Work Text:
A group of quartz soldiers all laugh amongst themselves, with a jasper mocking Holly Blue.
"Get back to your posts!" She sticks her tongue out, making a small amethyst burst out laughing.
"How are you able to do such a good impression?" Another jasper chuckles.
"Simple, that gem is always complaining about us and bossing us around all the time."
The gems continue laughing, collectively enjoying the slander of Holly Blue. The jasper does another impression, but this time they don't laugh and their expressions change completely.
"Is somethin' wrong?" Jasper raises an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips.
An amethyst points behind her. Jasper tilts her head and sees Holly Blue standing directly behind her, looking pissed off.
"AH!" Jasper yelps, jumping back from the agate.
Holly narrows her eyes, looking at all of the fearful quartz soldiers. They all quickly do the diamond gesture to their superior
"Well? Shouldn't you be at your stations?" She steps forwards, specifically eyeing the jasper who was mocking her.
"Yeah.....We'll get to that...."
The quartz soldiers all nod in agreement, sneaking away from Holly Blue in an attempt to not get scolded. Holly Blue, however, stops the jasper from leaving by grabbing her arm tightly.
"You stay, we need to talk." Holly sneers at her.
"Oh....of course." Jasper mutters, glancing over some other quartz soldiers who're staring.
The rest of the quartz soldiers all exit the room, leaving Holly Blue and Jasper. The two gems stand there in silence, waiting for the other to speak. Jasper keeps her gaze locked onto the floor, with Holly's being on the gem in front of her.
"So, you think that it's okay to mock me in front of other gems, right?" Holly starts walking, circling around Jasper with her arms behind her back.
"No...It isn't! I was just...joking around...." Jasper folds her arms over her torso, continuing to look at the floor.
"Right, just joking around, were you?" Holly stops, now lingering behind Jasper.
"Yes, that's exact-"
The gem feels a hand grabbing the back of her head, pushing her onto the floor. Using her other hand, Holly holds the jasper's wrists together, binding her arms.
"Since when was that okay, Hm?" She scoffs at her, pulling Jasper's head up to face her.
"Never! Never! I'm sorry, okay?!" Jasper cries out, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.
"Right..." Holly lets go of her head, keeping her wrists bound.
Jasper tries to break free from Holly's grasp, but she's not powerful enough to push against the stronger gem. After a few minutes of struggling, Holly lets go of her, standing up tall above her.
"Do that again, and the consequences will be more severe than today's." Holly warns as she walks to the door.
Jasper lays there on the floor, taking her time to compose herself. She eventually sits up, wiping the faint tears from her eyes. An amethyst enters the room, the small one that was apart of the group from earlier.
"Hey, did Holly Blue...?"
"I'm fine..." Jaspers shakes her head dismissively, rubbing her wrists.
"You sure?" Amethyst asks, studying her wrists with concern.
"Yeah....Nothin' I can't handle from that gem!" Jasper pushes herself up, putting on a grin.
"Alright, come on, we've got work..." Amethyst lends her hand out.
Jasper takes her hand, trying to keep anything from touching her wrists. Amethyst's thumb brushes over her wrist by accident and Jasper is unable to hide her wince of pain.
"You're not okay...." Amethyst whispers to her, staring up at her wide eyes.
"Amethyst, we can check it out later, okay? Just...not right now..."
"Alright, whatever you say..."
The quartz soldiers leave the room, heading to do their work.
Yellow Diamond sits within her room, looking through her projections of her current planet. Her pearl looks at her own projections but of any work.
"Pearl."
"Y..Yes, my Diamond?"
"Bring me a group of quartz soldiers from the Beta Kindergarten of my current colony."
"Of course."
Yellow Pearl swiftly leaves the room. Yellow Diamond continues her work in silence, contacting a ship on one of the projections. When the call goes through, a Nephrite answers.
"Greetings, my Diamond." She says rather contently, doing the diamond gesture.
"How far are you from Homeworld?" Yellow asks, focusing on another projection.
"Only a few hours till we arrive, my Diamond." Nephrite nods her head.
"Good. What sort of materials do you have in your ship?"
"Plenty that'll help with further gem creation." Nephrite tells her happily.
"Wonderful, that'll be all." Yellow ends the call, looking at the progress of her colony.
Yellow's pearl enters the room with a small group of quartz soldiers. She leads them in front of Yellow's desk and then stands next her chair.
"My Diamond, I've brought some quartz soldiers." Yellow Pearl announces to her diamond.
"Good."
The quartz soldiers all bow to Yellow Diamond, awaiting her to speak.
"You're all apart of the Beta Kindergarten, is that right?" She leans over her desk, a cold gaze fixed onto the lower lifeforms.
"Yes, my Diamond..." A shortish jasper responds to her, stepping forward.
"Right...I don't suppose that any other quartz soldiers have come out wrong or off?" Yellow looks at her projection as she speaks.
"Not...that I'm aware of..." The jasper puts her hands behind her back, smiling up at her diamond.
Yellow stops her work, putting her attention on the gem. She bares her eyes into her, seeing for any signs of a contradiction.
"Is that the truth?"
"Yes, it is, my Diamond."
Yellow glances over at her pearl, who doesn't return her gaze. She looks down at the gems again, standing up from her seat.
"Pearl, check for any wrong quartz soldiers within the Beta Kindergarten."
"Yes, my Diamond." Yellow Pearl projects from her gemstone, looking through the list of quartz soldiers.
Yellow sits back down and waits for her pearl to report to her as she looks throughout her projections. The quartz soldiers wait for anything, choosing to whisper amongst themselves.
"My Diamond?" Yellow Pearl climbs onto Yellow Diamond's seat, trying to get her attention.
"What?"
"I've found multiple 'wrong' quartz soldiers, mainly with them being off color and having deformities with their physical form."
Yellow exhales sharply, again standing up. eyes narrowed with frustration. The quartz soldiers take a few steps back, fearful of what Yellow Diamond will react.
"So, you lied to me?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Huh....? No, I..I wasn't!" The jasper shakes her head, stepping away from Yellow Diamond.
"Enough of your lies!" Yellow pushes her finger on the gem, poofing her instantly.
The quartzes take another few steps away, terrified by Yellow's anger fueled action.
"Return to your duties, I have no further use for you all." Yellow waves her hand at them.
The quartz soldiers exit the room right after the order, leaving Yellow Diamond to continue her work.
"Pearl, bring these wrong quartz soldiers to my room, they're not worth the effort of my colony."
Despite making significant progress as always, Yellow feels exhausted. She rubs her face, trying to get herself to focus on her work and continue the colonization of her current planet. However, she just can't bring herself to and stops.
"My Diamond, is something wrong?" Yellow Pearl approaches her, attempting to decipher her expression.
"I'm fine, just tired." Yellow disregards her pearl's concern, pushing her away with her finger.
"Understood, my Diamond..." Yellow Pearl sighs, walking away.
Yellow takes a few minutes to breath, trying her best to collect herself. Why was she now feeling so tired? Perhaps she was handling too much at once, it could be taking a toll on her. After some consideration, Yellow stands up from her desk, surprising her pearl.
"My Diamond...is something the matter?"
"I'll be back. Keep track of things until I return." Yellow explains to her, walking out of the room.
Yellow Diamond walks through Homeworld, heading for a specific place. The passing gems stare at Yellow in confusion but don't say anything. Yellow pays them no mind of course, her focus entirely on going to the destination in her mind. Finally, she reaches Blue's room, the guards moving out of the way to let her in. She looks around for Blue, at first not finding her or her pearl. When she looks into Blue's pool, she isn't surprised in the slightest to see the other diamond.
"Blue!" Yellow marches over to her, standing over her near the pool.
"Yellow? What brings you here...?" Blue looks over her shoulder, surprised.
"I....I don't know to be honest..." Yellow sighs tiredly, her gaze fixed onto the ceiling.
Blue glances over at her pearl, whispering softly to her. Yellow raises an eyebrow, curious as to what they're talking about.
"You're excused..." Blue puts her pearl on her hand, setting her down on the floor.
Blue Pearl leaves the room, the Diamonds now the only ones in the room.
"Join me." Blue reaches her hand out to Yellow.
"Huh?! I didn't come here to join you in your pool..." Yellow takes a step back, taken aback by her request.
"Yellow, the water is calming. I'm sure you'll like it." Blue reassures, smiling softly at her.
She takes a second to think, choosing to join Blue in the pool. Surprisingly, the water made Yellow feel less stressed but not entirely. It wasn't even the exhaustion that was bugging her anymore, it was something else.
"What's the matter, Yellow? You look so tired..."
"I know. I've been taking up too much lately." Yellow leans back, trying to relax herself.
"Oh, well hopefully this will help you." Blue shuffles closer to Yellow.
Yellow hums in agreement, staring off into space. She starts thinking about the things she's been doing, the multiple colonies she's taken up to impress White Diamond. As she thought, she began to question White's extreme standards. Yellow looks beside her and Blue is much closer than earlier.
"Blue, what are you-!" Yellow moves back to a corner of the pool.
"Sorry, you were zoning out." Blue giggles at her reaction.
"Was I? My goodness...." Yellow rubs her eyes in annoyance.
"It's fine, Yellow." Blue lends her hand out, again moving closer.
Yellow stops her hand, her eyes widening a bit.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?" Blue lowers her hand slightly.
"Why do you keep moving closer to me...?" Yellow points at her, gesturing with her hand.
"I want to help you feel better, Yellow. You're so stubborn, just like Pink."
"Do not compare me to Pink. She is a childish, immature gem who threw tantrums." Yellow complains, getting somewhat heated from the comparison.
"So? You're both stubborn with things, that's something you've got in common."
Yellow rolls her eyes, turning her head away from Blue. She hears the water swishing and assumes that Blue's moved away from her. When she feels something moving on top of her, she whips her head around, seeing Blue on her lap.
"B...Blue! What is....!?" She yelps, face completely flushed.
"Yellow, I'm trying to help you..." Blue whispers, her hand slowly playing with Yellow's hair.
"How...How is this...meant to...help me?" She whispers back, looking around in case any other gems were nearby.
Blue doesn't respond, continuing to play with Yellow's now moist hair. Yellow grabs Blue's wrist, unintentionally moving her hand above her chest.
"Yellow, if you don't want me to be here, then you can tell me to stop."
Yellow takes a second to consider her options. She faintly nods her head, letting Blue stay on her lap.
"Blue, why are you acting like this?" She looks up at her, leaning back.
"Why aren't you?" Blue replies softly, her eyes half lidded.
Yellow tries to understand her question, unsure of how to respond. She tries to avert her gaze from Blue, her eyes accidently landing on Blue's hips. The other diamond notices it, smiling a bit at Yellow. Blue takes Yellow's hand in her own, bringing her attention back to Blue.
"If you want to, you can..."
"Do w..what...?" Yellow stutters, looking down at their hands.
"I saw you staring..." Blue gestures to her hips, making Yellow flush.
Yellow raises her hands, slowly putting them onto Blue's hips.
"This...We shouldn't be doing this." Yellow sighs but keeps her hands on Blue.
"No one is watching, are they?" Blue leans forward, bring her face closer to Yellow's.
Yellow doesn't stop her, almost wanting to push further with whatever they are doing. Blue puts a hand on her shoulder, moving closer. Yellow glances down at Blue's lips, leaning upwards to her. Their lips are so close, so close yet not close enough. When their lips brush against each other, Yellow snaps out of her romantic haze, pushing Blue away from her.
"Stop. We cannot be doing this." Yellow wipes her lips despite nothing touching them.
"What? Yellow, did I make you uncomfortable?" Blue tilts her head, her eyebrows furrowed.
"No, it's not that." She shakes her head.
"Then what?" Blue moves back, looking down into the water.
"We're Diamonds, Blue. We cannot be acting so foolish when we have work to do." Yellow stands up, stepping out of the pool.
Yellow walks towards the door, her hands clenched into tight fists. She's about to exit the room when Blue's voice cuts through the air.
"Yellow, are you mad at me?"
She stops, looking over her shoulder to Blue. Yellow stares at Blue for a moment before responding, her voice softer than usual.
"No. I...I'm not mad you at all." She turns her head, facing forward to the doorway.
And with that, she leaves Blue alone in her pool.
"Sapphire, can you look into the future for...Yellow?" Blue asks her, sitting on her throne.
Sapphire nods, taking a few seconds to look into the future.
"I see that Yellow Diamond will continue her work of colonizing planets. However, she'll be stressed due to this and.....and...." Sapphire slowly trails off from her sentence.
"And?" Blue leans forward, impatiently waiting for her to continue.
"It...appears that she will go to you to confront her issues." Sapphire clears her throat, finishing her prediction.
Blue sighs, rubbing her temple. "Thank you, Sapphire. That'll be all I need to hear."
"Of course, my Diamond." Sapphire bows to Blue Diamond, exiting the room afterwards.
Blue sighs into her hand, concerned for the future. Blue Pearl approaches her Diamond, sitting next to her.
"My Diamond, is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" She tilts her head to the side.
"I'm fine. No need to worry." Blue replies softly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Understood, my Diamond."
The faint sound of footsteps echo throughout the room. Blue and her pearl look towards the entrance, seeing Holly Blue approaching them. The agate stops in front of Blue Diamond, smiling up at her.
"My Diamond, I come with important news."
"What is it?" Blue leans over her throne, raising her eyebrow a bit.
"There is an incoming ship piloted by a Nephrite."
"Is that so?" Blue sits properly, looking down at Holly Blue seriously.
"Yes, my Diamond." Holly Blue bows, stepping out of the room.
Blue Diamond stands throne, pacing around. She was trying brush past what had happened between her and Yellow, trying to focus on her work.
"Pearl, come with me." Blue stops pacing around, walking towards the exit.
"Yes, my Diamond." Blue Pearl nods her head, following behind.
Blue exits her room, heading for the launch zone. The place where ships came and went with supplies from other planets. Blue Diamond looks up to the stars, trying to find the incoming ship. She can see the surrounding planets around Homeworld, those that have already been conquered by the Diamonds. Holly Blue was already waiting at the launch zone, also looking out for the ship.
"When will the ship arrive?" Blue looks down at Holly Blue.
"In around 15 minutes, my Diamond." Holly replies with a smile, putting her hands behind her back.
A few minutes pass and right on schedule, the ship approaches Homeworld. The gems take a few steps back, keeping a distance as the ship lands. The ship's pilot, the Nephrite that Holly Blue mentioned, walks out of her ship.
"Hello, Blue Diamond!" Nephrite smiles up at Blue, standing up tall.
"What's in the ship?" Blue ignores her greeting, looking towards the ship.
"Bunch of materials we got from a far away planet! I was contacted by my Diamond, Yellow Diamond, a few hours ago. " She replies, looking over her shoulder to her ship.
"Mm. Holly Blue." Blue hums, turning her attention to the agate.
"Oh, yes my Diamond?"
"Bring a group of quartz soldiers to unload the things on the ship."
"Right away, my Diamond." Holly immediately leaves, going off to complete the order.
"My Diamond, would you like to know what kind of-"
"No, I'm not interested." Blue Diamond shakes her head, walking away from Nephrite.
Blue Pearl tilts her head, confused by Blue Diamond's change is demeanor. Entering Blue's room, the two gems return to the pool, with Blue trying to keep herself composed.
"Oh....What would White think...?" Blue Diamond mutters, covering her face with her hands.
"Think about what, my Diamond?" Blue Pearl kicks her feet in the water, looking down at the water.
"What I'm feeling. It's so unfit for a Diamond....but at the same time, it feels so..natural." Blue puts her hands down, keeping her face hidden from her pearl.
Blue Pearl pauses, processing what Blue Diamond just said. She had a feeling that what her Diamond was talking about was similar to what her and Yellow Pearl had.
"My Diamond, do you want to talk to me about it?" Blue Pearl adjusts her hair, trying to be understanding.
Blue Diamond finally turns to look at her pearl, tears streaming down her face and her cheeks flushed.
"Talk about what?" She weeps, rubbing her tear filled eyes.
"What you're feeling, my Diamond."
"What I am....feeling?" Blue Diamond whispers, confused.
Blue Pearl nods her head, waiting for her response. Blue Diamond looks into the water, looking at her reflection. She looked so disheveled, all over some confusing emotions.
"No...It isn't important." Blue Diamond shakes her head, slumping down into the water.
"Understood, my Diamond."
Yellow Diamond sits on her throne, the room filled with utter silence. She was so conflicted by what had happened between her and Blue, especially with their roles on Homeworld. They were Diamonds, the most powerful gems within gemkind and the conquers of planets across the universe. So why were they both acting like this? They'd almost kissed in that pool! Neither of them were supposed to act like this, and yet they did.
Either way, there was most definitely an awkward air between them. They'd have to confront this, whether it be positively or negatively. Time would reveal it eventually.