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Chapter Text

Amethyst 8XL, impromptu leader of column 8, knew better than to condone human behaviors, such as this.

She could practically hear the obnoxiously angry shriek of her commanding Agate, going on about how “only a Crystal Gem would partake of such unorthodox behavior!” Elle couldn’t care less. That same commanding officer was supposed to relieve them of duty a week ago. Her and her column—what remained of it—had been patrolling the woods surround Prime for more than a month. They were bored, tired, and who didn’t need a little excitement in their seemingly immortal lives?

So, when 8XJ suggested that they check out some of the fruit bearing trees deep within the woods, Elle whole-heartedly agreed. There had been next to no activity around Prime for several years, as the Crystal Gems put more effort into locating the secretly constructed Beta kindergarten, and the fruit was just going to rot off the trees, anyway. All the gem activity had scared away any hungry humans, besides the occasional wander. But what it really came down to was the fact that no one was around to tell them no, and the Amethysts had always had a bit of a rebellious streak.

The gems all sat in a circle as the tallest of them, an Amethyst with excessively sharp teeth–lovingly nicknamed Sharky–collected the colorful array of fruit and tossing them with reckless abandon at the group. Some were caught mid-air, some landed in the middle of the circle, and some smashed against the heads of gems who weren’t paying attention. It was all in good fun.

“So, how do humans eat this stuff?” Jay asked, holding one of the fruits up speculatively.

“Beats me,” Sharky replied with a shrug. “But it’d be nice to bite into something that doesn’t yell at me to knock it off.” To emphasize her point, she sank her teeth into the next fruit she grabbed, peel and all, not even paying attention to the mess she was making.

Jay hesitantly did the same, first puncturing the fruit, making a face, peeling back the outer layer, and finally biting again into the juicy inside. The others were a little less daring at first (though open to new things, the Amethysts were always at least a little concerned about doing what was considered acceptable by the rest), but seeing these two do it was the encouragement they needed. Elle, however, stood to the side, looking out for any other gems that might see them and feeling left out.

Gee looked back at her in confusion. “Eeeeelle, come oooooon,” she drawled, holding out one of the fruits temptingly. “It’s got mushy insides…”

“That does sound interesting…” Elle had already made up her mind, but her stupid duties were getting in the way of her fun. Be the leader, stop this now!

Instinctively, she caught the fruit as it almost whizzed by her head, peeled off the outside as Jay had done, and taking her first bite. At first, she didn’t know what to make of the sensations that assaulted her mouth. She’d gotten dirt in her mouth before during battle and rough sparring matches, but nothing compared to this. It was soft and juicy, refreshing though she didn’t need it to gain energy. The subtle acidity of the fruit made her tongue tingle, and it’s sweetness made her mouth water for more. Stifling a groan, she went in for more.

Now, how were they going to clean up before they were finally brought back to base?

 “So…have you Betas ever eaten organic junk before?” Elle asked, concluding her tale.

Even with the biased slant of a good experience, the whole idea of eating made Skinny feel sick. Maybe it was the anxiety of doing something new, or something frowned upon, or something that the Crystal Gems would do, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t fathom trying something like that just for fun. The Betas were certainly crazier than the Primes when it came to taking risks, but at that moment she could have sworn those Amethysts had lost their minds.

“No offense, but that sounds disgusting,” she replied dryly, trying to keep her tone from being too mean-spirited.

“Ahhh, that sounds disgusting!” Carnelian echoed, sounding far more enthused than her companion.

Skinny stifled a shiver as she remembered the time when her small friend tried to take a bite out of a cactus, just because she had watched a little organic creature hollow one out to make a home of it. Unlike the Amethysts, who had planned to do what they did all along, Carnelian was an unpredictable fireball, doing whatever felt right in the moment. And unlike the Jaspers, who would never do anything they were told not to do, unless it was for the greater good. Eating served no functional purpose for gems, and was therefore completely useless.

Ugh, she was starting to sound like a Peridot.

The other Betas who were present—namely the Triplets, Cleft, and Tawny—listened with a mixture of distrust and curiosity. Prime may have been surrounded by vast woodlands, but Beta was in the midst of a desert since its creation. Although the area had been significantly greener before the kindergarten was manufactured, the organic life had still been sparse. All they had ever known was red sand, cactuses, and a beating sun, not this mysterious fruit these Primes were so apt to taste.

And humans. No human had ever ventured even close to Beta, because it was midst of one of the most uninhabitable places in the region. No easily accessible water source and no sustenance to forage for, and certainly not enough to sustain a whole group of moderately-sized organics. Yes, she was really starting to sound like a Peridot.

“Come on, Skinny, don’t make that face,” Tawny urged, punching Skinny lightly in the shoulder.

“Yeah, don’t be a stick in the mud,” Cleft joked, referencing Skinny’s build and shoving her roughly, but it didn’t faze her. The Betas abused each other all the time.

She had to admit, she was curious herself. Since arriving at the menagerie, formerly owned by Pink Diamond and now by Blue, even the most rule-bent soldiers had grown relaxed, Skinny included. Unlike the Primes, the Betas weren’t rebellious in any form of the word, but now? She might just try it, just to spite her superiors.

So, she shoved Cleft back and replied, “I’m not.”

Elle chuckled at the exchange. “So, you’d eat organic stuff if I gave it to you?”

“Next time we’re on Earth,” Skinny conceded, not knowing when, or if, that would ever happen.

Chapter Text

The infant soldier looked about in wonder, completely alone for the first time in her short life.

Rose Quartz was Homeworld’s first and only successful experiment in healing abilities, made specifically to be a part of Pink Diamond’s personal guard. Under oath to Blue Diamond, she was not to leave Pink’s side, in case disaster should befall the young leader. To leave was the one order she was allowed to disobey, yet no one specified that she couldn’t leave with the Diamond’s permission, a question asked, her eminence answered. And Rose, being as young and foolish as she was, didn’t see the bigger picture, not as the Authority did when it came to Pink’s well-being.

“My Diamond, may I ‘scope the perimeter?’“

“Yes, go on, Rose.” Relief coated her voice as she waved her hand dismissively. Indeed, even Rose could see that the other Diamonds’ interference was getting to Pink. “Take your time.”

This was the situation she found herself in, finally within the element she had yearned for since she burst from the Earth. Life.

There was a connection between her and the organic lifeforms that existed nowhere else, not even among her non-healing sisters. Standing in nature, eyes closed and palms raised to the sun, she could just feel their energy, surrounding her, flowing through her, as if she were as insubstantial as a ray of sunlight. In a way, she supposed she was.

So focused was she on the experience, that she didn’t notice the new presence until it was tugging at the hem of her uniform. With a gasp, she broke her trance, surprised to find that the nature really had begun to creep towards her, forming a dome of greenery. It seemed that she hadn’t gained enough control over her plant manipulation (an ability that she actually shared with her sisters), after all. As the plants retreated back to their natural state, Rose then focused her attention on the little animal that had disturbed her…

Oh my stars. Rose’s hands fluttered to her face in giddy surprise at the sight: a tiny human, the smallest she had ever seen! Perhaps that wasn’t completely true–after all, she had never seen a human up close like this before now–but this did nothing to quell her excitement. A human!

“Oh my, you’re adorable,” Rose breathed, unsure how she must greet little creature. Tentatively, she reached out to pat their head, to which the human shyly shrank away.

To Rose’s surprise, the human spoke. “Are you a spirit?” They asked in a strange tongue. Gems had the ability to understand any language across the galaxy, no matter how complex the dialect, but she could not recall an instance where the beings spoke back in such a way, or at all.

“A spirit?” Rose echoed, more to test the human than out of actual interest.

They looked trotted in one direction, pointing at the still-receding forest. “You bend nature to your will, so you must be!” They were positively buzzing with excitement now. “Are you?”

“I am…a gem.” She gestured to the stone on her midsection in an attempt to relate. “We have no concept of spirits among our kind.”

“A gem…” they replied, testing the word in their mouth. So, it seemed, the species was far more intelligent than her superiors have realized. Rose suddenly wished that she hadn’t been so deceptive so that she could more easily share this information without getting herself or her Diamond in trouble.

The human stared at her for a moment, mouth slightly agape, as they processed the information, until finally their eyes snapped back to attention. “Well, of course you don’t have spirits, because you are one!” They reasoned, grinning widely. Rose wasn’t exactly sure she followed this logic, but she wasn’t one to argue with things she didn’t understand.

They sat in the field for hours, speaking of plants and animals, humans and gems, personal grievances and the grievances of higher authorities. It was the strangest experience, having a conversation with a being that had previously been treated as unintelligent. Why, this human could pass for a gem simply by the way she looked, a fact that couldn’t be said for any of the other species detailed in Homeworld’s extensive databases. That wasn’t even to mention the bonds that the humans formed among one another, including a creator/creation bond that was far more personal than that of a gem to her Diamond. She had so much to learn from the beings, and so did her fellow gems.

“I’m 8 summers old,” the human mentioned, indicating the season she emerged.

“I am, too,” Rose chuckled truthfully, normally embarrassed by her youth in the company of gems as ancient as the Diamonds, and happy to find someone as young as herself. It was a shame that she would outlive them indefinitely. Rose would have liked to have a human friend like them forever.

Before they parted, Rose plucked a single bud from the tall grasses around them, holding it close to her chest. Concentrating hard, she put as much effort as she could into this parting gift, letting the power flow through her fingertips and her emotions overwhelm her, until a single tear dripped from her face and onto its tight-lipped petals. Nothing happened at first, and then the flower began to unfurl and grow, lengthening it’s stem and sprouting new leaves, new buds, until she held a tiny, pink rose bush in her hands.

“Careful,” she warned, as the human reached out happily. “Rose’s have thorns, you know.”

They laughed, taking the treasure from her. “Do you have thorns, Rose Quartz?”

“I’m as soft as they come,” Rose reassured them. She was a carefree, young gem, unhardened due to her lack of experience. No, the thorns would come soon after.

But for now, this was her first taste of humanity, and as she guilty tramped back to Pink Diamond’s palanquin at sunset, it was her first moment of reflection. She thought of all she had learned of the humans, and then applied it to how the gems treated their kind and their planet. Their home, that they have yet to even begin exploring. If only they were given a little more time to evolve, perhaps the gems could even form an alliance with them, and they could live amongst each other peacefully.

She expressed this and more with her Diamond when she returned, and to her naive delight, Pink was interested. Not only was she interested, but Rose had her undivided attention, asking plenty of questions, until she was convinced that something meaningful could come of this. She spent the rest of the evening with this fantasy, hoping that this meant that she could see the little human again, as well as her family, before they continued their nomadic wandering.

Hundreds of years later, she would remember this day in a completely different light. She would remember how, late that evening, Pink would give a whispered order to her lead organics expert, how, soon afterwards, she would see the sedated figure of her new friend being carried away in an incubation drone. She would remember her struggle to keep her composure, even as a new kind of rage that had never possessed her before stirred in her heart. An interesting specimen for her zoo, that was all that Pink had cared about.

She would remember this, the first thorn that spurred down a traitorous road, bent on not just preserving, but allowing for the growth of a species that deserved a chance at life uncaged.

Chapter Text

Ruby was starving and cold, but she wasn’t a crook. So, when she saw a young, obviously wealthy woman drop her wallet in the middle of the sidewalk, she knew right off the bat that she should return it. Pulling her ragged, red hoodie closer around her body, she hastened to do just that, shoving her yearning for a warm meal aside.

“Hey, ma’am!” She called, waving the pocket book wildly as she ran. “You dropped this!”

So focused was she on the deed (and distracted by her stomach) that didn’t notice that the woman had already noticed her missing wallet and was no longer walking. Instead of calmly offering it to the woman, she ended up ramming into her at full force, sending both of them sprawling on the concrete. It seemed that her only bit of luck in this situation was that she still had the wallet firmly clutched in her hand.

And then she realized the position she was in, pinning this poor woman to the ground. Mortified, she scrambled to get off before she threatened to call the cops. “I-I’m so sorry!” She cried, over and over. “I”m sorry, oh my god, I’m sorry. Are you okay? I’m sorry. Let me help you. Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

“It’s okay,” the woman responded patiently in between apologies, accepting Ruby’s outstretched hand. “Accidents happen.”

Ruby suddenly felt very self conscious in her presence, clad in torn jeans, an old and faded t-shirt, sneakers that had seen better days, and her ratty hoodie, her longest-held companion. This woman put her to shame, wearing what could only be a designer dress, heels that were too nice to be walking the streets in, and a lush blue coat.  Her hood, which had been drawn low across her face, had fallen back to reveal soft, light brown locks paired with a flawless, dark complexion. What was most striking, however, were her icy blue eyes that oddly enough seemed to burn with wisdom and compassion, and perhaps the tiniest bit of humor at Ruby’s expense. But there was also something very familiar about her.

“Your wallet,” Ruby finally sighed, practically shoving it towards her. “You dropped this.” Then, hesitantly, she asked, “what’s your name?”

The woman looked from her to the wallet and back to her, caught off-guard by the claim. Then, her cheeks colored in realization. “Oh? Oh. Ohhh…yes, thank you.” Then, before she could slip the wallet inside her purse, she began to open it and take out some cash. “Here.”

Ruby felt her heart beat faster, but it wasn’t at the prospect of food. It was a combination of excitement and fear: excited to have met someone so intriguing and scared that this may be the one and only time she will ever see her. But what would someone like her want with someone like Ruby? She was just a poor woman who’d gotten the short end of the stick in life, who was practically homeless, and who had just tackled her to the ground to return a wallet she may or may not have contemplated stealing. It was better to just end it here, but her heart ached at the mere thought of it.

“What? No!” Ruby said, before she could stop herself. “No, I mean, um…it isn’t necessary. I just, I would have wanted someone to do the same for me, is all, so…gosh, I bad at this. I’ll just go. Thanks for the offer.” And then, shoving her hands in her pockets, she tried to race away as she had wanted to do in the first place.

“Please, I insist!” She replied a little frantically, holding up two twenties in one hand as she touched Ruby’s wrist with the other. The color deepened another shade in her cheeks, as she made another proposal, “but if you really don’t want it, perhaps I can treat you to a meal, wherever you want.” The pleading that now occupied her mysterious, blue eyes struck Ruby as odd, after seeing her stoically take a fall just a moment before.

This time, she listened to her heart. “Only if you tell me your name.”

The young woman looked from side to side, as if the crowd that milled around them was the least bit interested in their conversation. Satisfied, she whispered, “you can’t tell anyone this, or else what little freedom I have will be taken from me forever. Do you understand?”

Confused, Ruby nodded. “I don’t have anyone to tell.”

She took a deep breath. “My name is Sapphire. Sapphire Bleu.”

Oh my god. Ruby felt her mind go numb for a moment as everything became clear. This was Sapphire Bleu, niece to the owner of the largest corporation in the region and heiress to her mother’s estate. She was by far the richest person Ruby had ever come into contact with, much less actually talked to. The fear rose in her again, but this time it was of not being good enough. She had no right to want to be close to someone as important as Sapphire, and for that, it was the most she could do to accept the money and fade into obscurity again.

Unfortunately, she had given her heart the reigns already.

Seeing the panic on Ruby’s face, Sapphire shushed her prematurely. “Shhh, please. Let me take you to dinner, my treat.”

“But, why?!” Ruby asked incredulously. “You’re so important and I’m just a nobody. Why are you wasting your time on me?”

“Because I was touched by your kindness,” Sapphire answered simply, a shy smile spreading across her face. “I’m well aware that you could have passed by without a second glance, or you could have easily stolen it and taken advantage of everything I had, but you didn’t. And you were so earnest about it, too. I think it’s cute…I mean, I think you’re c…no, I-I appreciate honesty, because so many are apt to tell me what I want to hear, just because of how much money I have, or rather, what my mother has.

“I don’t wan to offend you, but you also looked hungry, and I’m in no hurry to go home.” She tilted her head lower, adding in a tone that was barely above a whisper, “I also like your freckles.”

Ruby rubbed her cheek in embarrassment at such honesty, at getting such attention from someone like her. “Wow. I…I don’t know what to say.  I’ve never met someone so generous to a stranger just for returning their wallet, but I really do appreciate it.” She smiled shyly back. “If it’s really no bother, then there’s a nice little buffet a couple blocks away we can go to. I used to go there all the time when I was little, back when things were a little easier.” She sighed, then shivered as those slender, cold hands touched her arm in comfort.

“I would like that very much.” Sapphire replied softly, letting her lead the way as she interlocked their arms.

This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening. When have cute girls ever shown me this much attention before? “My name’s Ruby, like the gem,” she added unnecessarily, but it made Sapphire laugh all the same.

“I think that’s a lovely name.”

Chapter Text

“Is our incredibly talented Bis-smith hard at work?” Pearl called lightly, her voice echoing through the cavernous forge.

No matter how often she frequented this place (which was quite often, given the circumstances) she could hardly keep the giddiness from her voice at the sight of such amazing, skillfully crafted weapons, as well as one of her favorite gems. Bismuth stood tall in the midst of her trade, elbows deep in short swords, daggers, maces, and flails. She was the sole creator of the Crystal Gems’ arsenal, and took great pride in her work, faster and by far more skilled than any typical Homeworld weapons crafter.

Pearl had been sent by Rose to the forge to check on her progress, with a slip tip of her shades from Garnet, and was pleasantly surprised to find Bismuth completely alone with her weapons. In the early days of the rebellion, they had all the time in the world to spend together and still affording her time with Rose–her soulmate–as well as Garnet, who had grown to become one of her closest friends. Now, it was a miracle that they could snatch a moment or two here and there.

“Bis-smith is taking a break right now,” she replied, laughing heartily, leaning resting an elbow against her massive anvil. “But maybe I can be of service to a pretty little Pearl like yourself.”

Pearl put her hands on her hips and sassily declared, “I think you meant to say ‘dangerous’ and ‘terrifying’ and ‘a force to be reckoned with.’”

“Oh right, how could I forget,” Bismuth joked, guiding Pearl through the organized chaos as she spoke. “How can I help a pretty, dangerous, terrifying, AND modest force to be reckoned with, such as yourself?”

“I have no use for modesty,” Pearl stated with a grin. “I came here to check on your progress, but since you seem to have a little time on your hands…”

Pearl glanced in her direction and quirked an eyebrow, lifting one of the swords from the pile, testing its weight in her palm. In one swift movement, she sliced the weapon through the air one way and then the other, before admiring it once more. Besides sword fighting, playing hard to get was one of her favorite pass times.

Bismuth reached over her head to pluck the sword from her grasp, replacing it with a light-weight, inconceivably sharp saber that better suited her fighting style. “Here, why don’t try this one on for size.”

Not only did she have a knack for making weapons, she had a certain intuition as to what worked best with each individual. It was a perfect fit, feeling like an extension of her own arm–a common characteristic among Bismuth’s custom weapons–and Pearl felt the giddiness in her rise at having this in her possession.

“Oh, Bismuth,” she sighed, admiring the details from every angle as she dropped the banter entirely. “You shouldn’t have! Oh, it’s so beautiful, I almost don’t want to use it in battle. But, of course, I know it would withstand even the most heavy of hits because of your superior craftsmanship. Even the handle is the perfect width! Did you make actually make this for me, even after you’d made hundreds of swords already?” It was so lovely and the gesture was so kind that she felt like crying.

Bismuth was blushing openly now, her face a rainbow of embarrassment. “Well, I actually started on it after I finished Rose’s, and then things happened I could never find a good time to give it to you.” Easing up a bit, she slipped her own large hand over Pearl’s slender one, still gripping the sword. “It doesn’t pack quite as much of a punch, but it definitely gets the job done. Plus, it’s made from the exact same material as Rose’s sword, so it won’t chip or melt, either.”

“It’s perfect.” She then pulled away, hoping up on the anvil to give Bismuth a proper hug.

“Well it oughta be,” Bismuth whispered gently, wrapping her own arms loosely around Pearl’s waist. “Only the most perfect of swords for the most perfect of Pearls.”

Now it was Pearl’s turn to be embarrassed, hiding her flaming teal face in Bismuth’s dreadlocks as she attempted to get her wits about her. She certainly wouldn’t have called herself perfect by any means; indeed, it was her status as the most imperfect Pearl that made her so fearsome on the battlefield. And yet, when Bismuth said it, she could feel it in her hear that she really was perfect the way she was.

Then, before she could get any more sentimental, she felt Bismuth’s grip tighten around her waist, and suddenly she was lifted up in the air, spinning against the larger gem’s body, their laughter filling the space. It was good thing that Pearl had laid the sword down earlier, or else it would have been embedded in Bismuth’s back by now. She was tossed into the air, dangerously close to the other weapons scattered around them, but fearing for her own physical form didn’t even cross her mind. Bismuth’s strong arms were right there to catch her in her decent.

In a moment of excitement, Pearl pressed her palms against Bismuth’s face and kissed her gently on the cheek, and then more deeply on the mouth, and that’s how they stayed for an inappropriate amount of time. She wasn’t even sure if they would have broken apart so quickly at that moment, if someone had stumbled upon the scene, so caught were they in the moment. Pearl liked to flirt and have fun with many of the other Crystal Gems just because she could, but there were few gems that she actually loved: Rose, Garnet, and Bismuth.

Too soon, it seemed, the moment ended, and after another moment of dazed and happy silence, Pearl decided that it was time to take her leave.

As she warped back to the Crystal Gems’ base and walked dreamily back to command central, all she could think of was Bismuth and the sword that was now stored safely within her gem. She didn’t even care if the blush still showed on her face, that is, until she walked into the room to find everyone staring at her curiously. Her eyes darted to Rose and Garnet, the former giggling behind her hand and the former resting her thumb and forefinger suspiciously against her shades, flashing Pearl a mischievous grin.

“So, what did she say, Pearl?” Rose managed to choke out, pulling a thoroughly embarrassed Pearl into an embrace. “About the swords. How many has she made so far?”

Of course, Pearl couldn’t answer this question. In the distraction of the moment, she never thought to ask.

Chapter Text

“Run, cowards!” The massive Jasper fusion bellowed, with her mace thrown over her shoulder and a hand casually rested against her hip.

Fearless, powerful, and with an intense love for herself, her fellow Betas, her home, and her Diamond, she was an unstoppable machine on the battlefield, ready to defend and attack. Those weakling Crystal Gems and their pathetic fusions were no match for her awesome power. As they retreated beyond the horizon and out of sight, she heard the cheers rise out from the kindergarten: the finishing touch to an amazing experience. Finally, a victory!

As she stood idle, however, she realized that it was time to go, that she had stayed far longer than was appropriate, but no matter. She laughed heartily, enjoying the feeling of total confidence for just a little longer. Then, in a fiery explosion of light, she was gone and the two Betas she had been composed of occupied her space.

Jasper opened her eyes, feeling as if she were waking from a deep sleep, and was instantly met with Skinny’s matching expression of dreamy wonder. She held her defective companion aloft, her back arching over her head in an acrobatic pose, balancing with her hands on Jasper’s shoulders and Jasper’s hands on her waist. It was the first time either of them had ever fused, and who better to fuse with than her closest comrade?

“Stars…” Jasper murmured as it began to sink in. “We just did that.”

Skinny cracked a smile, bending at the elbows to bump her forehead against Jasper’s affectionately. “We just did that! Those Crystal clods didn’t know what hit ‘em!”

Relinquishing herself from Jasper’s grasp, Skinny flipped back over and landed skillfully on her feet, throwing her arms around the larger gem’s neck. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond to such enthusiasm, certainly not from a gem as calm and level-headed as Skinny. All she could do was stare in bewildered silence until the feeling hit her: a warmth that started where they touched and spreading through the rest of her body.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter who saw this display–the Agates, the Peridots, and certainly not the other Betas–as Jasper decided to indulge in this excitement. It was only their first fusion, but it had felt so natural, so right, as if they were already two halves of the same whole, no matter how disproportionate their sizes were when apart. Perhaps this was how the Crystal Gems felt when they fused, or maybe this was even better, but she wouldn’t linger on this thought for too long. Doing so would only be admitting that those traitors had the right idea, and Jasper was as loyal to Homeworld as they came.

But for now, all she could do was laugh with Skinny, wrapping her arms around her midsection and lifting her off the ground. She dropped her to the ground again, mussing up her hair and dancing her around, even at the threat of fusing again. It would have been highly inappropriate to fuse for no good reason, just like those Crystal Gems, but at the time it almost didn’t matter. Almost.

A loud crack startled them back to the moment, as they jumped apart and stood at attention.

“Break it up, you two!” Their commanding Agate barked, shaking her whip threateningly, before folding her arms behind her back and glaring at them sternly. “That’s enough of that. As this is your first time, I let it slide, but don’t even think of staying fused that long again!” Then, as she began to walk away, she muttered, “the last thing we need from this miserable lot is sentimentality.”

That had enough of a sobering effect on Jasper, but the moment she looked Skinny’s way and saw her grin, Jasper realized she couldn’t stop smiling, either.

Walking back through kindergarten, Skinny talked at a million miles an hour, buzzing around Jasper in a way that she had never done before. Whether it was their naturally close connection or she actually had succumbed to the “sentimentality,” she couldn’t help but find her enthusiasm incredibly endearing.

“Oh, stars! You’re so strong, Muscles!” Skinny gushed. “Of course, I already knew that. But it’s true! Strong and confident and powerful! I can’t wait until we fuse again, and you just know that we’ll have better control next time, and we’ll take out even more Crystal Gems! And now that we did it, then the others won’t be as shy about it, so we can all fight fusion to fusion!” She took a deep breath, putting a hand to her forehead. “Ugh, I need to sit down.”

Chuckling, feeling lighter than she had in years, Jasper put her arm around Skinny’s shoulders and guided her back to their section of Beta. The others were already gathered there, chattering about the day’s feats, or simply crouched in the shadows in a exhausted daze. That was where Skinny was headed now, to get a well-deserved rest (Jasper would never admit that she, too, was in need of some down time after the sensory overload of the experience).

They sunk down together under Jasper’s exit hole, answering as many of the curious Betas’ questions as they could, until Skinny just about gave out. From the dregs of her energy, she was able to recount the experience at length to Carnelian, who had been on the other side of the kindergarten at the time (much to her disappointment). After that, she contented herself to leaning against Jasper’s shoulder, eyes closed as she ran her long fingers through Jasper’s matted hair, whispering about how she needed to take better care of herself. Carnelian, beyond exhausted from her own perils of that day, decidedly passed out against Jasper’s knee, rendering the perfect soldier incapacitated.

When did I get so soft? Jasper thought, catching the smile that still lingered on her face and the warm feeling that still lingered within her, especially where her other half–her better half–rested.

Chapter Text

Amethyst doesn’t understand what’s about to happen, and Rose isn’t sure whether she wants to explain it to her.

“Ooh, look at this!” Amethyst cried, releasing Rose’s hand to rummage through a nearby pile. It was the fifth time she had stopped to show her something, and Rose was secretly grateful for the break. She didn’t have the heart to tell the small Quartz that even this small excursion was exhausting to her.

Everything was exhausting nowadays, and it only got worse, as the growing child inside her required more and more of her energy. Rose would be lying if she said that the experience didn’t scare her, even if she had gone into willingly and knowledgeable of the consequences, as much as she could logic out, at least. No gem had ever tried transferring her gem onto an organic being before, much less constructing one from scratch beforehand, and the only thing that came close was the similar experiments Homeworld conducted on organic plant matter.

In every case, the organic host died from the stress caused by the foreign gem DNA injected in its “body.” The resulting hybrid, however, was able to survive, thrive, and breed with no complications, and was incomparably more hearty and useful than its full-organic counterpart.

But this was entirely different. She swallowed her nervousness and allowed herself to rest, sitting on a turned over crate beside where Amethyst was still searching.

“Ugh, it has to be here, somewhere…” She muttered, tossing aside all sorts of odds and ends. “I bet Pearl tried organizing my room again.”

Rose felt her chest constrict at the mention of Pearl–her confidant, her partner in crime, and, for lack of better words, her soulmate–who had refused to even be around her in the early moments of her pregnancy. Even now, it was difficult to have even a normal conversation, let alone the sort of talks they used to have. It was an unspoken rule that the past was a forbidden topic now, with the future looking so bleak. Garnet at least made an decent effort and was helpful when she could be of assistance, but Rose could tell that it was a huge struggle for her, as well. Not to mention that, with Rose’s passing, the responsibility of holding the group together would undoubtedly pass to her.

She didn’t regret her decision in the least, but she did regret the pain that she was causing. This was truly her most selfish act, she was sure of it, and she was so worried about making it worse that she refused to voice her own concerns unless it was absolutely necessary, not even to Greg.

And Amethyst…her sweet little trooper was the only one of the Crystal Gems that carried on, more or less, how she normally would. She even seemed to pay Rose even more attention, happy to understand something of what was going on for once, having witnessed Vidalia’s pregnancy several years ago. Rose welcomed the attention with a little guilt, feeling as if she didn’t deserve such kindness from her. She wasn’t even sure Amethyst knew exactly what will happen; after all, most humans (these days) didn’t die from childbirth.

Rose wasn’t a human, though. She suppressed a sigh, wanting to let Amethyst have a moment of happiness before bringing her to reality.

“Here it is!”

Amethyst pulled out a stuffed animal that looked unused, if a little dirty, and dropped in onto Rose’s lap, resting her arms on her knee. It was a little lion with a mane made of strips of fleece, with a stitched-on face and a tuft of fake fur on the tip of its tail. There was no way she could have known the relevance–Rose’s best kept secret–but for some reason she had a visceral reaction at the sight of it.

“D-do you like it?” Amethyst asked hesitantly, as silent tears rolled down Rose’s face. “SC didn’t play with it and V didn’t wanna throw it away, so she gave it to me, since I’m a collector of stuff nobody else wants. Do you think the baby will like it?”

Rose opened her mouth, then choked back her words, then opened her mouth again. “I think they’ll love it.” She finally replied, setting the toy aside to pull Amethyst into her lap instead, wrapping her arms tightly around the small Quartz. 

Amethyst, who always craved physical affection but was too shy to ask for it, was quick to return the favor, letting Rose sob into her hair until she quieted. She was rude and immature at times, rough around the edges and always ready for a fight, but she had an enormous heart for such a small gem. And Rose was about to break it in pieces, if not now with her words then a couple months later with her actions, however unstoppable at this point.

In a way, Rose felt that Amethyst knew this, not enough to be upset by it but enough to want to spend as much time as possible with her, the closest she’s ever had to a kindergarten mate and a mother, before she lost her forever. But of course, this was just Rose’s way of talking herself out of explaining the truth to her.

Amidst piles of treasures disguised as garbage, Rose let herself have this moment of vulnerability.

“Hey, Rose, are you okay?” Came Amethyst’s voice, muffled against her chest.

“I’m fine,” She answered automatically, hoping that if she said it enough times it would become true. “I just love you so much. I hope you know that.”

Amethyst laughed in embarrassment, squeezing tighter. It could have been Rose’s imagination, but she could have sworn she heard her sniffle, felt hot tears against her skin. “Yeah, of course I know. I love you, too.”

Chapter Text

“What do you want?” Jasper asked gruffly, sensing Skinny's presence lurking behind her.

Another gem may have been put off by her tone—it was just how she normally spoke—but Skinny was far from scared of her. That fact alone was both irritating and relieving, one gem who didn’t hesitate to abuse her liberties with the perfect soldier, yet her companionship was such a comfort to Jasper when the battle was done and the enemy was long gone, for now. So, instead of snapping at the slender gem to answer her already, Jasper merely sighed in resignation and let Skinny continue to stalk her in vain.

She was assigned to guard the east entrance of the Beta kindergarten, and this minor distraction wouldn’t get in her way. They could play around some other time (as much as it secretly pained her), but now she had to keep watch for Crystal Gems. It would have been the responsible decision to tell her to get lost, and even more responsible to report her behavior to their Agate, but…

Jasper grew very still as thin fingers ghosted across the back of her arm, up her shoulder, and under her hair. They rested a moment against her neck, sending an involuntary chill up her spine despite their warmth against her skin, before embedding themselves deep within her hair. They crept up the back of her head, finding a spot where tension tended to collect, and began to knead into her scalp slowly and deliberately. All thoughts of duty and obligation were put on hold as she lost track of her own thoughts, letting her eyes flutter shut and a sigh escape her lips.

Skinny would never let her hear the end of it.

“D-did you just come here to distract me?” Jasper finally grumbled, cracking open one eye and attempting to look back. “’Cause it’s working.”

Skinny chuckled, moving even closer as she draped her other arm around Jasper’s arm and resting her chin on her shoulder. “Well, that’s part of it.”

Then, to emphasize her point, she twisted her fingers tightly in Jasper’s hair and pulled, gently at first, then harder, tilting Jasper’s head to one side as she pressed her lips against her exposed neck, the bottom of her jaw. She did it so unabashedly, out in the open, that Jasper should have felt concerned that someone might see them in the act, but the danger only made it more appealing.

At least this part of the kindergarten was unoccupied, as far from their center of commands as one could get without exposing themselves entirely to the desert. The only gems that were likely to catch a glimpse were the Crystal Gems stationed just on the other side of the mesa, but that thought was almost worse: allowing the enemy to see them display a weakness that they, too, possess.

That thought alone was enough to jolt Jasper out of her trance for a moment, just long enough to tear Skinny away from her and shove her against the cliff. Now cast in shadow, she grabbed a fistful of Skinny’s cropped mop and pressed her knuckles into the sandstone. She leaned in close enough for her to grasp at her uniform, but kept her face tantalizingly out of reach.

She knew that Skinny’s main motive for coming here, besides getting on her nerves, was to satisfy her need for attention from her kindergarten mate.

“You’re an eager little brat,” Jasper chuckled as Skinny squirmed against her grip, getting antsy. “Needy, too.”

“Stop teasing, you big dummy,” Skinny whined, reinserting her fingers into Jasper’s mane and trying to pull her closer. “You know I can’t help it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jasper finally relented, taking pity on that desperate face, and closed the distance between them. She still kept her restrained, pinned to the cliff, but she knew that Skinny liked this stuff, the little freak. Of course, Jasper would never admit that she wished the same could be done to her, but she would have to settle for those slim digits digging into her scalp. Not that she was disappointed by the experience…

Skinny kissed her sloppily on the mouth, her face, her gem, trying to pull her impossibly closer. Jasper rested her free hand against her waist, sliding first down her hip, then up her abdomen–paying particular attention to the sensitive space around her gem–and finally under her shirt, to which the other made an indignant noise against her mouth and slapped her hand away. That only compelled her to do it again. They could have fused at that moment, if fusion had been their intent, but luckily it wasn’t. How embarrassing would that be?

Jasper shifted her footing, disregarding the stone beneath her foot until it was too late. She slipped and fell backwards, yanking Skinny down with her by her hair. The poor gem yelped in pain as she fell beside her, and the mood was lost.

“Heh, sorry.” She tried to make it better by smoothing out the more ruffled parts of Skinny’s hair as she patted the afflicted area gingerly, but her hair was a lost cause even at its best. There was no taming it, only making it worse. At least she appreciated the effort, as Jasper got a crooked smile and a quirked eyebrow in return.

“Really? I think you did it on purpose,” she accused, coming in closer again, a mischievous grin forming on her face. 

“Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I was as horny as you,” Jasper teased, letting Skinny kiss her again. As recompense, she did as Skinny had done before and massaged the side of her head, although the pain had probably faded at that point.

This, however, didn’t last long, as they heard footsteps echoing down the pass just a moment later. They only had time to break apart when–thank the stars!–one of their own platoon ran up to them, concerned etched on her weary face as she held her weapon aloft.

“What happened? Are you okay?” She asked hurriedly before she could take in the situation, realization dawning on her face.

Jasper tried to play it off like it was nothing, even with her hand still pressed against Skinny’s face. “This brat was trying to catch me off guard, is all,” she stated, adding a glare in her direction for effect. “I was just teaching her a lesson.”

It was clear that the other Jasper didn’t believe her one bit, as her concerned expression twisted into amusement, until she couldn’t keep from howling with laughter. She didn’t ask anymore questions, as she promptly turned and left the scene, leaving them alone once more. Face burning, Jasper knew she wouldn’t hesitate to blab to all the other soldiers, not that their “thing” was any sort of secret.

Skinny, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about the intrusion, as she laughed right along, ready to go in for more before someone came to relieve Jasper of her shift.

Chapter Text

“Oh, and this is where we came out!” Bandit called excitedly, pointing up at the three holes in the cliff face, positioned close beside one another.

It was the first time that her partner, Amethyst 8XI, had seen the Beta Kindergarten, and Bandit was determined to show her every last bit of it in the most positive light. Regardless of what the Primes had heard about the place during the war, she wanted desperately to make a good impression. It wasn’t that she feared Eye would dislike the place–a kindergarten was a kindergarten, regardless of what it looked like–but she did worry that Eye may believe at least some of the things she heard.

It was bad enough being defective, there was nothing she could do about that fact, but how one regarded her home was a matter of opinion. She just wanted Eye to love the place almost as much as she did, or at least to look at it without the words “hideous” or “rushed” crossing her mind. After all, the only kindergarten she had ever known was Prime, which might as well have been the most perfect kindergarten in existence compared to Beta.

Pushing her anxieties back in a tiny corner of her mind where they belonged, Bandit pulled Eye up to the hole on the far right. “This one’s mine, see? I know it looks a little lop-sided, but I technically fit.”

To prove her point, she clamored in the hole and attempted to stand to her full height, her left shoulder dipping to one side. It wasn’t very comfortable, but at least the floor was relatively flat. Every time she entered that hole, she thanked the stars that she didn’t come out upside-down or contorted in some strange way, like many of the others.

Sticking her head out of the hole, she began to direct Eye’s attention excitedly, now that she had gotten into it. “Ooh, Carnelian’s hole is just down that way, and Skinny’s is way down there, right near where Muscles came out. You don’t know her, but you’d know her hole when you saw it. It’s huge! All of us survivors were made in this pass, isn’t that interesting?”

To her dismay, Eye smiled up at her sympathetically. “Yeah, I guess it is, but it’s also pretty sad. All the survivors came from this part of the kindergarten, but out of the hundreds of holes here alone, only a handful of them made it out. I can’t imagine…so many gems shattered in such a short amount of time.”

“Well, ya know…” Bandit replied, trying to make light of the situation. “That was so long ago a-and…we don’t really talk about it…” Her voice faded to nothing as she looked away uncomfortably.

After a moment, she heard scuffing against the rock, and Eye climbed into the hole in front of her. Partially reluctant and partially excited by the close contact, she scooted to give her some room. Eye was the slightest bit bigger than Bandit–and most of the other Betas, for that matter (aside from Skinny, who towered over everyone)–and it wasn’t terribly noticeable normally, but in the confines of this hole, it was obvious that it was not made for her. But it didn’t matter how cramped they were; as far as Bandit was concerned, the closeness was cozy and appealing.

Eye slipped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her head down onto her shoulder, gently stroking her fingers against Bandit’s cheek. The Jasper sighed deeply, releasing some of her anxious tension and burying her face deeper into Eye’s neck. Even in this relaxed state, however, she couldn’t get past that nagging feeling, shouting its opinions from the time-out corner in her mind.

“Do you…like it?” She asked quietly. “Beta, I mean. I know it’s not much to look at, but–”

“What kind of question is that?” Eye interrupted, chuckling. “Of course I like it. I love it!”

Bandit pulled herself from their embrace to look at the Amethyst incredulously. “But, why? It’s so weird and poorly made! All the holes are misshapen, the walls are curved, it’s complete chaos and disorder as far as the eye can see!”

“Maybe to a Peridot,” she replied, urging her closer again, “but I think it looks neat. This place has character, you know? Prime is nice and all, but it’s kinda boring after a while. Familiar and comfy, but boring to look at. But Beta is so bright and unexpected, something new catches your eye no matter how often you look at it! And I think the curved walls are fitting for the sandstone. But most importantly, it’s where you were made,” she leaned close and kissed her lightly, “and that’s the real reason I love this place.”

She was momentarily starstruck. “That’s the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” she stated dreamily, her mind reeling at the revelation. Eye was prepared to love Beta even before she saw it because of her. It didn’t seem like such a deep and complex concept, yet the idea that her affection held such weight to someone else made her feel more special than she could describe.

Special, she said the word a few times in her head, testing it out. The rush of euphoria that accompanied that one word made her dizzy. I’m special. Not defective, special.

A tiny laugh escaped her lips, and she pulled Eye towards her and kissed her deeply, to which she gladly reciprocated. Bandit let herself fall backwards until her back was pressed against the floor, Eye’s knee curled against her hip and her elbows confining Bandit’s arms within the embrace. She didn’t even care if someone heard them, echoing from the cave-like space, so engulfed was she in the pure ecstasy of the moment.

When she cupped her cheek and gazed down at her, it made Bandit feel special.

When her kisses roamed from her mouth and down her neck, it made Bandit feel special.

When her hands strayed across her entire body, one persistently gripping her hip, it made Bandit feel special.

It all made Bandit feel so special.

“I–umph,” she mumbled, cut off by another kiss. Chuckling, she continued, “I love you, you big dope.”

“I love you, too, you smaller dope,” Eye responded, grinning widely. “And don’t ever forget it.” Outside her hole, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching, which Bandit instantly identified as her sisters, the two to complete their triplet. Sighing, Eye sat up on her heels. “Aw, fun’s over I guess.”

 The slightest bit of mortification slipped through the cracks of her enjoyment, threatening to put a damper on their moment, but a larger part of her decided that she didn’t care. The worst they would do is tease her, which she had long since grown used to in the years she had spent with Eye at the human zoo. This shouldn’t be any different, but it was, in the best way possible.

She had shown Eye this final piece of herself, just one of many sore spots involving her existence, and she loved it unconditionally. She loved her unconditionally.

Bandit felt that she deserved to revel in this feeling, unabashed and unhindered, for as long as the both of them wanted to, regardless of their good-natured mocking. So, instead of breaking away from her when she heard quiet snickering from below and half-hearted protests from Eye, she wrapped her arms around her waist and bit her cheek, the sensitive skin below her gem.

Eye stifled a gasp, surprised and enamored by such an intimate gesture. “H-ah y-you used my weak p-point against me,” she accused breathlessly. “I guess you win this round.”

Bandit kissed the afflicted area gently, before moving onto another side of her gem, kissing her nose, her forehead, her temple. Then, she pulled her to the side until she was the on laying on her back and Bandit was over her, returning the favor. Eye was a little more serious than many of the other Amethysts, so to hear her giggling breathlessly, heedless of the other gems, was a victory in itself.

“I was gonna suggest we go sparring or something, but you’ve already got me beat,” Eye continued, blushing furiously.

Bandit brushed some stray hairs from her face. “We have plenty of time for that, with no Agates around to tell us what to do. Don’t worry, I look forward to kicking your ass at that, too.” She pinched Eye’s other cheek teasingly.

“You sure know how to make a gem feel special,” Eye replied with warm smile, taking Bandit’s hand in her own.

Bandit smiled back. “I could say the same about you.”

Chapter Text

Pearl was yanked from what had felt like an eternal sense of calm into painful reality with a flash of light. She hovered in the air as her form solidified, eyes closed, thinking only of her current task, the ground below, and Rose. There wasn’t a single moment in her entire existence on Earth when she hadn’t been thinking of Rose.

As her feet touched the ground, Pearl continued in this way: eyes closed, mind blank, lest it caught up with the present. She savored this moment of dazed existence, stretching the stiffness from her newly reformed limbs, but as her hands swung back down to her sides, grazing an unfamiliar outfit, she had to face what she had done. Finally opening her eyes, she was faced by thirty holographic doppelgangers, standing idly, waiting for orders.

“Do you wish to engage in combat?” They asked in unison, holding up identical swords in challenge.

Just like that, Pearl felt shame and grief crashing down on her, threatening to bury her beneath the strawberries that now dominated the former battlefield, another relic of a past best forgotten. There was a clatter of weapons as all the clones disappeared at once, sent away by the master that had summoned them, set them to their highest possible level of difficulty, and ordered them to duel without mercy, until her form was destroyed.

Pearl fell to her knees, clutched her head, and screamed in anguish, pulling her hair, sobbing. It wasn’t just for Rose, but for everything she had lost over the millennia, right down to her own sense of self, a loss disguised by her devotion to one gem above all. She loved Rose, and Rose loved her, and through Rose’s love she found that she was able to love herself, even after the devastation following the war. Now that Rose was gone, what did that leave Pearl?

She stayed when Rose went into labor, holding her hand, reassuring her, casting her brave smiles and maintaining civility with Greg. She held her heart together desperately as her one true love faded fast, but the moment her form finally gave out in a bright flash of light, Pearl’s long-ignored flight instincts took over. She stayed only for Rose, but not for her child, whom she had promised Rose she would love and care for and provide guidance to.

“I’m sorry, Rose, I’ve failed you,” she babbled, choking on her words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

After a while her sobs subsided, and she was filled with a profound emptiness that almost felt worse, but at least her mind was clear. She knew what she had to do.

It took the better part of the day, but she finally wandered back to the warp pad, through the expansive maze of strawberries and weapons, abandoned by their owners long ago. Friend or foe, they all met their end on this battlefield, and there was still a stubborn part of her that wished she could do the same. It was sheer force of will that staid her hand and pushed her forward.

There was no one outside the temple when she arrived and, knowing that it was fruitless to look inside, she trudged her way to the car wash. The sun was just beginning to set, and there was a nip to the air, suggesting that it was nearing fall. Had she really been gone that long? She had no idea how long she had been fighting, and judging the time she spent in her gem was impossible, but the baby had been born in the middle of August. The thought that a month or two had passed without her noticing made her all the more uneasy.

The car wash was closed, but she could clearly see the Greg’s van out front. As she came closer, she caught sight of Greg himself, and Garnet and Amethyst, talking amongst each other in the office. Pearl gripped abdomen in a sudden jolt of anxiety, wondering if she should wait by the temple until the other Crystal Gems returned and put off the inevitable. But her feet had already carried her too close to turn back now.

She pushed open the door, an electric bell announcing her arrival. The entire room went silent as she avoided everyone’s gaze, seating herself as close to the door as possible in case her courage failed her. Although she couldn’t see her, Pearl could just feel Garnet’s disappointment, her frustration, and she couldn’t bear to think of the concern on Amethyst’s face. The last thing she wanted was pity from Amethyst, of all gems, no matter how well-meaning.

Greg cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Pearl, it’s…it’s good to see you again. You look…different.”

Pearl wanted to lash out at him for daring to speak to her, she wanted to blame him for everything, but when she forced herself to look at him, she found that he looked different, too. His face was drawn and tired, he’d lost more of his hair, and his head hung in a way that was unbefitting of the endlessly optimistic man he had been in the past. He looked like he’d aged ten years in the past couple of months, and though Pearl wanted to rage at him, but all she could feel was a deep, pervading sadness for what they both had lost.

She tried to say something, anything, but the words caught in her throat, and she knew that if she tried any harder, she would start crying again. This wasn’t the time for that.

Greg sighed, not in resignation but in understanding, and offered, “would you like to see him?”

“Yeah, he’s really cute! I think you’ll like him!” Amethyst offered frantically. Pearl knew it made her extremely uncomfortable when either her or Garnet were out of sorts.

Garnet grunted in affirmation, her stoic demeanor revealing nothing. Although her mannerisms had significantly changed since it became obvious that she would have to replace Rose as leader, the sheer lack of her former passion was startling.

“Yes, please,” Pearl replied meekly, wishing for the interaction to be over.

That was when she started looking around the rest of the room. It looked relatively the same, aside from the clutter. In the years she’d known Greg, he’d never been particularly neat and tidy, but he always kept his workplace presentable, especially after the owner had given to him. Now, it was a mess of paper, unopened boxes, empty cleaning supplies, and baby paraphernalia. The most notable difference, however, was the closet in the back corner, where all the clutter was previously stored, but the space was now dominated solely by a crib.

“He’s too young to be living in the van,” Greg explained, “and I don’t wanna impose on anyone, so we’ve been living out of here in the meantime. It isn’t the worst setup, but it is pretty noisy during the day. I have to close the car wash just to put him down for a nap.” He chuckled. “People still come by to have their cars washed by hand, though.”

“Ya know they’d give you their money even if you didn’t wash their cars, right?” Amethyst added with a smirk. “That’s why they come over in the first place. You’re just too boring to take it.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘responsible,’” Greg replied reaching down into the crib.

The baby whined as he was roused from his nap, but otherwise remained calm, lifted up into his father’s arms. Greg whispered a bit of nonsense, the baby babbled back, and gripped the finger that Greg held out to him. At the mere sight of the child it seemed like the years gained had been shed all at once, as Greg smiled as brightly as he had in the past. Even the other Crystal Gems lightened up, Amethyst letting out an endeared “awww!” and Garnet chuckling fondly.

Seeing them together only solidified the loneliness Pearl felt in herself. She had no one.

Greg carried the baby back to her, rested in the crook of his arm. He had curly black hair and a red onesie that refused to close around the gem that dominated his entire abdomen. It was something that he would have to grow into, certainly, but it didn’t seem to bother him too much. Blinking sleepily, he regarded the world around him as any curious, human infant would. He even smiled as he recognized Garnet and Amethyst, who called and waved to him as if he would respond.

“Okay, Steven,” Greg stated, crouching down beside Pearl, “meet your Aunt Pearl.”

She looked down at Steven then to Greg, then back to Steven, whom Greg held out to expectantly. “W-wait.” She scooted away nervously. “Y-you want me to…”

“Only if you want to!” Greg said quickly. “Just hold him like I am and it’ll be fine!”

Amethyst sidled up to Pearl’s other side, leaning over her shoulder. “Yeah, don’t worry! I was scared to hold him at first, too, but he’s super chill. Hah! He’s so small, Garnet can hold him in one hand! Right Garnet?”

“Yes, but Greg doesn’t like it,” Garnet replied, smiling unapologetically, a bit of her old self coming out, putting Pearl a little more at ease. It gave her the fortitude to accept Greg’s offering, hoping that he didn’t see the way her hands shook.

Gently, he transferred Steven from his arms to her, instructing her on how to elevate the head and that she must hold him close to her body, putting particular stress on using both arms for the job. After the baby was settled, he hovered around the two, even though Pearl was in a sitting position and the baby would be in no danger if he was dropped. Meanwhile, Pearl had all but disassociated from the entire situation, feeling as if she were merely an observer and not an active participant.

She couldn’t believe that this tiny, fragile being had once been…Rose Quartz. Yet, there was her gem, clear as day, embedded immovably into his skin, fused to his body. It was as intriguing as it was disturbing and upsetting, and she struggled to wrap her mind around it. How could this small human be the cause of Rose Quartz’s demise, while also being Rose Quartz herself, while also being “Steven”?

She wanted to hate this child, but there was something else that stirred in her that told her she didn’t, and somehow that fact was far more troublesome. He was Rose's prison, after all; her gem was so close, embedded in the baby's stomach, and yet so far far from reach in how totally it held to his body. The situation was so perplexing that she was compelled to test its connection to Steven, but she knew that the others would disapprove, having already formed a bond with the infant. The more Pearl thought about it, however, the more the complexities stood out to her, and she knew that it would never be as simple as bringing Rose back and pretending that this had never happened. And Rose...she wanted this. She wanted this so much, and despite her efforts to fortify herself for this moment, Pearl found that she couldn't imagine bringing an end to this child.

Ashamed of even considering something so terrible, she decided to act as the others expected her to, as if she had already accepted this reality.

“Hello, Steven,” she said, and then she actually did start crying, holding him close.

He wasn't just Rose's prison, no, he was Rose, and she was a part of him, and there was nothing she could do to change that, but she knew that she wouldn't let it end with this. She was an intelligent gem, and she wouldn't rest until she could think of a way to ensure that they could both eventually co-exist, so that everything could go back to normal and she could stop feeling the way she does. It was bad enough losing Rose to Greg, she simply couldn't accept losing her permanently, forever.

In the meantime, she would learn to love Steven in time, learn how to love him as she did.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“What are we going to do?” Peridot asked Pumpkin, who slumbered peacefully in her lap.

A familiar sort of anxiety gripped her, that general sense of complete hopelessness that she dealt with on a day to day basis, and it took everything in her power to keep from breaking down. She was scared, that was a given, but she was also confused, clinging to recently discarded ideologies. She was a Peridot, she was meant to work in a kindergarten, helping gems grow, aiding in the destruction of life-giving planets. Over her relatively short life, she’d taken pride in such work, and she was as good at her job as any other era two, maybe even above average, though she always exaggerated her importance in her head.

She’d always wanted to be special, to be valued. Now, all she felt was a deep sense of longing for what she used to have, even with all the bad things that came with it.

In the rare moments that she slept, her dreams consisted of daily monotony within a kindergarten that was always changing, on a random colony controlled by Yellow Diamond, more memories than constructs of the mind. She would see to the creation and maintenance of countless Quartz soldiers: Citrines, Lemon Quartzes, Chyrsoprases, Zebra Jaspers, Aventurines, and more, always working. Sometimes, she was waiting for a new soldier to emerge, put in charge of the preparations by her manager, Olivine. Other times, she would have to break up a fight between Quartzes who would then turn on her, and she would have to call for an Agate to discipline them. In a better scenario, the gems would begrudgingly listen, but one of them would come away from the fight scuffed or bearing a hairline fracture, which she would have to laser shut.

These dreams were stressful, but they were also normal. This was what she had done her entire life, but now, looking back on them, it felt oddly detached. It felt as if they weren’t her memories, but ones of a gem from another time, like she was watching the personal logs of another Peridot.

She became a different gem the moment she called Yellow Diamond out, and with it came a sense of loss of identity. All this time, she tried to fill the void with the Cluster, with the “shorty squad,” with music, with art, with Lapis…and through it all she developed an interest in gardening, adding a thread of familiarity to an otherwise uncharted existence for herself. Gardening was the only thing in her life that truly made sense to her anymore, it was the only thing she liked to do at any given moment.

Every time she tried to plan her newest project, however, she found that it didn’t stir the same excitement and wonder it used to. And she couldn’t very well ask the other Crystal Gems for help, when they had their own team shattering revelations to deal with.

Peridot sighed deeply, pulling Pumpkin closer and tapping the blackened screen of her tablet. Thirty tabs full of research came to life before her, detailing different regions, soil types, and proper planting conditions for different varieties of seeds, as well as a few unsaved documents detailing plans she probably wouldn’t follow through with. One by one, she began to close every single tab, too discouraged to think about it any longer.

A knock at the door made her pause, rousing Pumpkin from her slumber.

“Hey, Per, I’m coming in,” Amethyst announced, pushing the door open without further preamble.

Peridot sat up a little straighter, releasing the tension in her face and shoulders before Amethyst could see, but it was too late. The expression on her face said that she knew exactly what was going on, and that it concerned her. Everything she did seemed to concern Amethyst these days, though she couldn’t say why. She never worried about Peridot like this before Lapis left.

Pumpkin, now aware of Amethyst’s presence, scrambled out of the bathtub and bounded toward the small Quartz, yapping happily and racing circling around her feet.

Amethyst knelt down to pet her, grinning fondly. “Hey there, ya noisy little gourd. Been keeping Peri company?”

“More or less,” Peridot chuckled, laying her tablet to the side. “She’s been keeping my lap warm all day.”

Her smile twitched. “Yeah, you guys have definitely been in here all day,” she replied pointedly, her expression growing serious. “You know what we talked about, Per. You can stay in the bathroom and have your alone time, but you gotta come out and socialize every day. At least once.”

“I was going to!” Peridot argued, knowing full well that she wasn’t. “I was just preoccupied with the plans for my next gardening endeavor. It’s a lot more involved than it sounds, you know!”

“Yeah, I know.” Amethyst’s smile turned more genuine again, as she leaned over to wrap an arm around her narrow shoulders. “But you could at least let us help you out sometimes.”

Although she wanted to be difficult, as always, Peridot couldn’t help but lean into the embrace, taking comfort in her warmth, her closeness. She normally wasn’t the touchy feely type, preferring her personal space, but there came a time when she just…she just needed a hug. She was just too proud to request one. And in her minuscule experience with close contact, Peridot could say with certainty that Amethyst’s hugs were the best. Even Steven’s hugs paled in comparison to the way Amethyst’s made her feel, though Garnet’s crushing embrace had a certain charm to it. 

But Amethyst…her hugs stirred all the right feelings in her, feelings that were underused and mildly uncomfortable, but not unpleasant. If she weren’t so embarrassed about falling asleep around the other Crystal Gems, she could have dozed off peacefully in her arms, unplagued by dreams of the past and doubts for her future.

It lingered for a long moment, Amethyst squeezing her closer. Even Pumpkin seemed to sense the mood shift, as she hopped back into the tub and curled against Peridot’s leg. It struck her that she never felt this comfortable, this safe, around Lapis, not even close. Even during the good times, there was still that nagging idea that one wrong step would evoke her fury, or at least upset her. She could never let her guard down the way she did with Amethyst.

Was this what healing felt like?

“I think I would like that,” she finally replied, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Y-your help, I mean. I’ve spent enough time in here.”

Amethyst squeezed her again. “That’s the spirit, Dot!”

Peridot grabbed her tablet and accepted Amethyst’s outstretched hand, letting herself be guided into the house. Already, the quiet felt less oppressive and more of a companionable silence, a peaceful afternoon with her favorite gem and her favorite Pumpkin, talking about something she’d become quite passionate about.

Yes, this warm feeling in her chest must be healing at work.

Chapter Text

“Jasper…” Lapis groaned, her water wings struggling to beat against the oppressive heat of the sun as she regarded the carnage below. Reluctantly, she drifted downwards for a closer look, knowing that once she touched down, her wings would evaporate and she would be left virtually powerless.

It was almost comforting, having that temptation taken from her in Jasper’s own element.

Twisted metal and crystalline glass littered the floor of Beta as far as the eye could see, the injectors red, gooey contents spilling out onto the sand. The cliffs that they once occupied were marred with deep gouge marks, as if they had been dragged down violently, but the surrounding exit holes were miraculously unscathed. The whole scene was eerily still and silent, qualities that one would find anyway in an abandoned kindergarten, and right at the center of this carnage was the gem responsible.

Jasper was in the process of mutilating another injector, ripping it apart piece-by-piece, huffing and growling with such ferocity that it made Lapis wonder whether she had been healed completely or not. Steven, however, assured her that she’d been uncorrupted just as the others had, though she didn’t stay to listen to his heartfelt speech afterwards. That was what he got for starting with the “Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond and I inherited her gem” explanation. She raced to the warp pad before anyone could gauge her true reaction, but she clearly wasn’t taking it well.

To be fair, Lapis wasn’t sure how to feel about it, either.

With one final scream, Jasper plunged a clawed leg into the injector’s glass casing, sending up a spray of debris and gem essence. Lapis didn’t know much of anything about kindergartens, but to see her reduce a machine meant to last thousands of years to scrap so effectively left her feeling mildly impressed, and a little scared. Her confidence was waning fast.

“What in the world are you doing?!” She cried, dredging up what was left of her resolve. “Stop it, right now!”

She had hoped that would stop Jasper in her tracks, but the Quartz didn’t even pause as she hefted the mangled injector over her head and flung it in Lapis’ direction.

“Go away!” She roared, grabbing any and everything within reach and throwing it at her.

Lapis stumbled out of the way as heavy metal crashed all around her, desperately searching for the slightest bit of moisture to protect herself, but she couldn’t sense anything significant nearby. All she could do was block the shrapnel with what little water she could condense from the air, protecting her gem if nothing else. The barrage only lasted a couple minutes, but by the end of it, she was exhausted, coated in gem essence and dust.

It appeared Jasper was no better, breathing heavily with shoulders slumped and wide, glaring eyes trained on her trembling hands. She brought them to her face and screamed into her palms, before falling to her knees, raking at her body as if she wanted nothing more than to tear herself apart. Lapis had no doubt that, left to her own devices in this state, she absolutely would.

Seizing her chance, Lapis gathered herself up on shaking limbs and took a couple steps towards Jasper. Even huddled on the ground, she came up to Lapis’ shoulders, but at the same time, she looked so small.

“Jasper,” Lapis began, gulping down her fear. “If you’re done throwing things at me, I only came to tell you something.”

Jasper took in a hissing breath, as if Lapis had slapped her. “I don’t want to talk to you,” she grumbled, shuddering oddly. That same nagging suspicion of Jasper’s condition pulled at Lapis, until she noticed the clear streaks cutting through the grime on her cheeks. She was crying.

Lapis felt suddenly embarrassed, knowing well that this was vulnerable side to Jasper that she didn’t want anyone to see, yet she broke down in front of her without even trying to hide it. Whether it said something about her weakened defenses or about her subconscious connection to Lapis, she wasn’t sure and, frankly, it wasn’t something that she wanted to dwell on right now.

“Jasper.” She began again, firmly. “I just want to say that…I want to say I’m sorry, for everything. No, sorry doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. I’m so…ashamed of what I did to you, keeping you trapped like that for so long, and for what? I ended up trapping myself in the process!” She paused for a moment, attempting to reign in her emotions before she could spiral any further into despair. “I took all my anger out on you, but it was never you I was angry at, not at the core. You’re an awful jerk, but you didn’t deserve any of this. You didn’t deserve Malachite.”

It felt like a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. After so long with this guilt, Lapis was finally able to let it go, having finally said what she needed to say to Jasper the last time they met. This was promptly dampened by the perplexity in Jasper’s gaze.

“What’re you talking about?” She demanded. “I ‘didn’t deserve Malachite.’ You don’t know what I’ve done! How many gems I’ve shattered! How many lives I’ve ruined! And for what? A lie…it’s all a lie!” She smacked the sand with each explanation, chocking back sobs. “And I was too stupid to see it, just like I was too stupid to stay away from you! You. You don’t know me. But I can tell you I deserve the worst fate imaginable. Even shattering me would be an act of mercy.”

“Sh-shattered?” Lapis gasped, dumbfounded. “For something you didn’t have any choice in? That’s like saying I deserved to be tortured in that mirror for thousands of years because I was left inactive on the battlefield and mistaken for the enemy! Do you think I deserved that?”

She regretted those words the moment they left her mouth, but to her surprise, Jasper shook her head sharply. “No! That’s different! You were a civilian and weren’t meant the fight, but the Crystal Gems—!”

“’They kept you prisoner! They used you!’ Yes, I know! And I’ll never forgive them for what they did to me,” Lapis shouted, balling her fists as thousands of years worth of injustice threatened to drift to the surface. “But they didn’t put me in that mirror to begin with, Homeworld did! My own Diamond gave the order! And then they interrogated me and tortured me like I was one of them!”

“And you went crawling back to Homeworld to beg for your old life back,” Jasper persisted desperately, though it seemed even she didn’t know where she wanted this argument to go, “just like you’re doing with the Crystal Gems now. Why?”

Lapis threw up her hands in exasperation. “Because it’s better than being alone, I guess!”

That seemed to have an effect on Jasper, as her gaze shot up to meet hers, realization dawning behind her Yellow eyes, the intensity of her gaze piercing through Lapis like weapon. In that moment, they had a connection: the fear of being alone, of feeling powerless and vulnerable to their own insecurities, and the weight of that fact dropped down on Lapis as heavily as the guilt that had resided there minutes before.

Those few good moments with the Crystal Gems, however strained her history with them may be, were better than endless solitude on the moon. And Malachite…it was never just about power.

Jasper let out a choking laugh, slumping further to the ground as if the strength were leaving her body. “I thought what we had as Malachite was better than being alone. Isn’t that pathetic? Stupid.” She swiped at her face angrily. “I spent so much time feeling isolated and guilty, like I lost so much during the war and that I needed to avenge it, them, her, only to find out that I never had anything and my existence is meaningless. My Diamond was my most hated enemy, and even though she wasn’t shattered, now she’s gone forever, and all I have is that stupid brat’s word to go by. You’re such a coward, Lazuli. Why won’t you just shatter me already?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Lapis stuttered, at a loss for words.

“None of it is your fault,” Jasper replied, pinching her gem. “It’s all her. It’s always been her. My faith in everything is shattered, just like she should have been back then.” Then, she sighed deeply, visibly relaxing. “You know, I didn’t believe your story at first. I didn’t think it was possible for a gem to be kept conscious but totally restrained like that for so long and still keep her sanity, but here you are.”

Lapis blinked in surprise. “I…I wouldn’t exactly say I kept my sanity, I was just able to find it again.”

“Heh, I wish I could say the same.” Jasper mused. “It’s terrible what they did to you, all because of a big misunderstanding. And then they treated you like a suspicious criminal when you returned, I treated you that way…I don’t think you deserved to be trapped in that mirror.”

“And I don’t think you deserve to die,” Lapis replied with a sad smile.

She thought Jasper would argue, but all she received was a weak “thanks.”

A profound silence descended between them as the sun suddenly disappeared, the slightest hint of fiery orange persisting to the west. The stars were just starting to come to life in the river of night sky beyond the canyon walls, and the only light source came from the injectors high above, casting the entire kindergarten in a soft magenta glow that barely reached the bottom. Without the oppressive sun, the Beta’s screaming presence was muted and soft, the red cliffs turned to muddy, umber shadows.

It was beautiful, and Lapis wanted to express as much to Jasper, but she knew that this conversation was over, that she’d stayed longer than she meant to. Instead, she bridged the distance between her and Jasper one last time, touched her shoulder, then left without another word, making the trek to the kindergarten’s warp pad on foot.

She would never speak of this day to anyone.

Chapter Text

How is any of this real?

Jasper felt like she was surrounded by ghosts, or mere figments of her fevered mind, and in a moment they would disappear and she would be alone again, with nothing but her grief and her anger.

This entire interaction felt wrong. How could she possibly be here among gems she always assumed were dead—and better off for it—in this place, so close to traitors she despised, but ones who’d helped her at her lowest point? How could they be here, smiling and relaxed (as much as one could expect from the Beta gems), when the last time they’d been together they’re very existences were on the line? How could they exist outside of the war that had taken everything from her?

And most importantly, how could she accept this affection, after how terrible she’d been all these millennia?

The question must have been clear on her face, as she felt a smaller gem tackle her from the side, thin arms clinging to her neck and face pressed forcefully against her own. Barely able to control her own emotions anymore, Jasper blushed furiously and tried to pull away, but to no avail. The gem was stronger than she seemed, and as stubbornly persistent as herself, laughing carelessly. She knew Jasper wouldn’t hurt her.

“Agh! Okay, okay! Get off!” Jasper shouted, falling back as she was finally subdued by the affection, the other Betas snickering around her.

This can’t be real.

Satisfied, Skinny finally pulled away, grinning cheekily at Jasper’s flustered glare. “What’s your problem?” Jasper demanded, as if she hadn’t just been brooding.

“You had this look on your face and I couldn’t resist,” Skinny replied matter-of-factly, her expression softening. “Come on, just lighten up for a few minutes. The war is over, Muscles.”

Agreements all around, though not as enthusiastic as one would expect from a group of gems who’d been through hell multiple times over. Of course, how could anyone expect them to let their guards down completely while they were, quite literally, on their enemy’s doorstep. Until the Crystal Gems were convinced that the Betas were trustworthy, especially when it came to interactions with Jasper, all meetings had to be held within plain sight of the temple, and someone had to be around to watch. That someone was normally Amethyst, who rarely ever paid attention, except to converse with Carnelian.

At that moment, the little traitor was positively buzzing with excitement, listing off all the things Amethyst told her in the hour that they talked that day and recapping everything from the past week. The triplets listened in amused silence, stopping her every once in a while as her excitement got to be too much, sparks flying off of her dangerously close to the wooden remains of Steven’s house.

Jasper couldn’t help but smile. At the very least, it made her happy seeing her favorite little runt happy.

“Aw, there you go!” Cleft cried, mussing up Jasper’s hair from behind. “Muscles finally cracked!”

“Would you two stop calling me that?!” Jasper retorted, embarrassed at the constant use of her old nickname. Skinny and Cleft, the two survivors who emerged closest to Jasper and who pretty much counted as column mates at this point, were the worst when it came to this. She was convinced they did it on purpose, but she didn’t actually mind it.

This was the best she’d felt in a long time, actually. Even in such close proximity to the Crystal Gems, being indebted to them and at the same time policed by them at every turn, she could say with certainty that that she’d never felt so happy. There was no war, there was no expectations, there were no rules dictating how one must live and the consequences of going against that order. At that moment, it was only her and her kindergarten mates. If this was a delusion, she never wanted to be sane again.

After another round of harassment from Cleft and Skinny, with Carnelian interrupting at intervals join the fun, she allowed herself to relax and joke with them. It was something she rarely allowed herself to do back during the war, but now there was nothing to stop her.

She didn’t notice a commotion from within the house until the conversation abruptly stopped, the door swinging open to reveal an apparently unwelcomed sight. Lapis. Amethyst was standing behind her in the doorway, obviously torn between wanting to pull her back inside and fearful of what sort of reaction that would evoke, now that Lapis had seen and been seen.

The Betas grew very still and quiet, glaring up at the blue gem wearily while casting sidelong glances at Jasper. As she stood to greet Lapis, she felt Skinny grasp her shoulder tightly, protectively, flanking her from one side while Cleft stood on the other side, arms crossed. Carnelian bolted toward her and barreling into her shin with enough force to almost knock her over, refusing to let go.

With growing mortification, Jasper realized: they know. Oh stars, they know.

Jasper wasn’t there when the Betas first arrived. They never mentioned what Steven told them—if they had even allowed him to speak to them in the first place—but Jasper was determined to put off stories of her antics until all this had died down. Malachite was at the very bottom of the list of things she planned to one day tell them, right below the abuse she dealt and received on Homeworld. She didn’t want pity.

Did that brat Steven tell them everything? Even the time Jasper begged on her knees to fuse with Lapis again, only for Lapis to bunce her across the ocean like she was a mere pebble? Whatever was said, now they were poised to protect her. Her! The very gem who saved their butts from certain death time and time again, now brought down so low that she needed protection from defective—

Jasper stopped this train of thought abruptly, guilt permeating through her. She should’ve been grateful that she had gems who cared enough to look out for her, even after all this time. For the first time in a long time, she had gems who were genuinely on her side, who knew what she was really about and what she went through, who she shared those experiences with. But while they were all ready to go, Jasper found that there was no fight left in her, nothing to fight for. She certainly wasn’t worth the effort.

“So, this is your…what does Steven call it? Family?” Lapis’ voice trembled, nervously smiling as she shrank from the Betas’ hostility.

“What do you want?” Jasper asked gruffly, shrugging the others way and squaring her shoulders, making it clear that she wasn’t bothered even as her face burned and her palms began to sweat.

Her smile wavered, but remained pinned in place. “I just…I heard everyone was out here, and I wanted to say that I’m happy for you, all of you. And…and I’m sorry, again.”

Jasper was about to dismiss her, when Skinny suddenly draped her arm over Jasper’s shoulders, leaning towards Lapis with thinly veiled derision. She asked, voice dripping with sweetness, “well, you don’t look like the type to mess a gem like her. What could you possibly be sorry for, huh?”

Lapis pursed her lips uncomfortably, no longer able to maintain eye-contact.

“What was that? I can’t hear you.”

This was almost difficult to watch. “I fused with her…” Lapis replied, barely audible.

“Louder for the gems in the back, Lazuli!”

“I fused with her!” Lapis shouted. “I trapped her in a fusion for months so I could have control over something, and I took everything out on her! I tortured her! I tortured the both of us. It was awful, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire existence. There’s nothing I can do to make up for this, but the least I can do is apologize. You forgive me, don’t you?”

She looked up at Jasper imploringly, but Jasper felt nothing. No anger, no gratitude, nothing. Truth be told, she still harbored that feeling deep within her that she deserved what she got and worse, so any apology from Lapis seemed unwarranted. It was like warden apologizing to a criminal for keeping her locked up, right? Jasper was awful, and she knew it, and that lingering sense of longing she still felt around Lapis only solidified this.

“Of course she doesn’t, you dumb clod!” Carnelian snapped before Jasper could answer. Thankfully, her hold never loosened from Jasper’s leg, or else she would have certainly torn into Lapis without mercy. As awkward and unnecessary as this altercation was, she had to admit it made her a little choked up to have her tiny companion defending her against a gem who could shatter her without a second thought. Jasper shushed her, laying a hand on her head placatingly.

Skinny released her grip on Jasper and moved dangerously close to Lapis, towering over her.

“Look at me.” She demanded. When Lapis resisted, she grabbed her chin and wrenched her head upwards. “Stay away from her, or else. Understand?”

Lapis nodded.

“Just because we occupy the same planet doesn’t make us friends, and it definitely doesn’t make us Crystal gems, so don’t think that it does. Got it?”

She nodded again, struggling against Skinny’s grip.

“And you’re going to go back in that house like the good little traitor you are and leave us alone. Okay?”

“Mmmph…yes, okay.” Lapis agreed tensely.

“Good.”

To her credit, Skinny let her go gently, giving a warning look to the other Betas to keep them from hurling more abuse her way. She wasn’t the bullying type, but she was by no means a novice. With only a tentative glance over her shoulder, Lapis made her way back up to the house. Amethyst held the door open for her, wide eyed.

Chapter Text

Amethyst sat perched on 8XL’s shoulders, surrounded by gems from her own column.

For once, she was the center of attention that didn’t involve being reprimanded or talked over or treated like she didn’t know anything, which wasn’t her fault. They may have been older and more experienced than her, not to mention taller, but they treated her like an equal. They laughed and joked with her, they even understood some of her human references! It was better than she ever imagined it would be, gazing at that silent, empty holes for thousands of years wondering what sort of beings occupied them.

It felt so good, she wanted cry. Cry and laugh. Jeez, she was such a sap. As the conversation died down, Amethyst hugged Elle’s head, smiling through the tightness in her throat. Her column mate, her sister, right there, they’re all there.

Seeming to sense Amethyst’s tangle of emotions, Elle reached up to give her arm a sympathetic pat. “Hey Em, you doing alright up there?”

A sniffle escaped. “Y-yeah,” she replied, burying her face in the larger gem’s hair. “I’m just being a baby.”

They were going on a special trek to the Prime Kindergarten, taking the scenic route instead of the warp pad, just Amethyst and her column. The other Crystal Gems had reservations about letting a group of rowdy Quartzes roam the countryside, but for once they listened when Amethyst vouched for her column. That wasn’t to say there weren’t objections—after all, she barely knew these gems—but trusting them seemed to be preferable to keeping all of them gathered on the beach.

Seeing as 12 full-sized Quartzes and one half-sized one couldn’t very well sneak onto a moving train, they settled with the hike. It was fine, that just meant more time for her to get to know her family better.

Elle was the leader, that much was certain, but Kay—the one with the sharp teeth—was pretty influential in the group, as well. Her and Elle didn’t get along sometimes. Gee and Jay were the closest; everyone joked that it was because they both had amazing hair. Aye was the oldest by a small margin, but she never let anyone forget it, certainly not her column mate, Bee. Eye was the most serious, as well as the most quiet, but Gee told her it was just because she missed Bandit, the Jasper from Beta she was “friends” with. She didn’t seem to appreciate the teasing that followed at her expense.

And that was just the beginning. These were gems that had spent thousands of years together, confined to that space station with nothing but each other’s company and the humans. As entertaining as it was to hear all their antics, it made Amethyst feel a little left out, like she had missed on something, even though she certainly wouldn’t have wanted to experience what they had. She missed out on so much, though.

There were endless fields leading to Prime, flourishing with life that would eventually be reduced to dust as they approached the barren wasteland of Prime. Always a sore spot, it was nice to travel with gems that held the same attachment to the place, so she didn’t have to feel guilty about her excitement at returning to her original home. She enjoyed hearing them recount stories of when they first emerged, with Amethyst chiming in with her own commentary about the odd Rose Quartz soldier they met that day, a.k.a. Pink Diamond.

“I still can’t believe it,” Elle admitted, rubbing her face wearily. “I actually talked to her and didn’t…and then she…ugh, I didn’t ask for all this shale. Why is everything more complicated than it looks?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question. Heck, I didn’t even learn much about the war until years after Steven was born, let alone Pink and all that jazz. No one tells me anything around here. Heh,” she chuckled ruefully, “I guess Stevo’s better at asking questions than I am.”

Instead of placating her and saying it wasn’t true, the rest of the group affirmed that they too were terrible at investigating deeper than necessary. Somehow, that was far more reassuring.

A while later, the sun began to dip towards the east, creating a dazzling display along the horizon. It would be dark by the time they got to the kindergarten, but Amethyst could already see a hint of purple just beyond the rolling hills they traveled alongside from her perch on Elle’s shoulder. Figuring Prime wasn’t going anywhere soon—and neither were their fellow kindergarten mates—the Amethysts decided to stop and admire their home for a bit.

Bee squinted in the sunlight. “What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the neat, rainbow rows that resembled nothing they passed so far on their journey.

“Oh, that’s Peridot’s latest project,” Amethyst replied, grinning proudly for her companion. “Since she can’t grow anything in the kindergarten, she likes to plant flowers and stuff around it to make the place look nicer. ‘Course, she has to make it nice and organized and bigger than all the other plots around here.”

“That Era-2 did all this?”

“Is that another one of her special powers, or did she just plant them like that?”

“A K-Tech interested in growing organic stuff? Now that’s what I call irony.”

“Is there anything we should do?” Bee asked, rolling her eyes at her companions’ rude questions. “I don’t wanna mess her stuff up. It looks awesome from over here, I can only imagine how great it is up close.”

“Just don’t touch anything, or else you’ll have to face her ‘unbridled rage’ and ‘eternal hatred’ that lasts all of 20 minutes.” Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, having made this mistake more than once. “We should go check it out later. I bet Dot’ll wanna give you all the grand tour personally.”

She was pleased to hear the excitement that rippled through the group at the prospect of seeing Peridot’s handwork. That little nerd deserved all the attention she could possibly want, which was a lot. No wanting to spoil too much of the surprise, Amethyst refused to answer any more questions on the subject, enjoying the dismayed protests that followed.

When it was time to get moving again, Elle and Kay got into an argument over who would carry 8XM around, as if she didn’t have two feet of her own.

“I emerged closest! We’re practically…what did you call us, Em?”

“Sisters,” Amethyst replied, amused. “But dude, ya know you can have more than one, right?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Kay responded like she already knew this.

It went back and forth like this for half an hour, while the rest of the column watched in bemused silence. Clearly, they were used to it. Suddenly anxious to get moving again, to see the place filled more Amethysts than she could have ever imagined, she decided to intervene and make a compromise: she would walk between them.

It was well past sunset when they finally arrived, green fields reduced to purply gray dust. Recently, Amethyst had grown to think of Prime as like a bruise on the Earth’s surface, by color and by the damage inflicted, but hearing the excited gasps all around her was like music to her ears. There it was, in all its nighttime glory—injectors glowing magenta against the dark rock—with familiar voices echoing off its smooth cliffs: The Prime kindergarten.

Without thinking, Amethyst grabbed Elle’s hand, who squeezed it in return, sparing her a little bit of the embarrassment for having done something so…soft, and childish. With her other hand, she reached towards Kay, not wanting her to feel left out, which Kay snatched up without hesitation. She was waiting for it.

“Well, are we gonna keep ‘em waiting or what?” Amethyst called, leading the way home.

Chapter Text

“I thought I was tutoring you,” Sapphire chuckled, attempting to snatch the papers from Ruby’s hand.

Ruby stretched as tall as she could, holding them just out of reach. “Awww, so this wasn’t a romantic poetry reading?” She taunted in mock dismay, waving the papers above her head. “And here I was, about to confess my love for you through the most romantic language in existence!”

“Chemistry?” Sapphire questioned, gesturing at the discarded textbook on the table before them. The laughter was gone from her voice as her grasping became more frantic. “Please, Ruby, this is a library. You need to study or else you’ll—”

Suddenly, the papers slipped from Ruby’s hand, fluttering to the floor. Sure enough, there lay stanza after stanza of Sapphire’s beautiful cursive for the world to see, if the world had been watching. Luckily, in this quiet corner of the campus library, no one else was there to witness the incident, save for a volunteer who had enough to sense to give them some space. Guiltily, Ruby quickly crouched to retrieve the papers, unsure of their order but too bothered by Sapphire’s sudden desperation to press the matter. She loved her more than words could describe and she appreciated all the effort she put in to ensure that Ruby finally grasped the subjects she struggled with; the last thing she wanted to do was make her upset.

Sapphire stood quietly to the side, no longer fighting to retrieve her discarded writing. As Ruby perused the papers, she noticed that the neat script quickly lost form, devolving into eraser marks, scribbled out lines, and half formed ideas in the margins that would never come to fruition. Locating the first couple of pages, she found that she started decently enough, but halfway through, it appeared that Sapphire, the smartest and most perfect person Ruby knew, had given up.

When she looked up, she found that Sapphire was crying. “Oh, Sapphy, I’m sorry.” She was quickly by her side, pulling her into an embrace. “I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. If it makes you feel any better, I think you did a pretty good job.”

“No, I didn’t,” Sapphire choked dismally into Ruby’s shoulder.

Ruby squeezed her tighter. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I mean, look who you’re talking to! I’m failing chemistry and barely passing my other classes. If anyone should be ashamed of their work, it should be me. I’m stupid!”

Sapphire shoved her away angrily. “Don’t ever say that again!”

“But—”

“You are not stupid.”

“But, Sapphire—”

“No. You are not stupid,” Sapphire repeated firmly, her expression softening as she reached for Ruby’s hand. “I won’t let you speak about my partner like that.”

She laced her fingers with Ruby, wiping away her tears with the heel of her other hand, gazing through her heavy bangs at the papers. Resolutely, Ruby pulled her back to the table, shoving their books aside and spreading the papers out across the open surface. She draped an arm comfortingly over Sapphire’s shoulder and kissed her forehead, pressing her face against her hair for a tender moment. Her own studies were long forgotten, but that wasn’t a difficult feat. She wasn’t stupid; rather, she lacked the patience for regular schooling, whereas Sapphire had all the patience in the world, and twice the brainpower. This was one situation, however, where Ruby was more prepared.

Quietly, she skimmed what Sapphire had written so far. It was a half-finished assignment, a plague that Ruby was all too familiar with, a creative writing project. While English was far from Ruby’s forte, she always had the easiest time with creative pursuits, writing being but one medium.

Chapter Text

Amethyst stood unsteadily, testing her new limb enhancers as she ignored the judgmental glare of the Peridot beside her. The foreign instruments felt uncomfortable connected to her skin, making her extremities tingle where they ended and her body began. She was still recovering from the installation process, a small zap on each limb to disrupt her form making it easier to interface with the enhancer’s technology, or so the Peridot grumbled irritably in response to Amethyst naïve and intrigued questions.

She took a few steps, wobbling from the unexpected weight and height. She had shapeshifted to this height plenty of times before, but they seemed to hang awkwardly off her body. They were clearly not made for a gem as tactile as a Quartz.

“Wow, these sure are…different,” Amethyst affirmed, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “They fit pretty good, I think.”

“I would think so,” the Peridot scoffed. “They’re made to your specific measurements.” As an extra dig, she added, “You’re lucky Blue Diamond has made such exceptions for a gem like you.”

“Yeah?” Amethyst replied, trying to sound more curious than offended.

She rolled her eyes, the offense implied. “Yes. Defective gems are normally shattered on sight, and you are very lucky the Diamonds have granted you mercy.” She stood to see Amethyst out of her station. This Peridot was clearly Era 1, as her full height almost matched Amethyst’s simulated size. “Now, you may go.”

-

Hobbling down unfamiliar corridors, Amethyst closely followed the directions Pearl had given her before she left. Clinging close to the righthand wall, she tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible. She had no shame in her size, not anymore, but the Peridot’s words still managed to wriggle under her skin and the limb enhancers did nothing to dispel her shame. If anything, they emphasized her size, making her defect all the more obvious to passing gems who no doubt held the same prejudices.

Miraculously, Amethyst found her way to the ballroom without incident, drawing little attention to herself, however the crowd of gems that gathered in the confines of the room made her want to sink through the floor. There were so many gems around her, she could scarcely see the far wall, save for the looming thrones of the three, currently absent Diamonds. Pink’s was barely visible, and it was a miracle that she could pick out Steven’s bored and impatient form beyond the throng, Pearl standing impassively on one side and Connie seated on the other.

At the very least, the sight of familiar faces put her at ease a little.

“You’re late,” she heard an oddly familiar voice his at her gruffly. She turned to find an Amethyst beside her, looming over her despite the limb enhancers. Her heavy bangs—which hung over her eyes—and notedly restrained composure said she was not an Amethyst she knew, certainly not one from Prime. Likewise, all of the soldiers around her matched this Amethyst in both appearance and composure, quietly judging her.

“S-sorry, I’m uh…new here,” she stammered, smiling apologetically.

The Amethyst smirked. “Yeah, we know.” She pointed toward the crowd. “Just get in line. Pink Diamond’s gems stand over there.”

“You aren’t Pink Diamond’s gems?”

“Does it look like we are?” She laughed, turning her back before Amethyst could answer and returning to her own group, undoubtedly belonging to Blue’s court.

Despite the humiliating encounter, Amethyst was undeterred. After all, they were not a part of her court, where she would, at the very least, find gems that had personalities similar to her own. At least the gems in front of her didn’t give her dismissive looks, instead opting to smile blankly ahead. Even at this distance, she could hear their droning, repetitive, pleasant greetings and Steven’s weary responses. In their awe of “Pink Diamond,” she was thoroughly ignored, and that was just what she wanted.

While she waited, she began to fiddle with her enhancers. Having gotten used to walking, she found that the sensation was easy to ignore, as well, however awkward and uncomfortable they may be. Worried about losing one of her fingers, she focused deeply on keeping them all aligned, until she found that it didn’t take nearly as much mental energy as she thought it did. In her idle waiting, she began to fiddle with them, levitating them up and around her head and over the heads of the gems in front of her, testing it’s reach. She couldn’t hope to understand the actual functions of the limb enhancers, but this was simple enough to grasp.

As she came closer, she once again caught a familiar sight: Amethysts among other Quartzes, but they were still too far away to recognize. They stood together, some talking excitedly while others cast weary glances at the talkers and whispered among themselves. A small hope overcame Amethyst, but she didn’t dare set herself up for disappointment.

-

“Hi, how’s it going?!” She called to the nearest group, emboldened by her friendly interaction with “Pink Diamond.”

At the very least, she was sure it would impress these gems despite her obvious flaw, even greater than the Blues she met earlier. When she approached the gathered soldiers, however, all she received were stony, distrustful gazes and non-discrete whispers behind hands. They still wore the blue insignia, but it was clear by their demeanor that this was not their original court, standoffish but lacking the cold composure of their counterparts. They didn’t even grace her with a response, as the Blues had done, instead gathering closer into their groups, drawing away from her as if she were contagious. “Earth” came up just as frequently as “defect” and “small,” until she wasn’t sure which repulsed them more.

She hunched her shoulders uncomfortably, wishing again to disappear. If it weren’t for Steven, she would have already left, ditching her new appendages at the door, but she had to stick it out. She had to make the most of her situation, for his sake, but that didn’t lessen the weight of her limb enhancers, grown heavier under the scrutinizing gazes of strangers.

“Em?” She heard suddenly, then more excitedly. “8XM?!”

A volley of shushes sounded around them, maintaining the crowded yet eerily quiet atmosphere.

Amethyst spun around, nearly toppling over to find the source, apprehension and a desperate excitement washing over her in equal measures. In a far corner, a small group stood gathered away from the others, who began shooting weary looks at them now, but it hardly mattered as recognition dawned on her. Before she had time to react, the caller broke from the group and strode toward her, sweeping her up in a tight embrace, ignoring the complaints of the other gems.

“8XL!” Amethyst cried, relief washing over her. “What’re you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” she chuckled, holding her back at arm’s length, partially to look at her and partially to steady her. “I thought you’d be smart enough to go back to Earth while you still could.”

“It’s a long story…” Amethyst trailed off, smiling apologetically.

“And is that the human you nabbed from the zoo?” She questioned, her expression growing more perplexed.

Amethyst shrugged, unsure where to start and not wanting to waste this short time getting into particulars. “Also a long story. All’s I can say is Steven is Pink Diamond, half human and half gem.” She stood up taller, diamond-saluting her in mock seriousness. “By helping us rescue him from the zoo, you have done your civic duty to our great and powerful overlord. You will be rewarded greatly for your bravery.”

8XL rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll repay us so handsomely for scaring him half to death with that prank.”

The others began to gravitate toward them, her relief reflected onto their own faces. There was a handful of Amethysts from her own kindergarten, as well as a couple Jaspers from Beta, who stuck out even among the variety of gems attending the ball. All of them seemed to stick out, despite the lack of variation among the Amethysts, and she noticed that the other gems looked at them in the same way they looked at her.

“Where’s everyone else?” She asked, accepting a round of hugs from her fam, thankful for the familiar crowd around her to block out the strangers.

“Back at the zoo,” 8XL replied, a twinge of disappointment in her voice.

“Why?”

One of the Jaspers crossed her arms defensively, knitting her brows together. “We got an invitation saying some of us could attend, and Holly chose the ones who would be the least likely to embarrass her. The ones who aren’t as loud and obnoxious…or defective.”

“As if anyone knows who she is,” the other Jasper agreed vehemently, glaring at the suspicious soldiers nearby. “But clearly everyone knows who we are.”

This time, it was 8XL’s turn to shush them, raising her palms in caution as the whispering increased around them. Now was not the time to speak ill of higher-ups, however obscure they may be, and more attention was the last thing they needed. Like Amethyst, they were here based on technicalities. If it weren’t for their connection to Pink Diamond, all of them would have likely been shattered sooner or later, whether from physical defects or on some obscure battlefield, conquering in the name of Homeworld. They were kept relatively safe at the zoo, subjected to Holly’s bullying, while Amethyst was lucky enough to emerge after the war ended. No one wanted to jeopardize that good fortune now.

Murmurs began to roll over the crowd as they gathered in their respective spaces, looking expectantly toward the doors. 8XL tugged at her elbow, dragging her into the corner they commandeered for the occasion.

“Come on, the ball is about to start,” she whispered. “At least I went to one of these on Earth, before the war. I’ll show you a dance or two before the Diamonds get settled.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Amethyst chuckled, placing herself among her fam, feeling oddly at home, despite having only met these gems once. At the same time, however, a quiet fear began to build inside her at the thought of losing touch with them again. There was no telling when she would see any of them again. So, after a moment of silence, she added, “maybe when all this is over, you guys can come back with us…to Earth. I can put in a good word with ‘Pink Diamond’ or something. Does that sound nice?”

There was pain behind 8XL’s grin, as if she knew that it would never be as simple as that. “That does sound nice. Someday.”