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Garnet quite enjoyed mysteries.
Not this one though.
Specifically why his partners were being secretive.
He’d awoken that morning to an empty bed, the sheets still carrying the residue heat of his lovers. Garnet had not thought much of it, but became rather suspicious once he left the bed and found Cerice -of all people- cooking breakfast.
Now sat on the couch, the second incident to tip Garnet off was Nebula. Completely unlike himself, Nebula was not doing his stupid work. He was.. cleaning? Garnet’s ear ticks uneasily. These two only did chores if they’d done something bad and want to ease the blow.
Garnet swivels his ears around, listening for any burst pipes or wind currents. Nothing out of the usual, however.
After what felt like an eternity of tense atmosphere, Cerice heads over with a plate of pancakes. Garnet watches him with intense focus.
“What did you do?” Asks Garnet, voice clipped. Cerice pauses, sending a panicked look towards Nebula, who completely ignores it in favor of saving his own hide.
“Nothing.” Cerice responds, though a nervous flick of his ribbons gives him away.
Garnet opts to not question them for now, too sluggish from his sleep.
Garnet reaches for the plate and tears off a piece of pancake with his bare paw, squishing the moist treat between his fingers before placing it in his mouth, anything to piss off Cerice.
As expected, the sylveon starts seething at the show of filth. instead of the usual tyrade, however, Garnet finds his dirtied paw grabbed by Cerice, who tugs it towards himself.
Garnet watches in confusion before the asshat darts his tongue out and licks the grease from Garnet’s paw. Immediately, the espeon lets out a shriek and yanks at the grip.
“EW! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?” Garnet wails with disgust, but he can’t help but bursting into laughter.
Cerice laughs jovially as well, tugging at Garnet’s wrist firmly until the purple-furred feline follows as Cerice lays down against the headrest. Garnet lands on top of him with a huff of air. Cerice’s shorts press against Garnet’s sides and torso but he pays it no mind in order to wrap his arms around the mischievous little fox’s neck.
Cerice’s arms find their way around Garnet’s waist and the feline is almost immediately plagued with the need to sleep once again. Typical.
Garnet nuzzles under Cerice’s jaw affectionately before making himself more comfortable. A soft purr rumbles through the purple sleepaholic, intensifying when Cerice’s paw runs up and down his back, rustling his shirt.
They lay like that for a while, Garnet dozing off as his ears flick with momentary awareness every few minutes.
But of course, that peace only lasts for a limited amount of time before Garnet remembers his partner’s earlier awkwardness.
He tenses up again, pushing himself up with his paws on either side of Cerice’s torso as he glares down at the canid. Cerice seems to realize he won’t get out of this one and moans in dramatic agony.
“What did you do?” Garnet demands. He heard a subtle scuffle of paws on the floor and catches Nebula in the middle of scuttling away. “You.” Garnet says, which stops the dark canid dead in his tracks.
Nebula slowly looks over his shoulder with a guilty expression, tail lowered and eyes round.
“We fucked up the lawn.” Comes the agonized explanation from Cerice, who seems to have made up his mind.
Garnet’s head snaps right back to the sylveon, who subtly flinches at the aggression in the act.
“You what?” Asks Garnet in a falsely even voice. The calm before the storm. Cerice wilts, putting on his best puppy eyes in hopes of soothing the blow.
“We were sparring - like normal, reasonable adults do - and didn’t realize we were tearing up the grass.” Garnet explains in a quiet voice, shame coating his every word.
“We then turned the lawn upside down and Cerice thought moss would make a good replacement.” Nebula adds ‘helpfully’.
“Did not!” Argues Cerice, ears pinning back.
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
Before Nebula can retort, Garnet speaks again. “Let me see.”
The living room falls quiet as Cerice and Nebula share looks, resignation painting their faces as they give twin solemn nods.
So there they find themselves, outside. The two canids fidget nervously as Garnet assesses the damage with frankly more shock than anything.
When Nebula said they ‘turned the lawn upside down”, Garnet didn’t think he meant literally, but here they are. In a large patch of the lawn, instead of grass, is newly turned dirt.
Garnet can only look at the damage done with a dismayed look. His beautiful, gorgeous, soft grass that he rolls around in when nobody’s home (a secret which he’ll never share) now destroyed and looking like the feast site of a boar herd.
“‘m going back to bed.” Garnet mumbles finally, turning heel and scurrying back to the house for a well-needed rest after this terrifying morning.
Cerice and Nebula watch his depart, blinking in sync like they were bluetooth connected.
“You sleep on the floor.” Nebula says.
“He won’t make us sleep on the couch, love.” Cerice replies, crossing his arms with a slightly irritated look that his partner would immediately choose himself over Cerice (lovingly.)
Garnet could, indeed, make them sleep on the couch. Crammed together and being overly dramatic about their predicament. Cerice just had to jinx it.