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English
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Part 2 of Boundless Future
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Published:
2020-04-23
Updated:
2020-10-01
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1,791
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3/?
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Boundless Future One-Shots

Summary:

Blue Hematite, Honey Pearl and Koroit Opal in moments of confusion, culture shock and wacky misadventures.
Peridot is probably to blame.

Chapter 1: Cell Phones

Summary:

Wherein Peridot explains to Mati the nature of Honey's odd behaviour.

Notes:

This is for my friend Demyx, whose own writing is stellar. Their series Professionals is a personal favorite of mine, and also deals with transitioning from Era 2 to Era 3. Zircs is also pretty much stolen directly from them, but it's their fault they made her so much fun to write.
Keep at it, and enjoy this one!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

PERIDOT: MATI

PERIDOT: MATI

PERIDOT: MATIMATIMATIMATIMATI

PERIDOT: TIMATIMATIMATIMATIMA

PERIDOT: WHERE ARE YOU???

PERIDOT: WHY ARE YOU NOT UTILIZING

                YOUR PORTABLE COMMUNICATIONS

                DEVICE??

PERIDOT: IT IS PORTABLE FOR A REASON!

PERIDOT: I AM CERTAIN THAT PEARL EXPLAINED

                TO YOU AND HONEY HOW TO

                ANSWER TEXT-BASED MESSAGES!

PERIDOT: YOU AREN’T IGNORING ME ARE YOU??

PERIDOT: IS IT BECAUSE I TOLD HONEY ABOUT

                TUBETUBE??

MATI: She has been watching cat     

videos for 52 hours straight. 

MATI: You broke my girlfriend.        

PERIDOT: FEAR NOT MY FERROUS FRIEND!

                THIS IS A NATURAL PHASE FOR A GEM

                NEWLY ARRIVED ON EARTH AND

                EXPERIENCING HUMAN CULTURE

                FOR THE FIRST TIME.

PERIDOT: SHE WILL EVENTUALLY TIRE OF CAT

                VIDEOS AND FIND SOMETHING 

                ELSE TO FIXATE ON.

MATI: Fixate? That doesn’t sound   

healthy!                                 

PERIDOT: LOOK, SHE IS ADAPTING TO HUMAN

                CULTURE VERY QUICKLY. YOU SHOULD

                CONSIDER HER LUCKY!

PERIDOT: IT IS MY EXPERIENCE THAT HUMANS

                SPEND ROUGHLY 72.35 PERCENT OF

                THEIR WAKING TIME ENGAGED IN

                CELLULAR PHONE AND INTERWEBS

                ENGAGEMENT.

PERIDOT: SHE IS MERELY PARTICIPATING IN THE

                RICHNESS OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE!

MATI: She’s crying.                        

PERIDOT: THAT IS NORMAL.

MATI: Now she’s laughing!            

PERIDOT: THAT IS ALSO NORMAL.

MATI: …                                         

MATI: This is that Earth Madness  

Zircs  was telling me about,

isn’t it?                               

Notes:

Seriously, read Professionals. It's so damned funny.

Chapter 2: Offspring

Summary:

Honey and Mati run into Yellowtail with the rest of his family.
aka Universal Translation isn't always a gift.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The fourth day after their arrival, Honey and Mati ran into Yellowtail and his family.

"Hello you two!" the stout human called cheerily in his rough, accented voice. He gestured to the taller women who was carrying a small child. "Vi, these are those two Gems I met the other day."

"Call me Mati. And this is Honey," Mati said.

"Well hey there," she said in an easy tone. "The name's Vidalia. And this little fella is Onion."

The "little fella" squirmed a little, and Vidalia put him down on the ground.

"Onion is our son," Yellowtail explained proudly. "Like Greg is Steven's father, I'm Onion's."

"And I'm his mother." Vidalia beamed and gave Onion a little push. "Say hello to the nice Gems, Onion!"

Honey, ever the adventurous one, crouched down and said, “Hello there Onion! My name is Honey! How are you today?”

The child merely stared at her, unblinking.

Her smile became a grimace. She floundered, thinking of something to say. Compliment him! “Uh… I like your…” She examined him briefly. “...your upper appearance modifier! Very fetching.”

The boy continued to stare, then replied,



"⛥ Ị̷̉͆͋̒ ̸͚̱̣̦̙͂ȧ̶̘̫̗͈̬̓͘m̸̦͍͕̪͔̓ ̸͎̻̹͈͌͒͑̚̕ò̸͈̈́̇̿͗f̵̡͊̍̎ ̴̣̙͈̯̪̉t̵̨̥̦̘̫͂h̸̖͔̓̍̏͝͠ͅe̸̖̔ ̸̺̜̠̤̉̒͗̓E̴̖̖̥t̸͇̅̓͒͛͐e̴̬̺͖͛ͅr̸̢͔͕̔͐̂͆ņ̴̡̛̝͔̰̿a̶͉͕̥̠̋l̴̥̹̝̘̱̈́̐͝ ̷̖̟̮͔̱̎̌V̶͓̞͆o̴̟͇͍̔̿͗͘͝ḯ̴̛̳͚͜͠d̵̛̦̖͉;̴͖̠̼͙̮̃̏̓ ̴̳̰̈̌I̷͍̍ ̶̨̖̩̈́͜h̷͎̾͘̕̕à̵̬̼̑v̷̥̳̪̥̙̂͊̃͘e̴͕̤͑̅͊͐͠ ̴̩͓̱̥͂̋̽͂a̷͙͕̫͍͂̏l̵̘͕̩̺̂͑w̷̺̫̘̦̳̉͐̓a̸̜͒y̴͂͘ͅs̴̤̤̭̋̑ ̵̡̹͔̮͔͠ẽ̵̪̹̤̃͆͜͠ͅx̶̞͊̌i̵̟̗̦̤̻̊̍̐̋͛s̸̢͚̅̔͛̽t̴͔̠̘̃́͘̚e̶͉̳̙͋d̶̗͊͑̄,̷͈̍̂ ̵̛̜̗ͅȁ̸̹̈́͐̆͋n̶̼͔̂̎́͠ď̵͕̥̰̺ ̸̻w̸̤͖͝i̵̳̗̘̱̙̓̾͘͠l̴̨̪̥̟͗l̸̝̓̉ ̴͈̬̇e̷̝̹̪̫̅͗x̴̢̬̿̌̃͠ǐ̴̢̛̥̠̭͆̉͝s̷̢̟͓̪̼͂̅͋̔͘ţ̶͒͒̉̽͑ ̶̝̣̙̲͂f̴̘̜̝͛̊̃̃̆͜ȍ̷͍͆ŕ̶̢̼͈̻͖̈́̓e̵̡̟̹̮͆͑̈̍̚v̶̡͚͙͚̓̍͜ȇ̷̤͖͒̋͜͠r̸̙̦̬͇̈́͂̌͝m̷̱̯͎̄̚ọ̴͉͛̓r̴̮͍̀̋̈́ͅę̴̰̑̌͝.̴̰͌͊̽͊̆ ☠"

 

Vidalia laughed brightly. “Oh Onion! Kids really do say the darnedest things, don't they?”

A trembling Honey, wrapped around Mati’s shoulders like a cloak, gave a meek, “Uh huh.”

Notes:

Onion is not of this reality. He is eternal. He is forever.

Chapter 3: Ma'amefua

Summary:

Koroit Opal finally gets to experience Earth. Too bad she's prone to forgetting that she's fused.

Notes:

Treat it as established that Honey is Nanefua's assistant at City Hall. I'll probably write about how she fell into the position later. Nanefua's bodyguard Rubies will be a part of that particular plotline.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Ma'amefua

Neither Honey nor Mati realized until an entire three weeks had gone by that they hadn't fused since leaving Homeworld. They had simply been too busy, or too tired to even think about it. Every time the Sun rose, the couple braced themselves for another chaotic Earth day of wonder and confusion. Information was being absorbed at an incredible rate by two extremely curious Gems, so new to the concepts of freedom, choice and growth.

What finally brought this to their attention was a brief, typically cryptic encounter with the Crystal Gems' pre-eminent fusion master herself - the aloof and sagacious Garnet. Mati and Honey had just finished up one of their foundation week classes on making choices for themselves - taught by their favorite teacher, the overcooked, completely dynamic Amethyst. Said Gem gave the couple profuse praise for their ideas about asserting one's independence through carefully worded oration.

She was sure to provide inspirational music during each presentation.

As the couple strolled away, hand in hand, they found themselves approached by the mysterious fusion.

"It's good to see you two are fitting in here," she offered as preamble.

Honey and Mati smiled and uttered their thanks.

With that enigmatic smile that they had grown wary of, she added, "I'm still waiting to meet Kori."

She strode off, leaving Honey and Mati in stunned silence.

"We've been busy," Mati said soothingly. "It's been a crash course since we arrived here. And what little free time we've had is usually spent recuperating from every fracking thing we learn about this place."

Honey nodded, but didn't stop her pacing. She was the sort of Gem that had a huge reserve of energy and the cheery personality that amounted to, as Amethyst referred to it, "sunshine on a caffeine bender". When she was apprehensive, her nervous energy made her fidget.

Mati sighed and pulled her into her lap. Honey squeaked but didn't resist. Her beloved reached over to the bookcase off to the side of their couch and plucked the metal cube that Bismuth had forged for Honey. It had six various textures for the fidgety Gem to fondle. According to her and Peridot, it was actually a common activity for Gems, especially Pearls and Zircons.

Honey accepted her fidget cube with a meek "Thank you," and pressed the pads of her thumbs into the "flat pin" side. Her expression slowly melted into contentment as she toyed with it.

"What has gotten you so worked up, huh?" Mati asked gently.

Honey bit her lip and turned her head away. She seemed to be searching for the right words.

"One of the things that we were so excited about when we came here was the freedom to fuse. We could finally let Koroit Opal exist without fear of being ostracized. And it feels like we're neglecting her."

Mati gave her beloved a gentle squeeze, conveying her understanding.

"And you're right, of course, " Honey pressed on. "We have been incredibly busy, and certainly overtaxed as of late. But still…"

"I get it," Mati assured her warmly. "But consider this: do you think we would have been able to maintain fusion at all over the last few weeks?"

Honey sighed in concession. "I suppose not." She turned back to grace Mati with a fond smile. "This is why I love you so much. You know just what to say to make me feel better."

Mati grinned and nuzzled against Honey's cheek. Despite having kept their relationship chaste until so recently, the two had made up for lost time, discovering and indulging in the shared experiences of touch. Mati's face was especially sensitive, and she often expressed her affection by rubbing her cheeks or forehead against Honey's. Blue Zircon, or Zircs as she was universally nicknamed, had opined that it was reminiscent of how her cat Stormy would respond to her ministrations.

Honey was more inclined to use her hands, which she considered her best sensory apparatuses. Between the gifted cube and all the alluring textures and sensations to be found here in the Little Homeworld - Beach City region alone, Honey was certain that she would never be touch starved ever again.

They sat together like that for a few more minutes, simply basking in the comfort of their being together.

"Do you want to?" Mati asked suddenly. 

"What?" Honey responded. "Fuse?"

"Yeah."

Honey beamed and said, "I'd love to!"

Mayor Nanefua had always been an early riser, even back when she helped Kofi run the pizza shop. She had always stood by the motto: Early to rise, late to bed. I'll go to sleep when I'm good and dead.

She liked to enjoy her breakfast in her office, reading the news, and often arrived before her new assistant, Honey Pearl.

She was surprised to see the lights on in the lobby of City Hall. She approached the front door cautiously and peered inside, but found nobody inside. She frowned and went inside.

Everything looked to be in order. Nothing indicated a break in, or vandalism.

She heard a muffled voice come from her office, and ever curious, Mayor Nanefua approached quietly.

The door opened before she could reach the handle, and let out a surprised gasp.

Standing in the doorway, reading through a stapled report of some sort, was an enormous Gem whom Nanefua had never seen before. She was taller even than Garnet, who positively towered over the entire Pizza family. Her dark grey skin was marked with streaks of red, blue, yellow, purple and green. She had four arms, meaningvthat she was some sort of fusion.

Said fusion looked up (or rather, down) from what she was reading and startled. She gracefully recovered however, and beamed.

"Good morning Ma'amefua! Oh! Er, I mean ma'am!" the fusion stammered. Nanefua eyed her warily. There was something about her that was jarringly familiar.

"By the endless oceans, who are you?" the diminutive mayor demanded.

The fusion blinked at her before looking down at herself. She barked with embarrassed laughter and said, "Oh dear, I can't believe I forgot that I was fused!"

Suddenly it clicked in Mayor Nanefua's brain.

"Honey Pearl? Is that you and Mati in there?"

The fusion nodded, more pleased than mortified. 

"Yes! Yes, I am Koroit Opal!" She threw her two right arms forward.

Nanefua, completely bemused, chose to shake the lower hand.

"Child, you scared the bunions off of me! What are you doing here so early?"

Koroit Opal's bright smile morphed into something a little more… melted. Her hands all began to fidget.

"Well, it's just that Mati and Honey realized that they hadn't fused since they first arrived here on Earth, and Honey felt guilty, like I was being neglected, so Mati suggested that they fuse…"

She trailed off, realizing that Nanefua was examining her form. Was she trying to see if Honey was somehow visible? 

"I got carried away," she finally admitted. "I wanted to know more about Honey's job, and once I got here, I saw that there were files that needed to be organized, and then that lovely human Bill brought a box of those delicious donuts that Mati really like but Honey has never had the nerve to try, but I did, and I think she might try it too now because I liked it and… and… and I'm rambling and I'm sorry Ma'amefua, ma'am!"

To her relief, Nanefua put a tiny hand on one of her thick, toned forearms and chuckled. "Don't be sorry, dear. You are excited. I am glad of it."

Koroit Opal grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Nanefua brushed off the apology. "Think no more of it. I'm happy to meet you." Her expression became serious. "However, Honey Pearl is scheduled to start work right now." She cleared her throat, making her point.

Koroit Opal blushed and said, "Er. Right. It was nice to meet you!"

She refused. Mati was smiling, while Honey glared a hole into the ground.

Mati gave her a peck on the temple before turning to the mayor. "Nice to see you, mayor."

Nanefua chuckled and waved her away. "You too."



Notes:

I came up with the idea of Kori startling Nanefua in her enthusiasm, and love the idea that she will occasionally forget that she's fused.

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