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Garnet lay on her bed. It had been 3 weeks since Steven left and all the gems were getting back in a schedule. Except her. Garnet couldn’t do anything. All her energy was put into not sprinting away and trying to find him. It was so hard, she couldn’t think about anything else, or do anything else. There was so much energy in her, so much frustration, so much sadness that she couldn’t do anything about Steven. But she had to respect his boundaries. She had to stay away until he was ready to come back. Why, Why did it have to be like this? It just made Garnet want to explo-FOOSH!
Well that one was one way to do it.
Ruby sat up, rubbing the back of her head,”Oh man, Sapphire!”
She ran over to the other side of the bed, where she found her wife laying down on the floor, tears streaming down her eye.
“Ruby, why did he have to leave?”Sapphire said, her eye looking up at the ceiling.
Ruby sat down next to Sapphire. “Well-I-I guess he needed to find himself, that’s what he told us”, Ruby said, trying to console her wife.
“Well I guess it was enough stress to tear apart poor Garnet”, Sapphire responded, realizing what had just happened, as she scooted up, placing her head on Ruby’s lap.
Ruby laughed, “Yeah, do you want to fuse back?”, she said.
Sapphire looked up. “Well, I think Garnet needs a break and it’s nice to be apart sometimes, I can see my wife”, Sapphire responded, smiling cutely.
Ruby stroked Sapphire’s hair gently and laughed. “I guess so, but let's look on the good side, we might be able to actually get some things done now”
Sapphire smiled as her hair drifted back onto her eye,”I suppose”, she said.
A quiet and pittering knock on the door showed that Pearl was on the other side.
“Come in Pearl”, Sapphire said, still resting on Ruby’s lap.
Pearl opened the door, “Garnet, will you help me with so-”
She stopped in the middle of her sentence, her eyes drifting to the couple on the floor. The light through the window wafted onto the pair, red and blue light refracting off of certain angles.
“Oh, Ruby, Sapphire, why did you unfuse?”, Pearl said, confused.
“Garnet couldn’t quite take the pressure of Steven’s leave”, Sapphire said, chuckling.
“Well it does make sense I suppose, Steven leaving really did a number on all of us. Well, fuse back, I need Garnet’s help with some boxes.”, Pearl said, turning her head to leave.
“W-Wait”, Ruby said, looking at Sapphire, “I think we’re gonna stay unfused for a bit”.
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Ruby woke up, stretching her arms and yawning sleepily, and turning over to hug the still sleeping Sapphire. She nestled her face into Sapphire’s chest, purring softly as Sapphire’s light blue hair covered the bed, contrasting Ruby’s fluffy bundle. Ruby wrapped her legs around Sapphire, humming softly.
“Good Morning, lover”, Sapphire whispered into Ruby’s ear, startling her.
Ruby blushed softly, realizing that Sapphire had awoken, “Good Morning, baby”, Ruby responded, still a bit sleepy.
“Would my scarlet sweetheart like anything for breakfast”, Sapphire said.
“Waffles please”, Ruby responded, closing her eyes .
“I know”, Sapphire said, carefully replacing her form with a pillow.
She kissed Ruby gently on the forehead and smiled, walking to the kitchen and taking the already cooking waffles. Sapphire often used her foresight to know what Ruby wanted before she even knew sometimes, but Ruby once told her she would rather Sapphire not. Sapphire didn’t quite understand, but she did it anyway. Ruby was too sleepy to think about how much time waffles would take so Sapphire decided to make them before she even asked. Sapphire plated them and returned to their room within a minute. Sapphire put them on their nightstand, slowly waking Ruby. Ruby opened her eyes softly as Sapphire nudged the nightstand closer to the bed. The faint smell of warm waffles filled the room, sweet and comforting, like something solid she could hold onto.
“For me?” Ruby asked, her voice still thick with sleep.
Sapphire smiled, sitting back on the bed beside her. “Always.”
Ruby pushed herself upright, hair sticking out in every direction, and immediately leaned into Sapphire’s side. Sapphire adjusted without thinking, one arm wrapping around Ruby’s shoulders while the other steadied the plate.
“You didn’t have to make these so fast,” Ruby mumbled, already reaching for one.
“I wanted to,” Sapphire replied gently. “Mornings are easier when we take care of each other.”
Ruby took a bite, eyes lighting up. “Oh wow. Yeah. These are really good.”
Sapphire chuckled, resting her head against Ruby’s. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The quiet wasn’t heavy this time—just calm, like the world was giving them permission to rest.
Ruby’s expression softened after a few bites. “Hey, Sapphire?”
“Yes, Ruby?”
“You think Steven’s okay?”
Sapphire didn’t answer right away. She looked down at her hands, fingers laced together. “I don’t know everything,” she said honestly. “But I do know this—he needed space to grow. And loving him means letting him take it.”
Ruby nodded slowly, swallowing. “Yeah. I know. It just… hurts.”
Sapphire shifted, setting the plate aside and pulling Ruby fully into her arms. Ruby melted into the embrace immediately, forehead pressing against Sapphire’s collarbone.
“I miss him too,” Sapphire whispered. “But we’re still here. We still have each other.”
Ruby clutched Sapphire’s shirt, heat flaring just a little before settling again. “I’m glad we stayed unfused,” she said quietly. “I think… Garnet needed us to be okay first.”
Sapphire smiled, kissing the top of Ruby’s head. “Then we’ll take as long as we need.
They lay back together, blankets pulled up, sunlight spilling across the room in soft blue and red hues. Outside, the temple was waking up. Inside, everything felt steady. For now, that was enough.
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The light in the room had changed. What had once been soft morning blue was now warmer, stretching lazily across the floor and walls. The day had gone on without them, and somehow, that felt okay.
Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, boots kicked off, hands resting on her knees. Sapphire stood near the window, watching the ocean roll in and out like it always did. Neither of them felt rushed. Neither of them felt stuck anymore.
Ruby broke the quiet first.
“Hey, Sapphire?”
Sapphire turned, her expression gentle. “Yes, Ruby?”
Ruby shifted, heat flickering faintly around her hands before settling again. “I don’t feel like I’m gonna explode anymore.”
Sapphire smiled a little. “Neither do I.”
They shared a look—one of those long, understanding ones that didn’t need explaining. Ruby stood and walked over, stopping just in front of Sapphire.
“I think… Garnet needed a break,” Ruby said slowly. “But I don’t think she’s broken.”
Sapphire nodded. “She isn’t. She was just holding too much at once.”
Ruby swallowed, then smiled. “I think we’re ready.”
Sapphire searched Ruby’s face carefully, then reached out, taking her hands. “Then let’s do it because we want to. Not because we’re afraid.”
“Yeah,” Ruby said firmly. “Because we choose to.”
They stepped closer, foreheads nearly touching. There was no rush this time, no overwhelming surge—just warmth and calm meeting in the middle. Red and blue light wrapped around them slowly, weaving together like it always had, steady and sure.
The fusion formed quietly.
Garnet stood where they had been, solid and grounded, breathing out a tension she hadn’t realized she was still holding. She flexed her hands once, then relaxed.
“I’m okay,” Garnet said softly.
From the doorway, Pearl paused, watching the glow fade. Relief crossed her face.
“Welcome back, Garnet,” Pearl said gently.
Garnet turned to her and nodded. “Thank you… for giving us time.”
Pearl smiled and stepped away, closing the door behind her. Garnet looked back toward the window, at the ocean, at the sky beginning to darken. Steven was still gone. That ache was still there. But it no longer felt like it would tear her apart.She stood steady, whole, and ready—knowing that when he came back, she would be here. Waiting.