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Pearl crouched poised on the surface of the water that cascaded from one of the several elegant platforms in her room of the temple. Floating around her were various swords she had collected from a variety of locations and time periods in the countless centuries she had spent living among humans. They seemed to keep silent vigil, waiting their turn as they observed Pearl meticulously polishing the flawless steel blade of a simple but precisely crafted katana. Pearl always made sure to routinely clean her collection, keeping each blade in pristine condition so as to not betray the true age of any of them. The weapons were not ageless like Pearl herself, so she had to take care that time did not erode these irreplaceable masterpieces and the memories they held.
In her steadfast concentration she applied toward the task of blade maintenance, she didn’t catch the sound of the water below he being disturbed by something other than the water flowing down from her pedestal to meet it. Thus she was caught off guard when a raucous voice called up to her.
"Hey P, keeping those swords of yours as sharp as your nose?"
The sheathed swords surrounding Pearl immediately submerged into the water of the floating platform. Pearl’s action of cleaning the blade came to sharp halt, her eyes opened wide and her mouth open slightly in surprise and broken focus. This surprise turned to annoyance as her brows knitted together and she looked down over the ledge. Amethyst was swimming about playfully, submerged save for her head, in the crystal clear pools of water below.
"Get out of there!" Pearl practically shrieked at the purple Gem, "I’m in the middle of something and then you just come in to break my concentration."
With eyebrows raised, Amethyst looked up at Pearl with half-lidded eyes and a mischievous smirk. ”Whatever you say, P,” she called back in a tone Pearl was immediately suspicious of.
Amethyst swam over effortlessly to the edge of the placid lagoon. She slowly and almost sensually eased herself out of the water. Standing up to her full height, which wasn’t much, she turned to face Pearl’s direction. She pursed her lips and smiled slyly as she watched Pearl’s expression change. Her scrunched eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened and her wide, grumpy frown shrunk and dropped slightly.
"A-amethyst," Pearl managed to stutter, "W-where are your clothes?"
"What? Never heard of skinny dipping, P?" Amethyst replied with a small chuckle.
"No!" Pearl’s flustered surprise quickly flared up to an embarrassed outrage. "Who thought up such a vulgar thing?" She brought a hand up to her temples as she averted her eyes and blushed.
"Pff, it isn’t vulgar, it feels good. You should give it a try."
"I would never-"
"Of course you wouldn’t," Amethyst said with a sneer.
"And what’s that supposed to mean?" Pearl asked shrilly, frustration clearly building in her voice and posture.
"Someone uptight like you just wouldn’t know a fun time if it bit you on the nose."
"Excuse me?" Pearl removed her hand from her face and glared down.
"What? Are you gonna prove me wrong?" Amethyst challenged, hands on her naked hips.
Pearl let out a huff and then a muffled noise of frustration all the while blushing furiously. She was torn. Be made fun of for being a stick in the mud, or prove Amethyst wrong at the cost of her pride and dignity.
"Tch, I didn’t think s-" A splash echoed throughout the room as the water below Pearl swallowed her only for her to emerge in the water right in front of Amethyst. Her nose was inches away from Amethyst’s as she pointed a threatening finger at her.
"I can prove you wrong," she said quietly, eyes narrowing.
Amethyst remained unconvinced, “Yeah yeah, all bark no bite. Not gonna believe it ‘till I see it.”
Pearl huffed, “I’ll do it,” she snapped a pointed finger to gesture at the shadowed area under that platform she was previously standing on, “Over there!”
Amethyst mere shrugged, “Alright then,”
Pearl tiptoed her way across the water’s surface back to the platform with Amethyst swimming alongside her with a small, smug smile. Soon enough, they reached the water shaded by the platform above their heads. Pearl stood while Amethyst looked up at her while treading water.
"Well, I’m waiting,"
Pearl crouched down into a squat, still balanced on her toes. Amethyst teasingly swam circles around her.
"C’mon P, I don’t have all day."
Pearl sighed and hid her face. There was a dim sparkle of light and then it was gone, along with Pearl’s attire. Amethyst’s eye widened in surprise, but quickly resumed a smug expression, “Well, now you’re halfway there. Now come on in.”
Pearl’s cheeks puffed up with air and she looked away with brows furrowed, scrunching her huddled body a bit tighter. ”You’re just going to laugh at me.”
"Pfffff, for what?"
Pearl didn’t say a word, but her eyes betrayed her answer as they darted from Amethyst’s chest, to her own, and then away again.
Amethyst’s cockiness faded a bit as he looked at Pearl with a softened expression, “Pearl I wouldn’t- I’m not gonna tease you about your body, especially not your boobs.”
"You made fun of my nose," Pearl grumbled.
Amethyst looked at her apologetically, “Aw jeez, I didn’t mean anything by it. Your nose is cute,” Amethyst paused and then added sheepishly, “like the rest of you.”
Pearl’s eyes opened wide and she looked at Amethyst, taken aback at her response, “What was that?”
It was Amethyst’s turn to look away, “I said you’re cute,” she grumbled quietly.
Likewise, it was Pearl’s turn to be the smug one, “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that,” she said in a singsong tone, teasingly cupping a hand to her ear.
Amethyst could see the game she was playing and wasn’t about to let her win. She briefly glanced at Pearl’s ankles and got an idea, silently snaking her hands toward Pearl in the water.
"I said…"
She grabbed Pearl’s ankles and yanked her down. For a brief moment before she sunk, Pearl’s face was the picture of flustered horror. There was a series of splashes as Pearl’s arms flailed in the water and Amethyst’s deep belly laugh resonated on the water.
The water’s surface calmed and Pearl’s head slowly emerged from the depths with a look of utter fury. The rest of her body stayed underneath with her arms crossed over her chest.
Amethyst let out one more giggle and moved closer to Pearl. She gave the tip of her pointed nose a quick peck, “Don’t be a grumpy gus, P. I was just playing.”
"With my feelings?"
"Wh- no! I uh, I meant that part. I mean, well, I love ya, y’know…"
Pearl’s glowering face let down its defenses. Sighing, she smiled and rolled her eyes, slowly rising up a bit more in the water but still keeping her arms crossed.
"Aw come on Pearl, just relax. You got a nice bod, no need to be nervous."
"Oh… you think so?"
"Yeah, of course! Now just cut loose and feel the water flow," Amethyst said, demonstrating by spreading her arms and floating on her back. Pearl’s eyes briefly drifted to Amethyst’s chest now exposed above the water, but she nervously looked away only a fraction of a second later. But it was long enough for Amethyst to notice and cock a suggestive eyebrow Pearl’s way.
"What? You want to touch them or something?" She asked in a jokingly sultry voice.
"No! Of course not, why-"
"Because you can if you want," Amethyst said floating in front of her.
Pearl put a finger to her lip pensively, trying to calculate the results of the next action she decided to take.
"Of course, you have to let me do the same. Only fair, right?"
Pearl’s cheeks flushed a pastel aqua and the finger at her lip turned to a hand covering her flustered face. Amethyst closed her eyes and smiled, biding her time and enjoying the sight of the embarrassed and indecisive Gem.
Pearl huffed and after a moment said quietly, “Okay…”
"Hmm?" Amethyst looked up, "What was that?"
"I said okay, I’ll um, well you know." Pearl still kept her torso underwater but slowly unfolded her arms. A smile sparkled across Amethyst’s face and her eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. She was about to reach a hand forward but stopped herself.
"You can go first," Amethyst said nonchalantly, stretching her chin and chest upward slightly to emphasize her offer.
Pearl cautiously lifted her arm and ever so slowly began to reach toward Amethyst’s chest which was only a few inches or so from her own body. Her fingers shook a little as they reached forward but then folded back to her palms in hesitation. Pearl was so pointedly focused she nearly jolted when she felt Amethyst’s smaller hand on her own.
"Here let me help,"
Pearl was going to refuse but she held her tongue as Amethyst carefully guided Pearl’s hand to her chest, coming to rest in the middle right beneath her Gem. The location Amethyst chose surprised Pearl, it was genuinely sweet and not sexual in nature.
The pastel hand was timid to move, but eventually it timidly moved to Amethyst's right breast. The slender fingers gently caressed the top of it as they moved to the side of it, wrapping to the shape of it and cupping it as if to simply observe it. After a few moments the hand moved again, Pearl's soft turquoise eyes following it as it came to a rest on Amethyst's Gem. It began to emit a faint, lavender glow to both Pearl and Amethyst's surprise. Pearl retreated her hand, afraid she had done something wrong. Amethyst's eyes remained fixed on the glowing gem on her chest, trying to figure out the reason behind it, though she already had a hunch.
After a moment, Pearl piped up, "Well... I suppose it's your turn then."
Amethyst moved from her floating position on her back to one where she was upright, facing Pearl. She looked up at Pearl, then glanced down at her chest, which was now lit by the glow coming from Amethyst's own chest. The purple Gem reached out a hand, her fingers lightly making contact with one of Pearl's small breasts. Amethyst's eyes darted up to Pearl's face to gauge her reaction. The pale Gem's shoulders were visibly tense and her face was turned away timidly, skittish about contact so close and intimate. Amethyst smiled affectionately as she put extra effort in the light contact her fingers made with Pearl's soft, exposed skin (which Pearl probably thought uncharacteristic of her) hoping that in doing so Pearl would release the tension she had built with her self-conscious worrying.
When it was obvious it was not working like she hoped, Amethyst decided to try another approach.
"Oh I think you got a lil' something here,"
"Where?" Pearl asked, moving her head down to look.
She felt Amethyst's small hands on her cheeks and soon after felt her soft lips gently press against the gemstone on her forehead. Pearl felt a warm chill spill down her spine and a tender burning in her chest. Her thoughts froze, her facial expression as well, as feelings took complete control over her body.
Her thoughts started racing, taking note of the sensations fluttering around her body, trying to calculate the meaning of each one. Once her thoughts made a conclusion, she blinked and her mind returned to reality. In the time spent, she hadn't noticed the delicate pink glow radiating from her forehead. Now both of their gemstones were glowing. But what was the meaning behind it Pearl thought.
The combined glowing gave the dark area they swam in a beautiful lighting. It bounced on the surface of the placid pools surrounding their bodies and lit the water that tumbled from the platform above, gentle waterfalls that sectioned off their own little private area.
"My Gem has never glowed like this, not outside getting my spear or fusing. Why is it doing so now?" Pearl asked out loud.
"Does there always have to be a logical reason for you?" Amethyst replied with a chuckle.
Pearl looked a bit embarrassed, "It would be nice,"
"Well then let me put it simply," Amethyst moved closer, "These gemstones know what we want better than we do."
Pearl's eyes gave Amethyst a quizzical look, not grasping what Amethyst was explaining. "I don't follow, what wou-"
She stopped mid-sentence at the feeling of Amethyst's finger resting under her chin. The rest of her fingers followed and Pearl felt them guiding her head downward. Pearl observed as Amethyst closed her eyes, still processing what was happening.
Amethyst's soft, lavender lips met her own delicate and pale ones. Pearl's eyes widened in shock and then closed as she melded into the tender kiss. The soft violet lips left in what Pearl felt was too soon, as she already missed their warmth against her own lips.
There was a silence interrupted only by the ambience of rippling water around them.
"Get it now?" Amethyst asked quietly, smiling and looking away sheepishly.
Pearl quietly stared at Amethyst with half-lidded eyes. She smiled affectionately and closed her eyes. "I think so." She moved a hand toward Amethyst, "But..."
Their gemstones still glowed, even brighter now it seemed. Pearl brought a finger to Amethyst's chest and gingerly traced the glowing gem that resided there. "I think there's something else these gemstones are asking for..."
It was Amethyst's turn to look lost. "Like what?"
Pearl sunk down in the water so her head was level with Amethyst's chest. She brought her narrow hands behind Amethyst, resting on each of her shoulder blades, and pulled her closer. Pearl stared at the violet gleam emanating from Amethyst's chest, then closed her eyes. She leaned forward slowly, until her forehead, where her own gem glowed, delicately made contact with the gem gleaming on Amethyst's chest with the faintest clink.
Both Gems gasped at the feeling that shot through them as their gemstones flashed with an intense light. Pearl clutched Amethyst closer to her and Amethyst brought her hands behind Pearl's head to hug gently at her neck. Both Gems felt a tingling throughout their entire body, as if they were filled with a sparkling celestial seltzer, millions of small bubbles tickling at them inside. The sensation first building at the focal point where their gemstones made contact, then spreading throughout their projected bodies.
They stayed together, enjoying the sensation and the closeness of each other's bodies, drinking in the tender, intimate moment. The brightness continued to emanate from the energy shared between their gemstones from the prolonged contact. This brightness appeared first as an amalgam of both of their unique colors, but as it spread across the area it revealed the individual properties that composed it. The water below and surrounding them brightly glittered and twinkled with the reflection of lights the danced on the surface like a rippling mirror, vibrant hues of violet and pink and mint spilling all around. Both Gems had their eyes closed, but they did not need to see the light around them as they could feel it within themselves.
After what seemed like an eternity but was really only a handful of minutes, the intense glow began to dim and the vibrant lights around them sparkled more softly. The two gems opened their eyes. taking the time just to look at one another after what had just transpired.
Pearl's voice was the first to sound, though it came out as a barely audible, awestruck whisper, "...wow."
This made Amethyst grin with a genuine happiness, her smile growing into warm, bubbling laughter. Pearl couldn't help but join in, and the sound was rare, beautiful music to Amethyst's ears. The violet gem, filled with a joy she couldn't contain, grabbed Pearl into a hug and burying her face into the soft skin of Pearl's abdomen, causing a small whoop from the pale gem.
"It's been a long time since you've laughed like that, Pearl," Amethyst said with a soft sigh. Pearl smiled, putting her arms around Amethyst and laughing again. Amethyst hugged her even closer in reply.
"Heh, see I told you this would be fun," the smile could be heard in Amethyst's words.
"Ah, and I told you I would prove you wrong about, oh, what was it?" Pearl smiled smugly, "Being so uptight I wouldn't know a good time if it bit me on the nose?" Amethyst's face grew grumpy with a disgruntled frown.
"Guess that means I won," she practically sang with a gloating tone.
Amethyst was still enjoying the previous moment too much to ruin it with a counter argument. Ideas to get back at Pearl cam to her mind, but she acted on non of them in favor of remaining where she was for the remaining time they had together before something else like a mission or daily life forced them apart again.
"Whatever," she sighed, "I guess you did. But you're ruining the moment, P."
Pearl was taken aback at the absence of an argument from Amethyst, but it was a pleasant surprise. The haughtiness and competitive spirit left her features and she resumed enjoying the peace between them, almost regretting she had almost broken it by stirring up a silly argument.
She gave a light, short chuckle as her hands played with Amethyst's wet hair. "Well alright then. But that's quite unlike you Amethyst, not putting up a fight." Pearl couldn't help adding in an extra jab while Amethyst wasn't in the mind to argue, "Finally learning when it's wiser to quit hmmm?"
"Pearl, don't push your luck," Amethyst retorted, an audible tch sounding between her teeth, giving a sign for Pearl to knock it off. The aggression faded with a sigh, "What can I say, P? Can't win 'em all y'know?"