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“ey pearl! we’re going to visit p-dot, you comin’ or what?” amethyst shouted as she burst out of her room, carrying a giggling steven above her head. she tossed him onto the warp-pad, steven stopping himself from crashing face-first with his floating ability.
“i’m quite alright, thank you. i’ve still got to finish up the dishes and folding stevens’ shirts,” pearl replied from the kitchen as she placed another plate onto the drying rack. amethyst shrugged and stepped onto the warp-pad, “you sure? we’re going to see how big of a pumpkin i can eat in one go~.”
pearl grimaced, putting another plate under the faucet, shaking her head as she refused again, “as much as i’m sure i’d love to see that.. i would rather do nearly anything else. have fun, and please be careful.” steven waved goodbye as the warp lit up and they vanished in a flash of light. the room returned to a comfortable silence, the hum of the overhead fan giving some background noise alongside the running water.
pearl finished placing the last plate in the drying rack and looked over at the pile of plates she had separated as she had done them. all had large bite marks taken out of them, a clear sig that amethyst had used them, and pearl sighed. she gathered them up in her arms and crossed the living room towards the door where the gem rooms where, and carefully placed them in a purple bin marked with a cartoon-y purple puma.
“oh steven, your ideas are clever but really? does amethyst really need to keep all these plates she bites into?” pearl talked to her self as she returned to the living room, sitting on the couch to begin folding the shirts. she had barely folded a stack before a knock on the door caught her attention.
“steven’s not here at the moment, connie,” she called out as she made her way over, though as she realized who was at the door, she looked a bit miffed.
“vesper? is there anything i can help you with? connie and steven didn’t have any practice today for you to sit in on.”
vesper shrugged, “not really i guess. i was just sitting around and went on a walk, and came around here. got anything you need help doing?”
pearl glanced back at the couch, a small stack of folded shirts and the massive pile of freshly cleaned and unfolded shirts and then back at vesper.
“well, i suppose you could help with one thing- let me show you the correct way to fold a shirt first.”
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“little buddy’s got a lot of these shirts, huh?” vesper commented, looking from the pile of already folded shirts to the pile they still had left. pearl took another and folded it, “mhm. it’s fortunate greg had so many of those shirts from his band days, that’s really where most of these come from. he does have some other outfits though.”
“like this one?” vesper held up a soft pink sundress, little cookie cats and cartoon ufos patterned across it, “he wears dresses?”
pearl pulled the dress from his hands, quickly folding it and placing it away, “he enjoys the freedom to wear whatever he likes. if that’s a problem, i suggest you rethink.” her voice held a warning tone, and vesper looked away, rubbing his arm.
“sorry. i didn’t mean it like that- good on him for being confident like that. it’s pretty inspiring- i mean he’s pretty inspiring. for a uh. gem-human kid,” vesper rambled in reply, tugging at the face-mask she wore. pearl sighed, recognizing the nervous habit and put her hand on his shoulder. he stiffened slightly but relaxed as she patted him and then pulled her hand away.
“you know, i’ve seen how you admire the clothes when connie and steven drag you on their window shopping trips. you could try some sundresses and skirts on as well, vesper,” pearl returned to folding the shirts, giving the human beside her an encouraging smile when she looked wide-eyed at her.
they continued folding the clothes quietly until none were left. vesper looked as if he was going to say something, but before he could the warp pad lit up and steven and amethyst re-appeared, laughing loudly.
“hah-oh! vesper, you’re here! you missed it, amethyst ate a pumpkin the size of a tractor wheel!” steven ran over, arms stretched wide to show just how big the pumpkin was. amethyst’s form glowed and changed into a purple pumpkin, rolling her way over.
“uh, more like this big steve-o! you shoulda seen it, it was nuts!” amethyst bragged and pearl just sighed and shook her head. vesper laughed quietly and patted steven on the head as he got up, “that’s pretty cool, steven. i should probably head out now though, see you guys later.”
“aww, what! but i’ve only seen you for a little bit,” steven pouted.
“yeah well, i’ve been helping pearl fold your thousand shirts all day. you probably should try to help instead,” vesper replied, sounding slightly amused.
“pearl says i fold them wrong,” he replied and crossed his arms, huffing. pearl stood and moved around the coffee table to pat steven on the head, but didn’t disagree.
instead she walked with vesper towards the door and as he stepped out of the beachhouse, she caught his arm and followed him out. he looked confused for a moment, but she just let the door close behind her.
“think about what i said, vesper. i can always tell the others to go to the barn for a day if you don’t want to try anything on around them, but it’s important to be able to comfortable in yourself. rose always said that was important in being who you are.”
vesper looked away for a few moments and took a deep breath, and when he spoke, her voice was nervous and wavering.
“maybe- maybe tomorrow? i’ve had a few things, but never really been able to wear them.”
pearl clapped her hands together and beamed at him, and he rubbed his neck and flushed as she replied, “that sounds wonderful! i’ll make sure it’s just us two.”
vesper watched as she returned inside the beachhouse, face warm and the image of her beaming smile fresh in his mind as he walked back towards the city.
“yeah… just us two.”
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“vesper! it’s wonderful to see you, come in!” pearl waved the human in, and he slowly pushed the door open and walked in. he was dressed in his usual sweatshirt and jeans, his standard face-mask covered up by how she had hunched his shoulders up.
“i uh. didn’t want to walk over in it. would it be okay to..?” vesper gestured in the direction of the bathroom, and pearl waved him away.
“of course! i’ll get some tea ready while you change. the others will be gone all day, so we have plenty of time,” pearl replied and turned towards the kitchen while vesper made his way over to the bathroom. the door clicked shut and vesper was left alone with the bag he had carried over, and suddenly she wasn’t sure he could do this.
he nervously pulled the outfit out of the bag, holding it out in front of him and felt his stomach flip. he stuffed it back in the back and opened the door again, peeking out into the living room.
pearl had pulled out two mugs and set them on the counter and was watching the kettle boil, though when the door opened it caught her attention.
“are you ready to show me?”
vesper shook his head, and she tilted her head to the side, “is everything alright, vesper? do you need help with anything?” she crossed the room but stopped just outside the small hallway that connected the bathroom and living room.
“i- i don’t know if i can do it. this is so stupid, it’s just clothes, i should be able to do this, right?” vesper’s voice shook, and pearl gave him a comforting smile.
“you may be an adult, but this is new territory for you! it’s alright to be nervous. we can try again another day if you’d like,” she comforted him, but vesper hesitated. he glanced inside the bathroom again, at the bag that waited on the floor for her. he looked back out at pearl, patiently awaiting his decision.
“no. i want- i can do this, and i want to. i just.. i don’t..” he struggled with finding his words, but she took a deep breath, “i think i’ve got it. i’ll be out in a few moments, sorry.”
“take your time,” pearl replied gently as she returned to the kitchen, and as vesper pulled the door shut again, he heard the kettle go off to show the water was ready.
he stared at the bag again and turned to flick the light switch off, plunging the room into darkness. vesper pulled her phone out and set it on the sink, letting the faint light be enough to at least ensure he’d put nothing on backwards. it took a few moments to change, and she had to stop once or twice just to breathe, but he did it. and he had no idea how it looked.
stuffing his old clothes back into the bag and snagging his phone, he left the bathroom before he could reconsider, closing the door behind him and crossing the living room. he dropped the bag by the counter and stepped around so nothing was blocking.
“how’s it look? okay?” vesper asked nervously, fiddling with his face-mask. pearl turned around with the two mugs, and her face lit up at the sight and she placed them on the counter before moving closer.
“it looks wonderful on you! the colors are very nice- very autumn! you look wonderful, vesper,” she sounded so sincere, and vesper felt himself tearing up, though he quickly rubbed them away.
“y-yeah, more colorful and bright than my normal stuff. i’ve always thought the soft and pastel stuff that- that you wear looked so pretty, but i wasn’t brave enough to get anything too soft and light,” vesper admitted, but pearl pulled him into a hug.
“now don’t say that- you’ve been plenty brave even trying this. it’s steps. now, have some of this tea with me, and let’s just talk about how it feels.”
“uh yeah! okay,” vesper took the mug in his hand and sat in a chair at the counter next to pearl, “well i guess it…”
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“...and then amethyst said she had been hit by a plane!”
vesper laughed, imagining the scene pearl had returned to, “yeah, i could believe that. what do you think that pilot thought when-” vesper cut himself off as the warp-pad lit up and garnet appeared, carrying a sleeping steven in one arm and amethyst at her side.
vesper suddenly became very aware that he was still dressed in the skirt and sweatshirt, though he was now sitting on the counter while pearl talked from inside the kitchen. he froze, gripping the edge of the counter as she stared at the gems, waiting for their response. amethyst just shrugged and turned to enter her room while garnet passed into the living room and up to stevens room.
as she returned, she paused in front of him and turned to him. there was a moment of complete silence, none of them saying anything, but then garnet lifted an arm to give him a thumbs up and a small smile.
“it looks good on you. i’m sure steven and pearl could help you pick out more if you wanted,” she said and then continued her way towards the gem rooms, the door turning open for her and then closing behind her.
“vesper? are you alright?” pearl asked carefully. despite garnet’s supportive reaction, she was worried he hadn’t been ready for them to have seen him like this, but when he turned, she felt relieved instead.
“yeah, i’m… i’m good. it’s good,” she sounded a little shaky, but his face was bright and she could imagine a wide smile beneath his mask.
“in that case, garnet was right! one of these days you, steven, and myself should go and pick something out! steven’s wonderful at choosing clothes- he used to hold fashion shows when he was little.”
vesper laughed and then cupped her hand over his mouth, glancing up at where steven now slept. “should we go outside?” pearl smiled back at him and offered a hand to help him down, “it sounds fine to me. now, about where we should go…”