Archive of Our Own ^beta

Gem felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. It was a little too hot for her liking, but she powered through. All day she had been working on the terrain near Tango’s base, the terrain that connected her base with those of Tango and Pearl. She took a step back. The cliffs outlined the terrain with grace, curving along the path. A path that Gem has taken countless times to visit her friend Pearl. The next time she would walk there it wouldn’t be past the awkward grassy slopes, but past these elegant cliffs.

Gem felt proud of what she had built today. Sure, it wasn’t as perfect as the gorgeous terrain that Pearl was building all around her base, but Gem was happy with what she’d managed to create. She hoped Pearl was proud of her as well. Pearl had been complimenting her quite a bit lately, but not with those empty I’m-just-being-polite compliments. No, whenever Pearl complimented her it felt genuine, real. Gem always felt seen by Pearl, loved even. But she knew it wasn’t like the love she felt for Pearl…

She sat down on a small log next to the path. ‘I just need a short break’ she thought, ‘I’ll just take a moment to rest before I do the last chunk’. Working in the heat wasn’t something she was used to. Her base was right next to the ocean. There was always a nice breeze, flowing through her hair, tickling her skin… The trees always shielded her from the burning sun.

She pulled a neatly wrapped burger out of her bag. During her last visit, Scar had shown her the new hamburger stand that opened up near the entrance of the Scarfari Zoo. Even tho she was a little skeptical about what type of meat was being used to produce these burgers, she always stopped by to get one when she visited the zoo.

It was no secret that she loved living near the other hermits. It was nice to be able to visit the zoo so easily, to live so close to her brother Grian, and their dads. So close to Pearl… There was nothing Gem loved more than just popping over to Pearl's base. Whether she was pestering Pearl or just popping over for tea and games, they always had a great time. They helped each other through hard times, they hyped each other up when they built something, they were everything someone would imagine from best friends.

Friends.

The word stung.

Gem knew it was bad, falling for her straight best friend. She had told herself countless times that they were just friends and she should get the fuck over herself. That this would only end up ruining her friendship, because Pearl would never feel the same way about her. It never worked. She always ended up teasing her, complimenting her, flirting with her. She hated herself for it. Although lately Pearl had seemed to allow it more and more. To Gem, it almost felt like Pearl wanted her to firt, like she was trying to provoke it… Gem quickly shrugged off the thought. She couldn’t allow herself to get her hopes up.

A cloud shifted in front of the sun. Gem took it as her sign to get back to work. Just one last push and this little corner of the map would be polished up. She had just picked up her shovel to start chipping away on the last mound when she heard a familiar voice calling out her name.

“Gem!”

She looked over to see Pearl walking, no, running over to her. Gem's heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to see Pearl so soon, at least not until she finished with this terrain.

“I found ya!” Pearl grinned. A comforting warmth spread through Gem’s body.

“I just thought I’d work on this terrain a bit more, try to connect us, us and Tango, up a bit more!” Suddenly she felt a bit nervous. It annoyed her. Why did she feel nervous about talking to Pearl? They had been friends forever and talked almost daily. There was nothing weird about talking to Pearl. There shouldn’t be.

“Oh wow, yeah, this area desperately needed it.” Pearl walked around, getting a better look at the cliffs. “Gem this is so good!” She said, almost offended by Gem’s skill. “The blocks you used, it really ties all our bases together!”

“I tried to bring in different blocks from all our different types of terrain. I’m glad it’s working, because I didn’t know if all the different textures would work together.”

“Yeah, it works really well, especially with the mud here on the path. It looks great! Pearl had such a good eye for these things, Gem got a bit flustered by all this thoughtful praise.

“I’m glad you like it, you wanna help me finish the last bit?”

“Sure! I don’t have anything else planned today. I’d love to join you!”

~~~~~

The two Hermits spend the rest of the afternoon slowly finishing the terrain. They weren’t rushing it, just letting their creativity flow while they chatted. Gem caught herself just gazing at Pearl as she was mocking up the cliffs. The way she placed and removed blocks, curving the harsh edges just the right amount, it was almost like a dance. Gem loved seeing Pearl in her element. Her eyes sparkled with joy as she looked at the progress she made. They worked together really well, Pearl mocked up the shapes, Gem did the texturing.

When the terrain was done, they went on a quick trip to Pearl’s flower shop to get some foliage. As they were planting the flowers Gem looked over to Pearl. She was so beautiful. Gem could get lost, staring into her mesmerizing bright blue eyes, or looking at the soft waves of her dark blonde hair. The confidence that Pearl always seemed to have made her glow. Pearl looked up to her, “What?”

“You’re beautiful.” The compliment had left Gem’s mouth before she thought about it. She immediately felt a wave of panic and looked down at the lilacs she was planting.

“I- thank you” Pearl continued digging the hole she was working on.

Gem looked up. She saw that Pearl was smiling, she seemed happy. The panic faded away and left Gem with a realization. She was never gonna get over Pearl. No matter how hard she tried. Deep down she had always known this, but afraid of ruining her relationship with Pearl she had shoved her feelings down. But there was no point in running from her feelings when they would catch up to her anyway. She had to confess, no matter what Pearl would say.

Pearl plopped in the last rose bush. “What do you think. Are we done here?”

Gem took a deep breath. She was really gonna do this now.

“Pearl, I- can we talk?’

“Well, we already are” Pearl grinned. Gem met her eyes, they were comforting as if Pearl was telling her it was all gonna be okay.

“Pearl I feels so stupid and I just don’t know what to do and it’s just, I, it’s-“ Gem was looking at her shoes.

“Your not stupid.” Pearl tried to comfort her as tears started to well up in Gem’s eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. C’mere.” Pearl gave Gem a hug.

“I think I’m falling for you.” Gem said carefully, slowly pulling away from the hug. She took a deep breath “I- I’m in love with you.” She waited for a response.

“Oh. Okay, uh, I,” Pearl looked like her brain was overheating trying to process this all.

“I’m so sorry I know your straight and I, I’m so sorry” the regret was immediate.

“No it’s okay I, can I kiss you?” Gem carefully nodded, placing her hands on Pearl’s hips. Pearl pulled her in, placing her hand on Gems head. Gem desperately leaned in, standing on her tippie toes to reach Pearl. It felt like a dream. Pearls lips felt soft against hers. She somehow still expected that Pearl would yell at her, break up their friendship, see her as a weirdo, a creep. But none of that happened.

Pearl pulled away. Gem looked at her, satisfied but confused, still awaiting a response.

“Yes okay. I just needed to confirm but yeah no I’m very much not straight. I love you Gem. You’ve been my best friends since forever but I think I would like us to be more now, if that’s what you want?” Gem didn’t understand how Pearl could be so calm saying all that. It was one of the things she admired most about her, her calmness and rational thinking.

“I can’t believe this is happening!”

“So uhm, Gem, would you like to be my girlfriend?”

“Yes Pearl, I’d love to.”

Pearl pulled her back in for a kiss. Gem felt relieved, she had never been happier.