Work Text:
Another sunny day. Another patrol around the land for Mondo.
The Diamond tied his hair on a simple ponytail and headed off. However, unlike most days, Taka was not with him, much to his disappointment. Work had the Ruby tied up, too occupied with the upcoming hibernation’s arrangements, and thus Mondo was left to patrol on his own.
That was until he spotted a familiar cowlick approach him, swaying rhythmically as it got close.
"Hey, Mondo!" Makoto greeted with a smile. "Taka's not with you?"
"Nah. Too busy." Mondo said. Lavender eyes caught the sight of Leon in the distance, who awkwardly waved at him upon locking eyes. The red-headed Topaz was probably waiting for Makoto to go back with him.
"Oh, right. Then, why don't you come with us?" He pointed at Leon, who was currently tapping his foot in impatience. "It's better if we stick together, I think." A gentle smile from Makoto.
"Sure, why not." Mondo nodded as he accepted the offer. It wouldn't hurt to join the other gems from time to time, though a difficult task by the fact that most of them were intimidated by the Diamond, Leon's face a live example of this, as he saw both the Diamond and the Emerald approach him.
"Leon, Mondo's coming along. You don't mind, right?" Makoto asked. The younger gem seemed to be oblivious at everyone else’s fear of Mondo, as he had come to know him better and discover he wasn’t as scary as everyone makes him out to be, but rather misunderstood due to his appearance and explosive personality. As the years passed, the two had become very close friends.
"Uh... Of course not!" The red-head blurted out as he had no other choice but to accept. ‘’That just means he has all the fighting covered up, right? Hehe!’’ Leon joked and playfully elbowed the Diamond, who simply rolled his eyes in response.
‘’Let’s just go.’’ Mondo said as he led the way, followed closely by the other two gems.
The patrol was relatively quiet, aside from the recurring chatter between Makoto and Leon, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary around the land or up in the sky. No sign of the Lunarians today, luckily.
Pale beings that arrive from the Moon during daylight, Lunarians were after the Gems with the purpose of capturing them, using their lustrous pieces as mere accessories or weapons. Mondo held a special grudge against them. He hated them with every carbon of his being; hated watching the others struggle to hold against them, living with the fear someone might be taken away one day. With the fear that Taka might get taken away. And if he was…
‘’So, Mondo…’’ Makoto’s voice snapped him back to reality, making Mondo’s expression soften as his eyes focused on the path ahead. ‘’You won’t be joining the hibernation this year, will you?’’ His eyes looked up to meet lavender ones.
‘’No, I don’t think so.’’ Mondo replied. ‘’I have winter duty, like every other year.’’ A sigh following his words. The thought alone caused his mood to shift.
The cold and isolating feelings that came with the winter jobs, Mondo hated them. It wasn’t a task that was forced on him, though, he had volunteered himself centuries ago. Which was the exact reason why he felt he could not leave the position now. Even so, he wished he could.
‘’I see.’’ Makoto said as his face dropped a little. ‘’It must get tiring doing that every year…’’ His words seemed to earn a small reaction from Mondo in the form of a frown, prompting Makoto to try to correct his words. ‘’Ah- S-Sorry! I didn’t mean-‘’
‘’It’s fine.’’ Mondo lied, not that they would notice anyway. In all honesty, he did get tired of it. He was bound to get sick of it eventually. Sure, Sakura was there too, but it didn’t make the winter jobs any less draining. It was exhausting, even for a Diamond. Even for him.
During winter, as he sat near the window, mindlessly staring at the falling snowflakes, there would be nothing else on his mind other than the thought of feeling the warmth of spring again. The sunbeams hitting him without any clouds in its way, being able to meet with his fellow gems again as they woke up from their slumber, and most importantly, his partner Taka. The Diamond always received the Ruby back with a bundle of gifts that he had put together after his patrols. If there was one thing he liked about winter, it would be that. All his hard work would've been worth as soon as he was rewarded with that charming image of his dear partner, deep scarlet eyes gazing with gratitude and face adorned with a smile brighter than the sun itself.
‘’Maybe you’ll be able to join us next year! Taka said so, at least.’’ As Mondo arched an eyebrow, Makoto tried again. ‘’You don’t remember? At the morning assembly today, Taka said he was recruiting other gems to take on some of the winter jobs. Right, Leon?’’
‘’Oh yeah, that.’’ He reached the back of his head with one hand, scratching nonchalantly, blue eyes fixed on the same colored sky. ‘’I don’t know, working while freezing doesn’t sound that good to me, but he seemed real serious about it.’’ Leon huffed.
‘’I think he just wants Mondo and Sakura to take a break for a change, that’s nice right?’’ … ‘’Mondo?’’
Mondo, who stopped in his steps as he heard about Taka’s plan, was shocked, to say the least. He had missed the morning assembly, deciding to leave early to work on his carpentry skills, and thus left in the dark for this news. Taka did tend to get worried about the winter, very worried. So much so, that last year he had tried staying up and working on breaking the ice floes, until days later where he ended up collapsing from exhaustion and had to be carried back to the hibernation dorm by Mondo. The thought of him still trying to make the winter less difficult for him caused a smile to grow on his face.
‘’He… really cares, huh?’’ The Diamond muttered as he began walking, trying his best not to wear an even bigger smile in front of his friends.
‘’Of course he does.’’ Leon’s hand pat Mondo’s back in a friendly manner. ‘’And we do too, Mon; you do enough as it is with those-‘’
‘’LUNARIANS!’’ A scream from the other side of the land. Without a second thought, all three gems quickly ran towards the call for help.
Following the voice, they met up with two other gems. A Lunarian Ensemble, armed with bows and arrows, was floating in front of them. Bells and tambourines played a melancholic song in the sky, catching the attention of the gems. The giant Lunarian on the center holding a wooden bowl. Intimidating as ever, Makoto and Leon simply stared, wide-eyed. Until a loud Mondo broke them out of their trance.
‘’Don’t just stand there! Go get Sensei now!’’ The Diamond shouted before the two startled gems ran towards the school, Makoto tripping in the process, causing Mondo to sigh. He then turned to the other gems. ‘’Are any of you hurt?’’
‘’I apologize.’’ Sakura spoke calmly as ever, she pulled down her long glove to show off her slightly cracked left arm. Some of the small pieces scattered on the ground. ‘’The arrows struck me and-‘’
‘’It was my fault!’’ Hina cried out. ‘’Sakura was protecting me! I am so sorry…’’ She kneeled, picking up the fragments. Sakura simply shook her head in response.
‘’Do not blame yourself, Hina.’’ The White Diamond gently placed a hand over her head. ‘’I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.’’ Hina smiled.
‘’Yeah.’’ Mondo reassured. ‘’Just take it easy now. I’ll deal with them.’’ He gripped the hilt as he unsheathed his wide blade sword, looking up at the cloud.
‘’Be careful.’’ Sakura warned and Mondo nodded in response before he raced forward and leaped off the land, landing in the middle of the Lunarian ensemble.
Dozens of bow and arrows were drawn, pointing directly at the Diamond, as the instruments played louder and louder. It didn’t take a split second before he started slashing his sword around, effectively causing the pale moon people to disappear in a gust of smoke, evading the golden arrows in the process. White petals flew around with every wave of air coming from his slashes. Mondo was caught off guard by a couple arrows he shielded with his arm. Using his sword to block them would be too risky, he thought, fearing that too many would break the blade. Unbothered by his impaled arm, was able to regain composure and continue his attacks.
Soon enough, the cloud was almost completely isolated, so Mondo took this chance to get back on land. However, a single Lunarian stood among the dust and aimed an arrow at the Diamond.
Jumping down from the cloud, a final arrow grazed his head dangerously close. The sudden vibrations on the air made Mondo flinch. He managed to land firmly on his feet nonetheless. Once standing up straight, a new shadow towered over his own. He looked up to meet Sensei, the gems' teacher and protector. Makoto and Leon, who returned from the school, stood behind him. Sakura raised one hand and motioned for the gems to step back, which they did without question.
Being the first gem to exist, Sensei was the most powerful of them all. With one simple snap of his fingers aiming at the cloud, it dispersed completely, leaving no trace behind but the fragments they tried to steal. The gems were speechless at their teacher's show of effortless skill, until the tall man turned around to meet the amazed stares.
"Is everyone alright?" The teacher asked in his usual monotone voice. The lack of emotion frightened them slightly, even while showing concern for them.
"Yeah, I think so." Mondo replied as he glanced around, scanning for any problems among the gems. He thought he heard a laugh coming from Hina, but didn’t pay that much mind to it. His eyes stopped at Leon, who seemed about to explode.
"Pfft... Bahahaha!" Leon barked with laughter before turning away from him, a hand attempting to muffle his mouth. Hina and Sakura joined soon after, the former louder than the latter.
"Huh? W-What the hell are you laughing at?!" The Diamond snarled, raising a fist in vexation. The Topaz *was* known for his somewhat carefree attitude, but laughing at the end of a fight was something new. But Hina AND Sakura as well? That was unexpected of them.
"Mondo, your head!" Makoto exclaimed, a finger pointing upwards, confusing Mondo further. Was something wrong with his hair? Was an arrow stuck in it again?
"What...?" Reluctantly, Mondo's hand reached for the top of his head. One pat. Two pats. Ten pats. His hand came to a sudden halt; pupils dilated and mouth agape in realization.
His hair was gone.
"One of the arrows must've cut it..." A quiet speculation from Makoto that did not make him feel any better as the humiliation went on, giggles coming out from the other gems. Mondo’s cheeks flushed lavender in both embarrassment and frustration.
"Quiet now." Those two words silenced the laughter completely. The teacher eyed Mondo, who had a hand on top of what remained of his hair. "We shall find a solution later. Let us return to the school for now." Sensei spoke, a hand placed on the Diamond's shoulder. Mondo simply nodded slowly in response.
As they finished recollecting the remaining fragments off the ground, everyone headed back to Hope's Peak. Makoto followed Mondo’s slow steps as he refused to leave his side, trying his best to brighten his mood on their way back.
After fixing herself first, Sakura tended Mondo’s cracks, putting the small missing pieces from his arm back together. A brush gently glided back and forth, reapplying foundation powder over his now exposed gem body, shining purple.
"Is he going to be okay?" Makoto asked, preoccupied for Mondo's state.
"Of course he will. Hair contains little to no inclusions, even if all of it was cut off, the memories he could lose are minimal. There shouldn't be a problem." Sakura informed.
"But then... Why does he look like that?"
Both gems eyed the Purple Diamond, who was still in disbelief of losing his most precious feature. Empty eyes looking down, partaking in a stare competition against the floor. After raising an eyebrow, Sakura resumed her work.
"I suppose he's just upset about it." The White Diamond deadpanned.
"Ah, okay." Makoto looked down. In his mind, he couldn't possibly understand why something like that would upset Mondo, out of all people. It was only hair, after all.
Suddenly, a set of loud footsteps caught the gems' attention and earned a gulp from Mondo. He knew those footsteps all too well by now.
"Mondo!" Taka yelled as he burst into the infirmary, causing Sakura's hand to tremble slightly. She scolded him with an upset stare. "Ah… S-Sorry!’’ He quickly apologized, now in a softer voice, slowing his pace as well.
With a sigh, the White Diamond stood up, setting the brush and bowl of powder down on the counter. "You didn't get that much damage, so you should be all healed up for tomorrow's patrol." She informed Mondo, who's only response was a small hum. As Sakura took a glance at Taka's worried expression, she tapped Makoto's shoulder.
"Huh? Oh... Um, I'll see you later, Mondo. And, you know, I-I think you look fine! So don't worry too much about it, okay?" Makoto's attempt at encouragement was met with a neutral look from Mondo. He sighed and let Sakura guide him out, leaving the Ruby and the Purple Diamond alone in the room.
Taka approached him slowly, sitting down beside the Diamond. He jumped as Mondo suddenly let his head fall on top of his shoulder, letting out a sigh.
‘’You know, Mondo.’’ A low hum. ‘’I think you still look quite pretty like this.’’ Taka reassured him with a smile as he pet his partner’s short hair. ‘’So don’t stress yourself over something so trivial, hm? You have enough on your mind.’’ He knew he meant it. And his appearance was something he stopped worrying for when Taka entered his life. Mondo recalled the day where Taka declared his love for him. Specifically, one line the Ruby spoke stuck with him ever since.
‘There is no gem like you out there. No matter what, your soul harbors within you. And your soul is something that can never be replicated. It’s what makes you you. As long as you don't lose it, then my love for you shall never be wavered’.
‘’Yeah, I know.’’ Mondo smiled. The memory prompted a small blush to grow on his face, further deepened as Taka softly caressed his cheek.
‘’Good.’’ A toothy grin from the Ruby. ‘’Oh! Listen, if you’re interested, Celeste could help in regards to your hair.’’ He claimed. Mondo quickly raised his head up.
‘’Really?’’ Taka nodded enthusiastically.
It was certainly rare to hear that Celeste could provide assistance for him, but then again, she was probably the right gem for a matter like this. Hair was quite malleable, so Celeste had managed to create hair extensions for herself. Two black drill-shaped curls made from spare Obsidian pieces. They were quite the talk among the gems, she had a very popular look already, and the hair helped accentuate that.
‘’She owed me a favor, so what better chance to use that than now?’’ The Ruby explained as he kept eye contact with the Diamond.
‘’Taka… Thank you!’’ Mondo grinned as he launched himself into his partner’s arms, almost causing both of them to fall over. A gasp came out from the Ruby.
‘’B-Be careful! You’re not fully healed yet!’’ Taka scolded but hugged back. After a while, Mondo let go and grabbed Taka’s hand tightly.
‘’Come on, I wanna show you somethin’!’’ The Diamond rushed out of the infirmary and headed to his own room, ignoring Taka’s complains about running in the halls.
Once inside, Mondo searched through his messy room. Maybe he should have listened to Taka and tidy up from time to time, but soon, he found it. An ancient magazine containing imagery that depicted various styles of hair and clothing. He flipped through the pages and stopped at a certain one, handing the magazine to Taka.
‘’Hm, I remember this.’’ He thought aloud. Taka was very aware of his partner’s interest in the old ‘’delinquent’’ culture, noticeable by his choice of clothing. Mondo pointed at one of the figures, right at their hair.
‘’Look, it’s called a ‘pompadour’. Doesn’t it look cool?’’ Would I look cool? Is what he really meant to ask.
‘’Oh, yes! Most definitely!’’ Taka replied with a smile. While yes, it was a very unusual and striking style to have, he knew how much Mondo admired it. If this sort of style made him happy, then he would encourage him all the way. No doubt about it.
‘’You think, uh, Celeste might be able to create something like it?’’ He scratched the back of his neck with a small frown.
‘’Well, we do have some spare Tiger’s Eye, so-‘’ Before he could finish, Mondo unexpectedly hugged him once more. The magazine fell as strong arms wrapped around him and Taka reciprocated the hug one more time.
‘’Thanks!’’ The Diamond embraced him tightly. ‘’We should go tell her! Let’s go!’’ He broke the hug to pick up the magazine, a hand reaching for Taka’s again, eager to leave.
‘’Okay!’’ Taka exclaimed, excited. The Ruby couldn’t help but smile at the Diamond’s contagious energy. He was happy to see Mondo in high spirits once again. The pair left and walked to the tailor’s room.
It was a brand new day.
The Diamond fixed some loose hairs from his new pompadour before he headed off. Much to his surprise, he met with the Ruby at the entrance, who turned to face him with a smile.
‘’Mondo! Good morning!’’ Taka greeted warmly.
‘’Good morning, Taka.’’ Mondo replied with a smile. ‘’Where’s yer notepad? I thought you still had some more work to do.’’ He questioned. The Diamond noticed the sword attached to the Ruby’s back. Could it be…?
‘’Actually, I am work-free today!’’ The Ruby announced confidently, his hands placed on his hips. ‘’I was hoping we could perhaps go on patrol together.’’
‘’Seriously?!’’ Mondo beamed. It had been so long since they partnered up; he didn’t realize how much Taka’s presence could improve patrolling. But honestly, Taka could make everything better in Mondo’s eyes.
‘’I am serious!’’ Taka affirmed, extending a hand towards the Diamond. ‘’Shall we go?’’ Mondo took his hand with enthusiasm and so both gems left the school, grinning ear to ear.
During the course of the day, no sign of the Lunarians arose. Mondo took this opportunity to convince Taka for them to just hang out for the rest of the afternoon. The hours flew by and the two gems now found themselves sitting on the tall, waving grass.
‘’Taka.’’ Mondo spoke, his head resting on Taka’s lap as he let him play with his hair. The Ruby enjoyed the softer texture of the Tiger’s Eye, and the Diamond enjoyed the feeling of his fingers threading between his hair. It was a nice moment for both of them.
‘’Yes?’’ Taka looked down at him, his fingers tangled in between Mondo’s brown locks.
‘’The other day, Makoto mentioned something about you and other gems joining for the winter duty. What’s that about?’’ He asked, looking up to meet his scarlet eyes.
‘’Ah, he told you about that? I wasn’t sure when to tell you.’’ His fingers slowly found its way out the curly locks of hair. He then cleared his throat. ‘’To summarize, I asked Sensei if it would be okay for me and other gems to help you out during the winter. We decided that next year would be a good start. If I had brought up the topic earlier, you wouldn’t have to wait so long to get proper rest.’’ His thick eyebrows furrowed with sorrowful, half lidded eyes. ‘’I apologize.’’
‘’Wha- Hey, you have nothing to say sorry for.’’ Mondo sat up and pulled him into a hug. ‘’It’s not like I don’t appreciate it, but, why?’’
‘’I believe that you and Sakura deserve to be able to rest with the others. You two do so much for us, it’s not fair that you have to deal with all that work by yourselves! And I believe the other gems agree with me.’’ He interlaced his hands with Mondo’s as he continued. ‘’I know how difficult winter can be. I want to make things better for you.’’ Taka smiled softly, his eyes softer than Mondo’s hair. Mondo stared back astounded.
Taka cared so much for him; he did so much for him. It made Mondo feel so full to know he had someone like this by his side. He truly loved him. He loved Taka with his whole soul. He wanted to tell him.
‘’I love you.’’ Both gems blushed at those words. ‘’I love you, Taka.’’ The hug got even tighter, not wanting to let go of the Ruby any time soon, lavender eyes shutting close. ‘’Thank you.’’
‘’Of course.’’ He embraced him with the same strength, one hand rubbing the Diamond’s back up and down. ‘’I love you too, Mondo. More than anything.’’ His forehead found its place on the crook of Mondo’s neck, red eyes closing as well. ‘’I’ll make sure winter isn’t as heavy for you anymore, I promise.’’
No amount of thanks would be enough to express his gratitude towards the Ruby. Even if it was still one year away, the Diamond now had something special to look forward to, and needless to say, he could not wait for that day to come. Being able to spend the winter season alongside his partner is everything he wanted. It was no longer a mere dream he often fantasized about, but a certain, true future. And this opportunity was all thanks to Taka. Mondo would make sure to demonstrate how much that meant to him, even if it took centuries, he would have no problem with showering him with appreciation during all those years ahead. After all, it was the least he could do for the Ruby.
As the sun disappeared into the horizon, the two gems basked in its faint light, embracing each other for what they wished was an eternity.