"Goodbye Steven, have fun." Garnet said, waving as the boy scrambled up onto the warp pad to take his place between Pearl and Amethyst.
"Garnet, are you sure you'll be alright handling decorating?" Pearl asked, looking worriedly to the taller gem.
"Don't worry, Pearl. I've got this." Garnet assured, crossing her arms. Pearl opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off as Amethyst cleared her throat.
"Hey uh, don't we have something to go get?" She asked. Pearl was quiet for a moment before she nodded quickly.
"Yes, of course." She agreed, managing a small smile. "Alright, we'll be back later." She added, placing a gentle hand on Steven's shoulder before the three of them vanished in a pillar of light.
Garnet stood still for several moments before sighing softly and turning to look at the house.
How difficult could this be?
00o00
"Ruby, what are you doing?"
"It's getting cold, I'm trying to start a fire!"
"There are matches in the kitchen, you know?"
"Yes, I know. But I can't reach them! Pearl put them away!"
Sapphire sighed softly from her spot on the couch, watching as Ruby gripped a log tightly between her hands, growling softly until the wood burst into flame with a pop. With a triumphant sound, she tossed the log into the fire place, watching as the small smolder slowly grew to a roaring fire.
"Tadda!" She grinned, turning to look up at Sapphire. She could just barely make out a grin beneath her partner's bangs, and her own smile grew at the sight.
"Come on, there's still a lot to do!" She said, hopping up to grab Sapphire's hands and drag her about the house. Most of the decorations had been put up already, though the lights outside still remained to be untangled.
"We're going to try this again?" Sapphire asked, watching as Ruby plunked herself down and set to work trying to find the end of the cord.
"Yeah. We don't want to disappoint Steven, do we?" Ruby asked, looking up. "Now come on, see if you can't figure out that side..."
"You do realize this is why we split in the first place, right?" Sapphire asked, sitting down across from Ruby and sighing softly as she picked up the other strand of lights. Ruby rolled her eyes and huffed.
"It's fine, it's fine." She said, eyes glued to the cord in her hands. Sapphire shook her head with a soft smile, carefully untangling her strand of lights. The two sat in silence for awhile, working quickly to try and untangle the lights.
After a few minutes Ruby began to grumble, the floor beneath her smoking slightly. Sapphire lifted her head and cocked it to the side for a moment before she sighed and cleared her throat.
"Ruby?"
"What?"
"The floor..."
Ruby looked down, groaning loudly and pushing herself to her feet. "Dang it!" She snapped, hurrying away from the spot and glancing behind her to make sure she hadn't left any footprints behind. Sapphire chuckled and turned her attention back to the lights.
"I warned you."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I know you did." Ruby muttered, crossing her arms with a huff. Sapphire turned her attention back to the lights, quickly untangling the rest and holding them up. "Here, they're done. Do you want to go put them up?" She asked. Ruby looked over her shoulder and nodded, taking the lights and taking them outside while being careful not to tangle them again. Sapphire remained inside, watching fondly as Ruby scrambled up to the roof and carefully began to string the lights.
Her attention was drawn to the warp pad as it whirred to life and began to glow.
"Welcome back, Steven."
The boy hopped off the pad and looked around, eyes widening as he took in the glowing lights and shining decorations.
"This is amazing!" He exclaimed, racing around the house and examining everything. Pearl made her way over to Sapphire, smiling warmly as she looked around.
"I must admit, this does look really good." She said, looking down.
"Ruby did most of it." Sapphire said simply. Pearl tilted her head but didn't get a chance to speak as Ruby came back in with a triumphant expression.
"Lights are up!"
"And nothing's on fire. Good job!" Amethyst commented from the kitchen. Ruby turned to glare in her direction, but Sapphire taking her hand calmed her slightly. The two looked at each other before Ruby laughed and leaned up to peck Sapphire's cheek. She blinked in surprise and looked over with a small frown hidden by her bangs.
"What was that for?"
"What, can't I kiss you?" Ruby asked with a sly grin. Sapphire laughed softly, making a soft noise as Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. The two laughed and kissed for a moment before a bright glow filled the room. Where the two gems had once stood, Garnet appeared, smiling warmly at the others.
"Best Christmas ever!" Steven called from some place under the tree.
A/N: I'm so sorry I posted this so late I feel like crap about it! Things got away from me and a lot of stuff happened at once and I feel really bad. I uh...I hope this is okay!
