Opal stuck around for a little while longer after helping move the drill head, going out to the other side of the barn while Garnet and Peridot talked. She settled comfortably on the grass, lying down on her back and stretching out. Her component gems were both so in sync with one another this time, and it felt good not to have to worry about coming apart right away with their often sudden, distinct reactions to stress. Instead, Opal got to relax, together and peaceful, underneath the stars.

"I wonder if it could be like this more often," she mused, rolling onto her stomach and crossing one set of arms to cushion her head. It was her thought, a unified thought, and she was pleased that it hadn't threatened to split Pearl and Amethyst apart when she voiced it aloud.

Opal smiled to herself and closed her eyes, drifting somewhere between sleep and waking.

Pearl and Amethyst woke separately, both having made a conscious choice to unfuse, though they had ended up slipping quickly back into sleep afterwards.

Now, drifting back to consciousness, Pearl found herself lying on the grass, stars glittering above her. Everything was quiet and when she looked around she saw only Amethyst, the others likely having long since returned to the house.

There was a pleasant drowsiness that kept her where she was, and Amethyst's arm was flung across her in a mostly-comfortable fashion, so she just turned her head a little and watched the gem beside her with a warm smile.

Forming Opal so easily, so instinctively, made her realize just how far the two of them had managed to come. The renegade Pearl who hadn't known what freedom was and the little Amethyst they'd brought home from the Kindergarten in the echoing aftermath of the war. Thousands of years, hundreds of mistakes, and yet the two of them were still here.

"Amethyst." The name slipped off Pearl's lips almost without her meaning it to. She'd been watching the other gem so closely as she slept, and her private musings made her want to speak to her.

Amethyst groaned and cracked one eye open. "What?"

"Oh—nothing important, I was just—" She stammered her way through a few vague attempts at an explanation and gave up. "I just wanted to talk."

"Mm." Amethyst sighed and snuggled up closer to Pearl sleepily. "'Bout what?"

"Nothing in particular," Pearl answered, wrapping an arm around Amethyst securely. "I suppose I was thinking about when we first found you." She began to wind her fingers through Amethyst's hair absently.

Amethyst made a vaguely pleased sound and squeezed her. "That was a long time ago."

"It was," she said with a small smile. "None of us knew what to make of you at first."

"And then I won everyone over with my awesome personality."

Pearl flicked her lightly on the shoulder. "That is a highly modified version of events, but yes."

"You're telling me," she snorted. "At the beginning, you kept trying to guard Rose. What was I going to do to Rose Quartz that she needed you there as a shield?"

Pearl's face flushed. "You were new, I didn't know what to expect! Even if the war was over, it was still strange to have another gem with us. Not to mention you were…" She trailed off, a silent apology in her eyes when Amethyst tilted her head up to look at her.

"From the Kindergarten," Amethyst finished for her quietly. "Yeah, I know."

"Not that it worried us for long!" Pearl rushed on, anxious to get to another subject. "You're a Crystal Gem now, after all. Anyway, that wasn't my point. Or, well, I was just reminiscing, so I suppose there wasn't a point at all…" She ran her fingers through Amethyst's fluffy hair again, pulling it away from her eyes. "I'm sorry, perhaps I should have let you sleep."

She smiled up at her, catching her hand. "It's cool." Amethyst hesitated. "Hey, P?"

"Yes?"

"I've missed this. You. I don't know. For a while, it was…"

"I pushed you away," Pearl said softly. "I know."

"Nah, I think it was both of us." Amethyst let go, putting a small amount of distance between them and propping her head up on her arms. "Look, I just meant…I like that we're getting back to how we used to be. And I don't want that to change again."

"Why would it?"

"I don't know, because Homeworld and Earth throw a bunch of different junk at us and sometimes we get taken by surprise?" She shrugged. "I don't know. I just…I want you to be next to me, okay?"

Pearl nodded, eyes looking distinctly watery. "Me too."

"Yeah?"

She nodded again, then gathered Amethyst into a tight embrace. "We won't let ourselves drift apart again, I promise."

"Thanks," Amethyst mumbled into her shoulder. "I promise too." She held onto Pearl fiercely, wishing she could dispel the years of separation that had followed Rose's passing, when Pearl was lost in grief and Amethyst was trying to hold herself together amidst the wreckage without the person she trusted most.

"Would you… Would you be interested in forming Opal?" Pearl asked in a small voice.

Amethyst froze, suddenly remembering what they'd been thinking when they were fused. "D-Do you mean like…" She couldn't quite get the words out. Like Garnet? All the time?

"No!" she said quickly. "I mean, not no, but…more often? I don't…I don't know about long term, I don't know if I could do that, but I'd like it if…"

Amethyst gulped. "Uh, yeah," she managed, tiny smile curving her lips. "Yeah, I'd like that too, P."

"If it's too much—"

"It's not too much." She laughed a little and held Pearl tighter. "I like being Opal with you. Especially lately; it's gotten a lot easier and…and it's nice." She could feel tears threatening at the corners of her eyes and she held them back.

Pearl murmured something indecipherable in agreement, tangling her fingers in Amethyst's hair. "Thank you," she whispered finally, in a choked voice. "Thank you."

"You okay, P?" Amethyst asked gently, rubbing her back.

"Yes. Yes, I just…never expected this with anyone," Pearl whispered, pulling away and swiping at her eyes.

"Me neither," Amethyst said fondly, cupping Pearl's face with one hand. "But if you want it with a mess like me, you've got it."

"You're not a mess," Pearl protested. "You just make a mess."

"Romantic," she joked lightly, but she stroked a thumb across Pearl's cheek with care. "You're not a mess either, P. Of course I want to be Opal with you, you're great."

She sighed and leaned into Amethyst's touch. "Thank you, but I'm well aware I'm still something of a work in progress."

"S'okay. Me too." She bumped noses with Pearl lightly. "Opal?"

"Opal," she agreed, and their gems glowed with a soft light as they leaned forward, their lips meeting in a kiss that tasted like stars and laughter and peace.