New and Stable.
/
Her hand unclenched, spreading her thick fingers apart and offered it to her partner, a small Ruby with a gem for an eye and a star symbol on her jumpsuit. Ruby, nicknamed Eyeball, hesitated for a moment as she stared into her orange palm. Eyeball had years of propaganda drilled and ingrained into her mind, wrapping around her like a shawl, reminding her that was wrong. It was unheard of, it was disgusting, immoral, and incorrect.
Her single pupil trailed upwards. Jasper was well-built, to the thick muscles in her arms to the curve of her waist, to her strong thighs and calves. She was the practical image of strength. Eyeball, however, noticed what others might've ignored. Her subtle trembling, the nervous wrinkles around her eyes, the way her chest was frozen, the slight crease to her smile.
Eyeball saw right through her. Jasper, not in just this one moment, all the time, was absolutely terrified of rejection. She was afraid they would fall apart, that Eyeball would run away from her like the rest of them. Jasper was horrified of the past repeating, the pain, the betrayal, of something so beautiful be twisted and torn apart until it was nothing but toxicity.
Eyeball wanted to erase those fears, wipe them all away, wipe away those raw, painful emotions to make something stable and beautiful. But before she could, she had to remove her own heavy shawl, her own doubts in her mind. As she removed it, extending her hand, her back felt so vulnerable, so exposed. Her own trauma, deep within layers of paranoia and distrust, was on par to Jasper. Together, they could heal.
Eyeball placed her hand in Jasper's, squeezing it gently. Jasper squeezed back, a little harder, a subtle agreement said in that moment.
'I'm here for you, okay? We can stop when we want to.'
'I will. I trust you.'
Eyeball and Jasper let go, then took a few steps back. They were going to go slow, instead of fast, instantaneous. Their fusion was going to be special, they were not going to rush it.
Jasper began to dance first, her Song playing in her head. It was loud, heavy on bass, electronic and slow. She began to move her thick hips, shaking them back and forth. She raised her arms into the air, feet tapping against the dry ground of the desert.
Eyeball started up her dance next. Hers was much faster, her Song filled with the plucking of strings, fast touches of keys and sharp electronic noises. She twirled, not as graceful as Pearl, then leapt through the air. She landed with a thick thud, now closer to Jasper. Unsure of what to do with her arms, she simply placed them in a dynamic pose, one tucked under the other with her index fingers out.
As Jasper tapped and swayed, Eyeball twirled and posed. It was slightly awkward, slightly odd, but it was all theirs. Synchronization began to show, their gems beginning to glow in an increasingly bright light. Each step brought them closer and closer to each other, their hearts racing as the inevitable came closer and closer. Their toes were practically touching.
Their gems were as bright as the sun, overwhelming the twinkle of the stars above them. Eyeball did her last jump, where Jasper scooped her up in the air, squeezing her reassuringly that she had her. Jasper couldn't help but twirl, a feeling of joy bubbling up in her chest, then the light overcame both of them.
Their forms disappeared into a small, white ball, with two gemstones. A half-second passed before it began to move, changing and morphing into a thick, muscular form nearly seven feet tall. Two pair of arms shifted from the torso, connected by the upper pair's armpits and in equal length. The hair appeared next, curly yet flowing, extending long until two strong legs formed; the hair stopped at mid-thigh. Once the feet were formed, the light disappeared, revealing their fusion to the world.
Tiger's Eye.
Her feet landed on the ground, her posture straight and dignified. Her skin was a bright red, orange stripes across her body. She blinked two of her eyes on the left, a single gem on her right side.
"I..." she was taken aback from her voice. They, they were they and she was she- it wasn't like her; they didn't have to fight, both had such gruff voices. But her voice sounded soft, even slightly high-pitched, no drawl.
"I...I'm me. Ha...hahaha! Wow!" she took her first few steps. They were heavy against the ground, at irregular times. She stopped, trying to take it slower, her feet finally matching up together. Her arms swayed slightly with each step, her fingers curling against her palms. Her chest began to swell affectionately.
"What... should I do first?" she asked, not to sure who was really asking it for a moment, or to whom. Tiger's Eye looked up at the sky, fearful for a moment. She grew darker and darker inside.
She could see Homeworld for a moment.
She sat down, her legs crossed and stared up at the sky. Tiger's Eye finally smiled to herself.
"I want to enjoy this moment..."