Sapphire knelt down on the shore and felt the tide splash against her skirt - only for a moment, as it froze on contact. She'd been trying to think of the future, but the only things she could see were Ruby's gem cracked down the middle, then herself huffing while rushing her back to the temple, then the light emanating from Ruby's attempts to reform, putting further strain on the stone (almost splitting it in two) and on Sapphire. Rose had surely healed her gem by now, but Sapphire hadn't stuck around to see. She could still feel the gemstone clutched to her chest, as if loosening her grip by the smallest amount would doom her beloved.
She gritted her teeth as she heard footsteps on the sand behind her.
"You scared me," she said, keeping her gaze on the water.
"Come on," Ruby rolled her eyes. "You had to know it was me."
"That's not what I meant."
"Hey," Ruby sat down next to her and tried to speak gently. "I'm okay now. Besides, worse comes to worse, you can just get another one of me." She forced a laugh, doing whatever she thought would underplay what had happened earlier. She only stopped when she noticed the shards of ice surrounding Sapphire.
There it was again. The suggestion that she was somehow expendable, replaceable. As if any other ruby - any other gem could possibly make Sapphire feel the way she did about the one who was now inches away from her. She turned away from her and grasped her upper arms, her face hidden by the hair falling in front of her shoulder.
"I wish you wouldn't say those things about yourself."
Ruby had started to reach for Sapphire's shoulder, but pulled her hand back slightly.
"Wh-"
"I almost lost you tonight," Sapphire's voice shook, making her sound out of breath. "Doesn't that matter to you?"
"No! I mean, it - it does!" Ruby tried to soothe her, startled by the tears she'd just seen fall onto the sand. "I'm not - I'm not okay with getting hurt, I just don't want you to worry about me so much."
"How can I not worry about you?! I love you; I want you to be safe!"
Ruby took one of the hands wrapped around Sapphire's arm.
"Baby…"
Sapphire squeezed Ruby's hand and emitted a sob.
"I won't do it again. I promise," Ruby tucked some of Sapphire's hair behind her ear and saw her starting to compose herself again.
Sapphire sniffled, "You're still gonna call me 'baby'?" Garnet had heard it in some love song playing on the boardwalk, and Ruby wouldn't let up ever since.
"Would you prefer 'toots'?"
Sapphire snorted and wiped her face with the heel of her hand as Ruby kissed her neck, then her cheek, then tilted Sapphire's head toward herself to see her eye closed and teeth bared in a simper that never failed to take Ruby back to the cave where it had first appeared to her.
In seemingly the same instant, the grin was pursed and pressed against her own, and two slender arms curled around her neck. Her hands slid down to Sapphire's waist, and the two were joined once again, not even realizing they'd started to disappear.