It's the start of a New Year, and a new Amethyst. One with enough confidence to ask Peridot out.
"Hoh boy…" Amethyst muttered to herself as she listened to her family start the New Year's countdown. She could hear Steven, Connie, Greg and surprisingly Garnet cheering the loudest, while Pearl clapped the tambourine she wielded and Lapis watched, looking confused.
"NINE! EIGHT!" they yelled excitedly, glancing to the clock on the television they had set up outside. The lighthouse was a popular point to watch fireworks in Beach city, but they were the only ones with a television set. It was probably because they lived at the beach house below.
"SEVEN! SIX! FIVE!" Peridot shouted next to Amethyst, squeaking excitedly. She held in her hand a sparkler as they leaned on the white picket fence, the beach and ocean stretching out beneath them.
"FOUR!" Amethyst's fake heart in her chest was really starting to hammer nervously. She could do this.
"THREE!" Everyone cried, growing crazy as the last three seconds of the year began. Amethyst made sure she was close to Peridot as possible, and that no one was watching. She would go through with this.
"TWO!" Peridot smiled wildly at her, and she forced a cheeky grin to hide her panic and restlessness as her foot tapped rapidly, flattening the grass under her. She promised herself.
"ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
It was now midnight, January 1st. The New Year. This was it.
Amethyst subtly grabbed Peridot's free hand, nudging first before gripping, getting the other gem's attention. She felt herself shaking and she hated it.
"Happy New Years, Peri." She turned and said, anxious but also excited. The green gem said the same thing with more enthusiasm, shouting it over the sound of the celebration. Amethyst guessed she really liked participating in the human ritual. Everyone else was cheering as the loud fireworks crackled, whirred and banged in the night sky above them. Amethyst wondered if Peridot could hear her heart amongst the noise.
"It's the start of the New Year" she started, sounding confident but feeling it fading fast. "D-Did you make a resolution?"
"A resolution? Were we…supposed to make one?" Peridot asked, holding the now dead sparkler to her chest. She was still smiling, but she looked confused and it was cute.
It made Amethyst laugh. "Heh, yeah, but it's alright."
Steven was yelling and clonking something metal with Greg, whooping and hollering with exceeding noise as the fireworks still zipped above them. It was quite noisy when Amethyst wanted this to be a quiet moment.
Now was the time. "My resolution – my New Year's one, I mean –" she flushed, annoyed at her own stumbling "is….it's to ask you out. Will you go out with me?"
Peridot stared at her, appearing stunned. Her head tilted and Amethyst thought she was taking it bad.
"I-I would really like it if we went out." She continued, trying to explain herself fruitlessly "I like you a lot, and, well…uh…" she trailed off, not sure what else to say. All she could do was wait for Peridot's answer.
Her hands ended up clammy and she was sure her face was an embarrassing shade of lavender. She let go of Peridot's small hand and gripped her shoulder nervously, clenching and unclenching her jaw. She was pretty sure her face looked hurt, but tried to play it off.
Then, finally. "Um, Amethyst…" Peridot began, the verdict in whatever she would say next. "Could you repeat that? I didn't hear what you said."
The purple gem's mouth went dry."W-Wha?"
"The celebration is too loud. Steven and Dad are making too much of a racket!" She explained, increasing her volume to try to be heard over the Universe's performance.
The quartz, with all her nerves feeling short-circuited, didn't think she could comply with Peridot and repeat what she said. It took too much willpower the first time. So she retook Peridot's hand. If she couldn't tell her, she would show her.
As a large firecracker went off, Amethyst tugged the green gem to her, moving her hands to cup her cheeks bravely. Peridot managed a "wha?" before the purple gem pressed their faces together. The quartz gem felt the technician's limbs spasm a bit before going rigid.
When she backed away, Amethyst spoke with confidence, despite her chubby cheeks flaring. "I said: Do you wanna go out with me?"
"I-I-I-I…wow, thanks" Peridot managed, looking like she would stumble over. Amethyst caught her and laughed.
"I'll take that as a yes."