Work Text:
She touched the swell of her stomach, felt the shaky, excited movements of the child inside her. Pregnancy. Childbirth. So ordinary for humankind, but unheard of for hers. Yet the time was coming, the time would be soon.
Garnet sat by her and watched her, but said nothing. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were covered. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.
Pearl, though. Pearl was cleaning, scrubbing furiously at the new sink in the kitchen they had recently installed. She was trying to pretend that everything was fine, that everything would be ok. But she had never been good at hiding her emotions, and every few moments, she would glance over, her eyes settling on Rose’s stomach, before quickly looking away.
Rose knew she was making the right decision. It was time. It made sense to her. It was time for her to leave. She knew the others didn’t understand, didn’t quite agree. But Garnet and Amethyst had come to accept her decision, in their own way. But Pearl……Pearl, who had always been by her side. Pearl, who had abandoned a home she loved to fight for a planet she had never understood nor cared for. Pearl who….Pearl who….Pearl, who held her sometimes when even she ached for home, Pearl, who fretted and worried over her, every and each day, Pearl, who knew so many of her secrets. Pearl, who still blushed -a beautiful faint blue across her cheeks -each time she kissed her, though they had been together for thousands of years. Pearl. Her Pearl.
Pearl looked over, as if she could feel her watching, and their eyes met, just for a moment, before Pearl turned away, sponge clenched tightly in her hand. “Still have to clean the fridge!” She said loudly, a little too loudly, before immersing herself in the task.
“Shhhh, I’m trying to sleep!” Amethyst opened her eyes for a moment to glare in Pearl’s direction before rolling over again, and immediately falling back to sleep.
Rose watched them for a while, taking in these simple moments, whilst she still had time. She would miss them so dearly.
“Garnet.”
“Yes?”
“Would you, will you… take care of them all for me?”
“I will.”
“And Pearl….my Pearl…..”
Garnet reached over, and gently took her hand. “Yes,” She said. It was the only thing she said, but it was enough for Rose. Garnet was made of love. Rose knew she understood.
“Thank you,” She whispered, and then, she continued to watched them, continued to love them, as the moments they had together quietly dwindled away.