Hello, everyone! We're back with chapter 2. Since it's National Coming Out Day, I decided to write some lovely lesbian fluff with one of my favorite ships that I should really write more fics for: Gemstone! This takes place in a Modern AU, but not the same one "The Taste of Mint" takes place in. Enjoy.

"Come on! There's already a line." Ruby tugged insistently on Emerald's hand, eyes locked on the nearby haunted house.

It was a cool day in mid-October, and Ruby, upon hearing that her girlfriend had never gone to such an event, had insisted on spending the day at Vale Farm during one of its special Halloween weekends. Attractions were set up everywhere, from a hayride, to a bounce house, to a haunted house. Food and drink stands were scattered throughout the grounds. In the barn, children fed corn to the animals.

"I still don't get why you want to do this," Emerald sighed. "Whenever we watch a scary movie, you cover your eyes for the whole thing." Ruby also had a habit of climbing into Emerald's lap and snuggling into her chest while hiding under a blanket. That was a definite perk, not that Emerald would ever admit to thinking so.

"It's part of the season, duh!" Ruby rolled her eyes. "Besides, the tickets cover everything. It'd be a waste not to go once."

"I guess." Emerald frowned as she eyed the fake blood-covered butler who stood at the entrance. "Just hold onto my arm. You know, so you don't get lost or something."

Ruby obediently hugged her girlfriend's arm, smiling brightly. "I'm not worried. You'll protect me from the monsters."

Emerald blushed, averting her gaze so that she wouldn't be looking directly at that way-too-adorable face. "It's not like you're in any actual danger. They aren't even allowed to touch us," she muttered.

Ruby shrugged. "Still, I'm glad I'm with you. I'm always too scared to go into these things alone."

Their turn came and the creepy butler ushered them into the house. They went down a long hallway with flickering lights. Occasionally, a scuttling sound could be heard right by their ears, as if a swarm of spiders was creeping just on the other side. Ruby shivered, moving closer to Emerald's side.

"You do realize that they're more likely to target you if they know you're already scared." Emerald glanced down at Ruby, who stared up at her in horror.

"They are?!"

Without warning, they stepped from the hallway into a dimly-lit living room. The floor was littered with bones. A magnified dripping noise sounded from near the couch, where a figure lay.

"Uninvited guests!" an oily, creaky voice shrieked as the figure sprang up and moved toward them. It was a hunched old man who looked like half of his face had been nibbled away by rats.

Ruby squealed, hiding her face against Emerald's shoulder. As predicted, this only encouraged the old man to focus on her, cackling right in her ear and following as Emerald hurriedly marched them out of the room.

Next was a hallway with holes in the walls. Faces grimaced and screamed while hands swiped the air just above their heads. The kitchen was full of fake organs and was manned by blood-drenched cooks, who wielded butcher knives and tried ushering the two into a giant oven. After navigating a stairway of whispers and a basement filled with ghouls that jumped from behind every other piece of furniture, they came to the last hallway and Ruby dared to look up.

"Look, there's the ex-EEP!"

Just behind them, the sound of a revving chainsaw ripped through their eardrums, prompting them to bolt forward. The sound, combined with running, booted feet, followed them to the exit. They didn't stop running until they were several yards away. Emerald looked over her shoulder in time to see a man in a hockey mask backing into the shadows.

"That…was…awesome…" Ruby panted.

Emerald rolled her eyes. "How would you know? You didn't see any of it." She shook her head, unable to keep from smiling fondly. "Come on. Let's get some food. Then, we can do the hayride."

Ruby perked up, previous fear already forgotten. "Okay!"

A few minutes later, the two walked toward the hayride, Ruby scarfing the last of her dozen pumpkin cookies, Emerald sipping from her cup of warm spiced cider. Ruby ran ahead, stopping by the front of the cart, where an older man was sitting. Emerald walked up as Ruby nodded at the man and went around the front to where the horse was.

It was a large, black horse with an alert look in its eyes. It nickered softly when Ruby approached.

"Hey, Monty," Ruby said, holding out her hand. "They're not working you too hard, huh boy?"

Monty snuffled Ruby's hand, licking a few crumbs from her palm.

Ruby giggled. "Silly boy."

Emerald watched Ruby, her expression softening involuntarily. Ever since she had met this quirky, energetic girl, she found herself smiling more and more often. A large part of that came from the fact that Ruby was just such a happy person. She found joy in anything, from warm cookies, to enduring a haunted house, to a horse licking her hand.

Ruby felt her girlfriend's gaze and looked over at her. Seeing a rare smile on Emerald's face, she immediately returned it with one of her own. "Come on, Em! He doesn't bite."

Emerald's face flushed when she realized that Ruby had caught her staring, but still walked over. The horse immediately noticed her cup and leaned closer, sniffing hopefully. "Whoa, there," Emerald laughed, holding the cup away. "No drinking on the job, buddy."

Monty snorted and tossed his head, eliciting a laugh from Ruby.

Emerald patted the horse's shoulder. "Come on. Looks like people are getting on."

The two took a seat near the front of the cart and waited for the other people to get on. A few children kneeled on the hay bales, peering excitedly around while their parents held onto them. Ruby smiled, snuggling into Emerald's side as the cart started moving.

For the next few minutes, the two were silent. Just the sounds of clopping hooves, the roll of the cart, the falling leaves, and the excited children were enough. Emerald watched the fields of the farm steadily pass by as the cart circled the property at a slow, relaxed pace. She wrapped an arm around Ruby while resting her head on top of hers, breathing in the familiar scent of strawberries and rose petals.

As they neared the starting point of the ride, Ruby suddenly sat up, jolting Emerald upright. "Oooh! A haunted corn maze! That wasn't here last year. Em, can we-?"

"No," Emerald replied flatly. "Let's just not, okay?" When Ruby pouted, she couldn't resist pecking her forehead. "I'd like to have some feeling in my arm by the end of the day."

Ruby sighed. "Oh, fine. But we're going in the bounce house. That's non-negotiable!"

Emerald sighed, hugging Ruby close with one arm once they were off the cart. "You drive a hard bargain, but okay." Though going into a children's bounce house at the age of seventeen would be borderline humiliating, she decided she could endure it if Ruby kept smiling at her like that for the rest of the day.

I decided to name the horse Monty, because why not? Anyway, I seriously love writing these two. I've said this before, but I honestly think that Gemstone is a very possible endgame in canon, due to Ruby's interest in Emerald in Volume 3 and the fact that Emerald is the most likely villain to be redeemed (in my opinion).

In the spirit of National Coming Out Day, I am pan, poly, and genderqueer. It's not exactly a secret, but I'm proud to say it. I hope all of you out there are proud of whoever you are.

Until tomorrow, peace out!