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"-and when it went all WAPOOSH!!! Oh man, Opal, you're so cool!"
"Thanks, Steven. That means a lot coming from you. Last time I saw you, you couldn't even control your bubble," Opal sniffled,"You're becoming so much like your mother."
"He sure is," Garnet ruffled his hair.
"Hey Opal! You wanna see my fusion sometime?"
"You're fusing now too? Pearl and Amethyst make me miss everything."
"Yeah! I'm sure Connie would be down with it if I told her what we were doing."
"I'd absolutely love to Steven. Maybe not now, but be sure to get those two to fuse more often, okay."
"You got it, Opal!"
Garnet chuckled fondly and glanced over the room and landed her gaze at the clock that read past midnight.
"Uh-oh, looks like it's way past someone's bed time."
"Aww, do I have to, Garnet," the young gem whined, "I wanna talk to Opal some more."
"I know, but even great Gem warriors like the mighty Steven Universe need their sleep."
"Alright," he huffed.
Steven went into his bathroom to shower, brush his teeth, and get changed into his pajamas, being mindful of Peridot who was in the middle of some important looking work.
"'Night Peridot!"
The green gem only grunted in response.
"Goodnight, Steven," Opal spoke as she picked him up for a big four-armed hug.
"Goodnight, Opal. Oh, and tell Pearl and Amethyst I said goodnight too."
"I will."
Opal carried Steven over to his bed, not even needing to take the stairs to do so. She placed him in the bed, fluffed his pillows, and tucked him in all in the same motion. After getting him ready to sleep, the fusion pecked him gently on the forehead.
"Steven," Garnet yelled, grabbing his attention.
"Love you!"
"Heh, love you too, Garnet," he yawned. Before either of the fusions knew it, the boy was fast asleep.
"Well," Opal sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, "I guess my work here is done."
Before Opal had a chance to unfuse, Garnet grabbed one of her wrists.
"Opal, wait!"
"Is something the matter, Garnet?"
Desperation was in Garnet's actions as she did this, even Opal could tell from that when she visibly cringed. She just really needed to do this.
"Can we...talk?"
The taller fusion looked at her odd for a moment before asking, "About what?"
"Just..." she looked up at Steven, happily asleep,"Can we talk outside?"
"O-okay, I guess."
The two fusions exited the house and walked out to the shore, moonlight glistening off the water and the remaining starship wreckage. It was a calm night, unnervingly calm. They stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, allowing themselves to settle down into the sand.
The awkward silence suffocated Garnet, wanted her to say "never mind" and let Opal unfuse. But both parts of her had a burning question that desperately needed answering.
"Opal," she began, not even attempting eye contact,"Can I ask you a personal question? You know, fusion to fusion?"
"Of course, ask away."
"How do you feel...being you?"
That was kind of an odd question, Opal thought. Garnet had always known Pearl and Amethyst's stance on staying fused: strictly for emergencies. As much as the two gems loved each other, Opal knew that they couldn't be fused forever. They just didn't consider their love the same caliber as Garnet's.
"Well," the fusion began,"Pearl and Amethyst—"
"No!"
Opal recoiled from the frantic yelling tone in Garnet's voice.
"I'm not asking Pearl and Amethyst! I'm asking you, Opal," she shouted, her voice getting more sad and desperate,"How do YOU feel about being you?!"
Garnet broke down into sobbing wreck, burying her face into her knees as a means to hide her apparent shame. Opal snaked an arm around Garnet to give her a shoulder to cry on, patting her back when she began to choke on her tears.
When the crying subsided, Opal tipped Garnets head to meet their eyes. With the calmest, most-levelheaded tone she could muster, she whispered her retort.
"How do YOU feel right now?"
Garnet sighed and placed her head in her palms, sighing shakily. She was almost on the verge of tears again, but she managed to keep it calm for a little while.
"I'm sorry, Opal. I just haven't been feeling like myself lately."
Opal tilted her head in confusion. "Why's that?"
"I've just," Garnet sighed,"I've just been feeling...like I'm unnatural."
"Unnatural how?"
She stared into the ocean, looking at nothing in particular, just looking to divert her pain. Being fused did feel great to her, it made her feel complete, inside and out. However, during her life on Homeworld, she was always reminded of how unconventional and odd she was; those glares and insults she always got didn't affect her in the slightest, she knew she was pure and happy.
That was until just a few months ago.
"Lately, my encounters with fusing and fusions in general were a real eye-opener to me. To be a fusion these days, you would have to be made of hatred, made of deceit, or just...made in a factory."
"Garnet," Opal whispered sadly,"No, no...how could you say that?"
"It's true," the red fusion deadpanned,"All everybody sees us as are weapons or a commodity to achieve a goal. That's how it has been, and that's all it ever will be."
Out of the blue, Garnet felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Opal shifted to in front of the shorter fusion, locking their eyes together. The look on the pastel fusion's face means she meant business
"That's not what you are, Garnet. You aren't a weapon, you aren't a machine, you're not a commodity. You're Garnet, the Crystal Gem!"
Opal then stood herself up, getting so worked up in her speech that she needed all her body language to properly illustrate it.
"Being ashamed of yourself is NOT what Rose Quartz fought for! She didn't defy an entire planet of her own kind so that you, or any of us, could be upset about who we are and who we choose to be," from the enthusiasm in Opal's tone, it was clear Pearl was deep in there, delivering this speech,"No, thousands of years ago, Rose believed in two gems love so much, she wholeheartedly encouraged their decision to live as a fusion AND viewed that same fusion as every bit her equal! Now I want you to ask yourself, Garnet: of all these fusions that were made of hatred, do you think they could ever top one made of love?" Opal extended her hand to help the red fusion up, an encouraging smirk on her face.
Those words ringing true in her head, it all made sense now. She wasn't like all those other unstable fusions, she made a name for herself among her friends, not as Ruby and Sapphire, but as Garnet. But she could also look at Opal, standing before her with great confidence in herself, even if she had no intention of being around by the end of the hour. It was crystal clear to her that there wasn't a thing wrong with her.
Garnet gripped the hand with gusto, looking Opal dead in the eyes.
"Not a chance!"