Chapter Text
“Amethyst!” Pearl cried, hugging the purple gem close. Tears started anew in her cerulean eyes, spilling over and dripping into pale lilac hair beneath her.
Pearl pulled back to look her friend in the face, cupping her cheeks in her spindly hands.
“I was so worried about you,” Pearl confessed, her voice wobbling, “How are you feeling?”
While Amethyst thought of what to say, Steven attempted to get out of Garnet’s arms, trying to run to the fountain; Garnet held him under one arm and walked back to the warp pad.
“Garnet, put me down! I wanna check on Amethyst,” Steven complained.
“You can do that later,” Garnet told him, warping them back to the house. “We need to give them space for now.”
Back at the fountain, Pearl was still holding Amethyst in her arms.
“Amethyst?” Pearl prompted gently.
“I feel…sore,” Amethyst admitted after a moment, her cheeks flushing dark purple. “Other than that, I’m okay.”
“Thank the stars,” Pearl nearly sobbed, gathering Amethyst ever closer, burying her head in the crook between Amethyst’s neck and shoulder. Amethyst wrapped her arms around her slender friend, confused as her reaction.
Without thinking, Pearl kissed Amethyst’s neck, gripping the back of her black tank top. Amethyst pulled back, shocked, and Pearl suddenly moved in, pressing her lips to Amethyst’s. One of her spindly hands tangled themselves in her hair, pulling her closer, and the other was locked around her neck as if Pearl was afraid she’d disappear.
Amethyst’s brain short-circuited. Pearl’s lips were cool and firm on hers, still wet with the fountain’s water and salty from her tears. Amethyst closed her eyes automatically, sliding her hands up Pearl’s back to gather her closer. She parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss, only for Pearl to suddenly stiffen and yank herself away.
Pearl clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at Amethyst is apparent horror.
“A-Amethyst…” Pearl stuttered, pulling away from the smaller gem entirely, “I-I’m so sorry!” Tears began to form, clinging to her blonde eyelashes, and her breath caught in her throat. The thin gem scrambled out of the fountain, her eyes wide in her pale face, and ran back towards the warp pad.
“Pearl, wait!” Amethyst called, heaving herself out of the healing waters with a wince of pain, scurrying to get to Pearl. The taller gem had her back to Amethyst, hiding her face. “it’s okay!”
But Pearl warped away before Amethyst could reach her, leaving the purple gem to stare at the empty warp pad. Amethyst looked down to find her tank top ripped apart, revealing her bra.
Why was her shirt cut open? Did Pearl…? No, there had to be a logical explanation. She wouldn’t have done it without good reason. Right?
Frowning in confusion, Amethyst pulled her tank top closer around her dripping form and stepped onto the warp pad, warping back to the beach house.
As the light faded, Amethyst saw Garnet and Steven sitting on the couch.
“Hello, Amethyst,” Garnet greeted her calmly.
“Amethyst! Are you okay? Where’s Pearl?” Steven asked quickly, jumping up and running to stand in front of the purple gem.
“She’s not here?” Amethyst asked, surprised. Steven shook his head.
“Nope.”
“Hmm…” Garnet murmured, getting up. “Amethyst, go get dry. You’re dripping on the floor. I’m going to find Pearl.”
“Yeah, okay,” Amethyst muttered sullenly, trudging into the temple. Steven watched as Garnet warped away in a flash of bluish-white light, leaving him alone.
Amethyst wandered through her room, pondering what had happened in Rose’s fountain.
Why had Pearl cut through her tank top? Why was she still in so much pain? Why could she barely remember anything since pulling the rockslide down on her own head? She knew she hadn’t retreated to her gem to heal—she would have felt that—but all she could remember was searing pain and a blurry vision of Pearl for the last few hours, until waking up in the fountain.
Amethyst eventually found a mostly clean sheet sticking out of a bathtub, which she used to dry herself off. She phased a new tank top on and fell into a pile of blankets and pillows, sighing heavily. She felt restless, her body still twinging with the mysterious pain every once and a while, and she tossed and turned as she tried to get comfortable.
“Ugh!” the purple gem eventually grunted in annoyance. What happened in Rose’s fountain?! Why did Pearl run away after she kissed her? Endless questions swirled through her head like leaves in a strong wind.
Where did Pearl go? Amethyst flopped over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, far above her. And why did she go? Was she ashamed of kissing her? Was it a mistake?
Amethyst was going to drive herself crazy with these unanswerable questions. With a groan, the purple gem rolled over, pressing a pillow over her head. She fought with herself to fall asleep, but the torment continued.
Pearl’s lips had been so soft on hers…and the way her hands had locked into her messy hair and around her neck; it had felt so desperate, almost as if Pearl was afraid of losing her.
Amethyst remembered the feeling of Pearl’s back under her fingers, each vertebra a tiny mountain to climb. Her skin had been cool, still dripping Rose’s healing waters; Amethyst remembered that Pearl didn’t like to have a high body temperature, and kept her heart rate slow and her blood thin—it’s not like she needed either anyways. Pearl loathed feeling ‘impure’ as she put it; she healed any wound she received, no matter how small, and kept her hands smooth and soft, despite the years and years of sword fighting.
In contrast, Amethyst yearned to feel more human. Her temperature was hot, warmer that a human’s, and her heart beat strong and steady, pumping blood throughout her body construct. She kept a digestive track and lungs; didn’t bother to heal small scrapes and blisters she received, resulting in her skin growing calloused and scarred. She and Pearl really were opposites in every sense of the word.
But the way Pearl had felt in her arms, her long form melting against her, the small sigh that had slipped between thin lips; it haunted Amethyst, called to her; she longed to feel that way again.
Frustration and confusion were boiling under Amethyst’s skin, sending her thoughts into a frenzy. She wanted to run and search, to find Pearl and pull her close, to murmur sweet nothings against her lips as she kissed her again and again.
Without warning, Amethyst screamed into the pillows, venting her emotions out on the unsuspecting fabric. Sitting up, she pummeled her fists into their giving surfaces, punching them over and over until one ripped, feathers billowing up around her, sticking to her still-drying hair and only adding to her annoyance.
With a huff, Amethyst hopped up, heading for the door to the beach house, shaking herself to dislodge the feathers clinging to her form.
Her door opened with the sound of gum unsticking from a shoe, revealing both Steven and Garnet sitting on the couch once more. Amethyst scowled as she made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a soda from the fridge and throwing the whole can into her mouth, biting down and loving the way the fizzy drink exploded between her teeth.
“Hello, Amethyst,” Garnet said eventually. The purple gem swallowed her now chewed-up can and turned to look at the fusion.
“’Sup?” she asked, trying to sound unfazed. She leaned against the counter nonchalantly, eyeing her teammate. Garnet shared a cryptic look with Steven before turning back to Amethyst.
“I found Pearl in a beach in India,” Garnet began, crossing her arms. “She was quite upset, but refused to tell me why.”
“It’s not my fault!” Amethyst burst out, throwing her hands into the air. “I don’t get it either!”
“That’s not what I meant,” Garnet replied calmly.
“She won’t calm down,” Steven admitted sadly.
“You need to talk to her,” Garnet agreed.
“M-me?!” Amethyst squawked, her face flooding royal purple. “Why don’t you do it?!”
“Because I’m not the one she needs to talk to.”
“But—” the purple gem protested, pushing off the counter and staring at Garnet.
“No buts, Amethyst,” Garnet frowned, staring back. Amethyst gawked at her for a few moments. “She’s in her room. Go. Now.”
“Fine,” Amethyst growled, turning and stalking towards the temple door sullenly.
“Be gentle with her, Amethyst,” Garnet gave her a last piece of advice before the temple door closed behind her. The purple gem made her way to the puddle that connected to Pearl’s room, pacing next to it anxiously.
Amethyst scrubbed her palms down her face with a sigh, trying to calm down. Why was she so nervous? It was just Pearl, her teammate. And friend.
And long-time crush.
She shook those thoughts from her head, jumping into the puddle before she could chicken out.
Emerging on the other side, Amethyst looked around warily for Pearl, expecting to see her dancing gracefully or practicing her sword fighting like she usually was whenever the purple gem invaded her room, but she saw no sign of the slender gem.
“Pearl?” Amethyst called uncertainly, pulling herself up onto the water’s surface, which formed a solid walking surface beneath her feet. The only thing she could hear was the constant, gentle tinkling of the water around her. She leapt up onto the tallest pillar of water for a better vantage point. “Pearl, where are you?”
A flurry of movement caught Amethyst’s eye, and she turned to see Pearl jumping onto the lowest pillar, hiding behind another, taller pillar. Straining her ears, Amethyst heard a muffled sob, and her heart lurched.
The small gem made her way over to Pearl’s pillar, finding her sitting on the edge facing away from Amethyst, her legs dangling over empty space. Amethyst stopped halfway across the pillar, uncertain.
“Pearl?” Amethyst asked quietly. The slender gem shivered slightly, but otherwise ignored her. “Pearl, please talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I—I’m sorry,” Pearl whispered, so softly that Amethyst almost couldn’t hear her.
“Why?” Amethyst inched closer to her.
“I—I kissed you,” Pearl was astonished she even had to say it out loud, and she spun around to face the other gem. Her eyes were filled with tears, and the sight broke Amethyst’s heart.
“So?” Amethyst kneeled in front of Pearl, reaching for her hand. Pearl shrank back slightly, but let Amethyst entwine her thin fingers with hers.
“So—so I just—attacked you!” Pearl exclaimed, tears spilling over. “You made no move on me, and I just—just—”
“Just did what I’ve wanted to do for years?” Amethyst cut in, albeit gently.
“I—you—what?” Pearl stuttered, her gaze finally meeting Amethyst’s.
“You really couldn’t tell?” Amethyst wondered, noting the way Pearl now leaned towards her.
“Tell what?” Pearl breathed, her free hand drifting forward.
“Tell just how in love I am with you,” Amethyst murmured. Pearl’s hand found its way to Amethyst’s neck; Amethyst wrapped her arm around her slim waist, pulling her flush against her.
“You love me?” Pearl’s voice was feather-light, afraid to break the spell.
“I’ve loved you for longer than you can imagine,” Amethyst replied, just as softly. Pearl unlaced their fingers so she could rake hers through Amethyst’s mane of lilac hair. Amethyst trailed her hand up Pearl’s ribs, sliding up to gently cup her cheek.
“But I’m just a pearl,” the slender gem faltered, and Amethyst shook her head, smiling.
“No, you’re not,” Amethyst told her gently, rubbing her thumb in smooth circles over Pearl’s cheekbone. “You’re so much more than that. You’re strong and brave. You’re an amazing fighter, and an even better friend.”
“Do you really think that?” Pearl bit her lip, flicking her gaze from Amethyst’s eyes to her mouth and back.
“Yes.”
“I—I don’t know what to say,” Pearl stumbled over her words.
“Just say whatever you’re thinking,” Amethyst urged, her heart lurching with anxiety. Pearl paused, moving ever closer.
“I love you,” Pearl murmured, looking at Amethyst with infinite softness in her gaze. Amethyst breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in her belly melting away, leaving her feeling nearly giddy.
“You do?”
“Why else would I have kissed you?” Pearl retorted. Their faces were less than a foot apart, and Amethyst grinned.
Amethyst closed the space between them, pressing her lips to Pearl’s, sliding her hand from her cheek into her soft peach hair. Pearl let out a tiny sound, clutching Amethyst closer. Her lips were so soft and full, nearly hot against her own. Pearl had never felt so happy and safe, cradled on Amethyst’s lap, her chest thrumming with a strange energy.
Parting her lips slightly, Amethyst deepened the kiss just a bit, sending Pearl’s head spinning. She broke away only once a thought interrupted the joyful haze of her mind.
“A-Amethyst…” Pearl wondered, “What is this? What are we?”
“Whatever we want to be,” Amethyst replied with a grin, pulling Pearl back in. Pearl melted into her arms, buzzing with joy.
She and Amethyst may have their insecurities and sorrows, but together, they had a perfect balance. They were happy because they were together.
Opal was around a lot after that day.