A/N: I am such a Pearlnet shipping trash lol. I also am ethically non-monogamous and would love to see that theme explored on SU. So here's my head cannon. Sorry if it's hella heavy at the top.
Garnet had been acting a little odd lately. Well, more than she usually did and though she tried not to linger on it, Pearl couldn't help but worry. Things had been good between the two of them as of late. After the incident in which she lied to Garnet to about the communication hub to form Sardonyx she really thought it was over between the two of them forever.
Not that anyone would have blamed Garnet for putting her out because that kind of encroachment on someone's physical and emotional boundaries was pretty terrible to say the least. However, much to the surprise of Pearl they worked it out. Spent a lot of time talking, mostly it was the bigger gem talking to her about how violated not only she but Ruby and Sapphire felt.
That was almost two years ago and things were finally on a level field again and it felt wonderful. Even though the two? Three? Of them had forgiven the smaller gem, she had to live with what she had done to the gem she loved.
And there it was. Pearl loved Garnet. Of course, she had known for quite some time. She had loved Garnet shortly after she formed but this was different because she was in love with the fusion. It was part of the reason she had been so desperate to form Sardonyx with her. To feel close and safe and... loved. But she remembered what it felt like when Rose was dishonest with her about things. Pearl realized in hindsight that the relationship between the leader of the Crystal Gems and herself was, at best, emotionally abusive. So much of that past one was built on lies and dishonesty and a power dynamic that made things far too gray. One of the things that the petite gem had come to realize as well was that one could not build a true and loving relationship with another(s) on lies and manipulation. Lying to Garnet to get her to fuse had been a form of abuse on her behalf.
She shook her head and refocused her eyes as she watched said gem disappear into the temple with merely a wave in her direction. She glanced around the house to see if anyone else was there but she was alone again. A sudden idea had her cheeks flushing a brilliant shade of dusty blue. Could the fusion see what she felt for her and was she upset? Or uncomfortable? Pearl groaned to herself and stood, making her way to the temple door herself.
The temple door closed behind Garnet as she strode purposefully to her lava pit. Her head had been a mess the past week or so. She was sure it was evident to her friends but Ruby and Sapphire were having some issues. They were like dreams she had sort of forgotten in the back of her mind. When she reached the pit, she decided they needed to unfuse and talk. It was making her crazy, constantly hearing but not hearing the goings-on between the two. She was losing herself to the pair. The gem split with a bright flash of light and two smaller gems, one a cool pale blue and the other deep red.
"So we're finally going to talk about this," Sapphire asked in her gentle voice.
Ruby sighed irritably and looked at her lover. "I just needed time is all. After... You know. I've known for a long time but, it was always about timing."
The blue gem nodded in understanding. "I feel it too."
Ruby's head shot up in surprise. "Do you?"
She gave a laugh. "How could I not? I think you've been attracted to Pearl longer. You thought about her a lot. Since we first formed and met her and Rose."
"You knew the whole time? Then why would you stay with me?" squeaked the red gem.
Sapphire pondered on this for a moment. "Well, I had to admit it was difficult to think about you being attracted to another gem at first. Then I remembered that you and I were in this together. You had chosen me and I had chosen you. Plus, I have to agree that Pearl is very cute. After a while, when you started to love her it was like I got to see her through this new lens. All these things you loved about her, I started to love too. Then the incident at the hub happened."
The pair were silent for a little while as they reflected on that time. It had been incredibly painful. For Ruby in particular whose affections had felt betrayed and misplaced.
"I didn't know if I could forgive her. Normally, I would have crushed any other person but her... I don't think we would have been wrong to not want her around anymore, but you showed me things getting better. And she did too. She made an effort to hear us out and to let us take things at our own pace. Even the people we love are capable of doing us harm."
Sapphire nodded her head in agreement. "So what do you want to do now?"
Her counterpart was pensive, swirling her fingers in the lava as she thought. "Well, you said you feel it too, right?"
"Yes, I am in love with Pearl too."
"And we know that Garnet loves Pearl. Should we tell her? Do you think that she would feel the same?"
Sapphire knew that Ruby was asking if she saw a future in which they were not rejected by the other gem. She could very well have looked into it but it felt a little invasive. Plus, sometimes you just had to jump. On the flip side if Pearl didn't reciprocate their feelings it could get awkward for a while.
There was no doubt in either gem's mind that Pearl loved them and Garnet. They were family, had fought side by side in the war; but the question at hand was whether or not the slender gem was in love with Garnet and by association, them.
The seer opened her mouth to respond when they both heard footsteps approaching. Ruby jumped in front of her partner, ready to defend her against any attack. Her heart, useless though it was, sped up when Pearl stepped from the shadows.
"OH! Oh, Ruby! Sapphire, I am so sorry I didn't mean to intrude on your time. I- I'll come back another time." She went to turn and leave but the small blue gem stepped forward, grabbing her guard's hand.
"Wait, don't go."
Both Pearl and Ruby watched Sapphire curiously.
She gave her other half and a look as if to say "ready to jump feet first?"
The red gem nodded slightly.
"There's something we'd like to talk to you about. The two of us and then Garnet."
She turned back toward the pair and stepped back into the light, her expression one of uncertainty. "Of course. What's on your minds?"
They squeezed hands, giving each other support and strength.
"Well," began Ruby. "You see..." She shifted from foot to foot. "We have something to say."
Pearl's brows knitted together.
"Stop stalling," murmured the sapphire with a chuckle.
"Pearl, you are our friend. You have taught and supported us a-and... and loved us unconditionally from our very first fusion. We have come to realize over time that, Sapphire and I both love you." She cleared her throat. "We don't just love you as a comrade but we have known for quite some time that we are in love with you and, we usually don't speak for Garnet but so is she."
They watched the tallest of the three carefully, both trying not to let their own worry come across. Her face was blank for a moment.
"You do?" She sounded like she might not believe them.
"We do. Both of us or all three of us as it were," piped up Sapphire.
"Is that why Garnet has been distant?" She inquired.
"Yes. Amethyst told us you were talking to Sheena again and we got jealous. The two of us were going back and forth about it. After the hub we weren't sure how things would pan out but that bit of information was the jump start we needed."
There a collective moment of gratitude that the prior incident could be discussed without any major breakdowns on anyone's part.
Pearl nodded. "I feel fortunate that you tw- three still found it in yourselves to care about me at all, much less be in love with me." Her voice was soft and her blue eyes scanned the floor nervously. "I am in love with you too. I have been for a long time. I used it as an excuse to make myself feel better when I lied to you."
The duo approached her and she kneeled. Each gem held a hand in their own and they placed a kiss on either cheek. They all laughed.
"We can't forget the past but we can move forward to better places," Sapphire told her.
There was a vibrant light and Pearl found herself looking at three different colored eyes. "Like ones where you and I create better pasts to reflect on."
The fusion and her new partner stood, the maroon one pulling her in close for a sweet chaste kiss that made every gem in the room glow with promise.