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The crash of waves against the shore was almost enough to cover the sound of Garnet’s fists impacting against the boulder. Pebbles rained down by her feet to be swept up by the rising tide as deep fissures broke out along the surface of her improvised punching bag. With a grunt she landed another blow into a growing crater, the sting and jar of the strike helping to hold her anger at bay. She wasn’t prone to anger, violence yes, but not anger. It was unproductive, clouded one’s judgment in battle, and could result in costly mistakes. A quick series of strikes left her panting and she stopped, taking a deep breath. She might not need the air, but the gesture was soothing as she forced herself into stillness, closing her eyes.
Pearl’s face flashed against her eyelids, shock and self-loathing that was quickly covered up by a forced smile and apologies. Pearl thought they’d made up, but obviously she’d presumed again. More apologies and promises not to bother Garnet any further before she’d quickly retreated to her room to hide how she clutched at her arms, how her eyes teared up, and how she was hating herself more than usual. Furious, Garnet roared, her gauntlets equipped without conscious thought as she struck, the boulder reduced to rubble at once. She was quick to dismiss them.
She lifted her visor to rub at her eyes, her limbs felt weighted, exhaustion pulling her down to sit on the beach. Garnet stared down at Ruby and Sapphire, knowing they knew and wondering what they thought. They had both tentatively forgiven Pearl, as had Garnet, but there was still some fallout to be dealt with. Strong emotions and magic were a volatile mix. Steven’s problems with his own magic he likely blamed on his inexperience or the fact that he was part human, but the reality was that all Gems were subject to magical mishap when emotional tension ran high. The unique magical results of his emotional states were definitely influenced by his human half, but even Rose Quartz was prone to emotional magic. Added to that, the more closely aligned to her element the more likely a Gem was to express that element when emotional and both Ruby and Sapphire were very elemental.
Garnet, as a blend of the two smaller Gems, was usually the most even keeled among them. She was hardly emotionless, just more capable of moderating her reactions instead of giving in to a rush of feelings. Since the arrival of the Homeworld Gems, the discovery of the forced fusions, and Pearl’s recent stunt at the communication hub though, she’d suffered more turmoil in weeks than she had in centuries.
Of course she’d already forgiven Pearl, trusted the Gem to take what she’d said to heart and consider her actions more carefully. But it wasn’t that simple. It had hurt so much to realize that Pearl had just used her to feel strong. Forming Sardonyx had felt so harmonious, so effortless that the thought of cheapening such a beautiful fusion…Well, it had literally torn her apart.
Of course, it had taken their backs being against an actual wall to get them to talk. For Garnet to make Pearl realize that it wasn’t about distracting them from Peridot, but the way Pearl had lied and used her that had hurt. And Garnet had meant every word she’d said, but she’d taken what Pearl had said to heart as well. To know that Pearl had wanted to feel, even slightly what Ruby and Sapphire felt, it took Garnet back to the years Pearl had stood by Rose Quartz’s side, watched her so lovingly and with such devotion. Garnet didn’t question Rose’s decisions, it wasn’t her place, but she did wonder how Rose turned away from such unconditional, devoted love. Pearl had plenty of faults including being prone to jealousy, stubbornness, and fits of anger. But she was also kind, shockingly patient when it was called for, generous, and steadfast enough to have earned Garnet’s respect and something more.
Garnet dropped her visor to the sand, scrubbing angrily at her face. No, she wasn’t angry at Pearl anymore, she was angry at herself. After they’d come back from the debacle in the ship and another failed attempt to catch Peridot things had finally begun to mend and old habits and patterns had started to fall back into place. Pearl began nagging Amethyst and mothering Steven again, she discussed possible plans to capture Peridot with Garnet, and though she’d never really stopped cleaning up after Steven she began to take pleasure in the task again, humming as she danced around with mop or broom.
It was all so normal; except it wasn’t. It had taken her a few days to notice, but after that it was all Garnet could think about. When discussing strategies Pearl’s hands would flutter and point as usual then she’d clasp them in front of her, the fingers twined tightly together. Pearl would be lecturing Steven on some finer point of behavior, Garnet next to her to provide gravitas and Pearl would cross her arms in a pose that mirrored Garnet’s after she was done with her scolding finger. They’d be on a mission, some gem monster or other that cropped up between their searches for Peridot, and in a moment of tension Pearl’s fingers would grope air and then clench into fists she brought to her side. No long fingers clasped to hold and take strength from Garnet’s bicep, no thin arm looped against hers as they walked through ruins or caves. She even took care to make sure they never even brushed when on the warp pad or walking around the house.
Garnet hadn’t really considered just how free Pearl was with her affection until it had stopped. Around her Pearl continued to run fingers through Steven’s hair, give gentle guiding touches, and offer endless embraces. With Amethyst it was trickier to tell, but even then Pearl found excuses to touch her by swiping at the smaller Gem’s face with a cloth when Amethyst left smears of food on her cheeks, tugging her in the direction of a mess she wanted cleaned, and even occasionally giving a generous hug. Garnet knew Pearl was just trying to respect her, give her space and time to heal after what she’d done but every time pale fingers twitched in her direction before being consciously redirected made something inside Garnet twist. She could never have guessed she’d miss it so much she’d be trying to figure out how to tell Pearl. For Gem’s sake earlier she’d been watching Pearl and Amethyst bicker as they always did and felt a twinge of jealousy when Pearl held Amethyst back from the counter she was trying to clear.
It got to her enough that she’d snapped at Amethyst to behave herself, making the purple Gem stomp off to her room. Garnet covered her eyes as she remembered the rest.
Pearl watched Amethyst storm off before looking back at Garnet leaning against the counter. She hesitated before she resumed gathering up the scattered plates and cutlery, the occasional glance tossed at Garnet who watched her work impassively. She carried the neat stack to place it in the sink, right next to where Garnet was lounging. “Thank you… and sorry if we were bothering you.”
“‘s fine.” It was the first time they were completely alone since being nearly crushed in Peridot’s trap and some part of Garnet held her breath, her heart speeding up confusingly.
Next to her, Pearl began to wash the dishes quietly and didn’t notice when Garnet shifted to pick up a dish cloth. When Garnet took the first finished dish from her, Pearl started so badly she would have dropped the plate, her mouth opening in surprise as Garnet efficiently buffed it dry and set it aside. Garnet’s lips twitched at Pearl’s expression, smiling as the pale Gem blushed a bright teal and quickly scrubbed another plate for Garnet to dry. The simple chore took no time between the two of them and Garnet relished the companionable quiet, something in short supply recently. Pearl took the plates and put them away before she picked up a cloth and began wiping the crumbs from the counters.
“Thank you, Garnet.”
“It’s better to do these things together.” Garnet shrugged, but inside she felt oddly restless though happy that Pearl wasn’t making some excuse to leave.
Pearl’s blush lingered as she offered Garnet a small smile, “Yes well, you are a bit more reliable a partner than Amethyst for this.”
It wasn’t particularly high praise considering Amethyst would find nearly any excuse to avoid doing chores, but Garnet felt a flush of pleasure at the words. “That’s not exactly hard.”
Pearl laughed softly, “True.”
The smaller Gem’s circuit of the counter brought her back to Garnet and she paused, searching the Fusion’s face before looking away and out the window. “It…It gets so quiet when Amethyst and Steven aren’t around.”
Garnet hummed in agreement, following Pearl’s gaze out the window to the beach where she knew Steven was currently playing even if she couldn’t see him. Out of habit she let her vision lengthen, checking Steven’s future when she felt Pearl step closer. Garnet’s breath caught at the sight of Pearl’s shy smile. Her heart skipped and she could feel her face heat, a fission of electricity making her skin tingle when fingers cooler than she remembered tentatively grasped her arm. She wrenched her arm back, but not before Pearl yelped as she was shocked, cradling her hand against her chest, her happy expression collapsing.
Garnet groaned, her face hot with embarrassment. Worse than the fact that’d she been so embarrassingly happy Pearl was touching her again she’d shocked the poor Gem, Garnet had been so horrifically mortified she’d frozen and allowed Pearl to completely misunderstand and run off. And now she was hiding under cliffs rather than try and explain to Pearl that she’d done nothing wrong. Not that it would really help, just the thought of trying to explain to Pearl what had happened made Garnet flush a deeper burgundy and her skin crackle with embarrassment. It had been ages since Garnet had accidentally shocked anyone, it wasn’t often she felt so strongly. She sighed, knowing a few hours had passed and she wasn’t going to put this off any longer.
She walked back into the house where Steven sat at the counter eating with Amethyst. They both looked up at her, brows furrowing in worry. “Hey Garnet.” Steven greeted, glancing at the Temple door. “Um, is everything ok?”
“Yeah, is something up with Pearl? I mean, more than usual. I thought you two were all gravy again?” Amethyst was busy pouring something on her sandwich Garnet felt fairly certain wasn’t intended to be eaten, but she still tossed concerned glances at her leader.
Garnet sighed, “I…’ve been carrying a charge today. Shocked her a bit earlier.”
Steven’s eyes widened in worry. “Is she ok?”
“Wow, really?” Amethyst jumped the counter to walk up to Garnet, circling her curiously and trying to poke her. “Why’d you zap her?”
“I didn’t mean too.” Garnet spoke a bit fast, grateful her glasses hid the worst of her grimace while batting away Amethyst’s prodding fingers. “It’s a byproduct.”
“Of what?”
Garnet’s mouth tightened, feeling herself blush again. There was no way she could admit this problem to these two. She reached out and caught Amethyst’s finger, not really thinking of how long she’d stewed on the beach. A strong rush of electricity passed between them and she quickly let go as Amethyst jerked back, her lilac hair poofing dramatically.
“Amethyst.” Steven was already up and by her side.
“Sorry about that.” Garnet frowned.
“’sok,” Amethyst coughed a bit, “You must really be mad at Pearl.”
“Nope, not at all.” Garnet began heading towards the temple, ignoring the two confused looks she was getting as she opened her door and went in. A soothing wave of heat washed over her and she took a deep breath. She wasn’t a strategist the way Pearl was, Garnet acted on instinct guided by the various futures she saw before her, but this wasn’t a future she cared to calculate.
Pearl was easy to spot in her room, standing poised atop one of the eternal fountains with her spear drawn as she meticulously moved through defensive and offensive stances. Garnet was grateful that Pearl seemed too preoccupied to hear the soft rush of water that announced her entrance. For a few minutes Garnet watched Pearl, impressed as she always was by Pearl’s attention to precision and perfection. By Gem standards pearls were delicate, but Pearl was surprisingly strong and Garnet knew she would only grow stronger. A pleasure Garnet was hesitant to name curled in her at the thought. She shook off the whimsical musing, easily leaping up to the highest fountain where Pearl stood.
“Garnet!” Pearl dropped her spear, the weapon dissipating instantly with her sudden loss of concentration. Pale fingers twisted together, Pearl watching her with wide worried eyes before dropping her gaze to the pool of water under their feet. “Was there something you needed?”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Garnet almost turned around and left right then because she apparently couldn’t handle this like a Gem. Pearl deserved an apology or explanation, but accusations seemed to make better openers.
“What? No, Garnet.” Pearl advanced, supplicant fingers reaching for Garnet’s arm before she pulled her hand back, cringing. “Tha-that wasn’t my intent at all.”
“Yes it was.” she wanted to kick herself, what was she doing? She was supposed to apologize. “You said you wanted things to go back to normal, but you’d rather risk falling off the warp pad than touch me.”
“I do want things to go back to the way they were. I just didn’t want to assume.” Pearl insisted, desperate but still refusing to touch Garnet, clutching at her stomach like the confrontation caused her physical pain.
“You say you want things to go back to normal, but truth is, it’s never going to be the same as it was.” Some part of Garnet felt as surprised as Pearl looked, but it was true even if they hadn’t acknowledged it. Garnet only allowed herself a moment to let the realization sink in before addressing Pearl who looked stricken.
“We’ll be even better.” Garnet’s expression softened at the hesitant hope on Pearl’s face. “Because I can trust you, I can look to you for strength, right?”
“Of course,” Pearl smiled weakly, tears welling as easily as always.
Garnet held her hand out, gratified that even after her shock earlier Pearl didn’t hesitate to lay and hand in hers. She tugged the slender Gem close and wrapped warm arms around her. Pearl was surprised enough that it took a moment for her to return the embrace, but she did so tightly, burying her face against Garnet’s chest.
“Sorry I shocked you earlier.” Garnet murmured, unsurprised when Pearl tried to dismiss the apology with a shake of her head. “Sometimes, when I’m embarrassed, I can carry a charge.”
“What?” Pearl pulled back enough to look up at Garnet who flushed slightly. Two bright spots of blue appeared on Pearl’s face as she reached up to lightly touch Garnet’s hot cheek. The smaller Gem shivered as a crackle of electricity ran through them.
Garnet cleared her throat. “Like that.”
Pearl laughed a bit breathlessly, “It doesn’t exactly hurt like this, more like a very odd tingle.”
Garnet took one of Pearl’s hands and laced their fingers together, smiling as Pearl shivered again but only pressed closer. “Best to stay like this unless you want to get shocked again.”
Pearl nodded, not looking in any particular hurry to step away. “It’ll run out eventually, right?”
“Eventually.” Garnet agreed with a small smile, flexing her hand slightly to send another small jolt through them both.