't felt this way since his master was gone.

This showed how important the bug had become to him.

But now, his vibrant days would end again.

Lion closed his eyes solemnly.

"Rowar!"

A gate appeared at his growl. Lion bit his bug's neck and the familiar smell filled his lungs.

In small steps, he went to the gate. He didn't want to leave the bug with the monkeys, but probably the bug would live better there.

He knew that the white-suited monkeys could fix his bug's problem...

Lion entered the portal and cautiously left the bug there.

After that, without looking back, he returned to the desert.

His days passed seeming the same.

"..."

He wanted to meet the bug again.