Author's Note: And you thought you had seen the last of this fic! Nope! I'm continuing it even though the Gamethyst Bomb is over (I didn't even finish the bomb unfortunately. School became a tad overwhelming).

Enjoy the fluff and bed sharing lol.

Amethyst smirked as she prowled up to Pearl's feet, tail flicking deviously. Once she was only a few inches away, she arched her back and fell bodily against the knight's ankles, causing said knight to startle and shriek, slamming one of her knees upward into the table.

"Oh! Amethyst!" Pearl groaned and held her knee, head bowed forward.

Amethyst leapt up onto the table, her paws stepping clumsily over still drying ink as she made her way over to headbutt Pearl in apology.

"Ghhhh, I should have known it was you," Pearl grumbled, "I thought the rats had returned."

Amethyst chuckled and flopped down on her side, right on top of the papers Pearl had been working on. "Will you live?"

Pearl lifted her head, squinting at the cat. "Surely you have better things to do than get hair caught in my inkwell."

"No."

Pearl sighed and pet through Amethyst's fur, who rose up happily to meet her hand. "You're always kinder to me when I'm a cat," she noted.

"I wouldn't be mean if you wouldn't talk to me while I'm at my post."

"Please," Amethyst said, rolling her eyes,"The Queen isn't in danger of being assassinated in an empty throne room. You could spare a minute to talk."

Pearl shuddered, withdrawing her hand. "Perish the thought."

"Fine." Amethyst sat up to lick a splotch of ink from her paw. "Do you know when Garnet will return? She's been away too long."

"She arrived early this morning," Pearl said.

Amethyst sprang up on all four feet, scattering parchment across the floor. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You've injured my knee, wrecked my reports-"

"Reports?" Amethyst scoffed. "These are poems. Where's Garnet?"

Blushing, Pearl scrambled to gather the papers and clutched them to her chest. "Asleep, I should think. And they're not /all/ poems..."

Amethyst couldn't stick around to hear the rest of Pearl's protests; Garnet was back! She skidded around a corner and up a flight of stairs, the stone cold against her paws. Down the hallway and- ach!

She swore, or rather, made an oddly cat-like grumble, seeing that Garnet's door was closed and most likely locked. Pressing her ear to the door, she could hear... very faint breathing. But other than that, nothing.

Well, perhaps Garnet wouldn't mind being woken up.

Amethyst didn't spare the issue another thought and shifted into a beetle, scurrying underneath the door. Once inside, she burst back into her feline form and pounced onto the bed where Garnet lay.

"Heh heh heh, Garrrnnnnnet..." She paused, the teasing words meant to wake her friend and mentor fading away as she looked her over.

Garnet appeared unusually... haggard, her pallor odd. Her eyebrows were furrowed even in sleep and her mouth set in a tense frown. She laid curled on her side, not even underneath the covers.

Something felt very off.

"Garnet?" Amethyst pawed at her shoulder. A snap of static hit her, disheveling her fur, and she swiftly reclaimed her paw.

Garnet's magic was acting up too, the air heavy and prickly with static.

Amethyst lost her focus and reverted to her human form, falling off the bed in the process. She scrambled upright and leaned over the bed to peer at Garnet anxiously. "Garnet." She patted the woman's cheek and yelped at the resulting shock.

She shook out her stinging hand, using some of the fancy swears the knights had taught her. "Christ, you don't look well. Uhh, stay here and- and I'll fetch Pearl or... someone."

"Pearl! Pearl! Pearl!" Amethyst slammed the door to Pearl's study open and rushed inside.

"What is it now, Amethyst?" Pearl asked, not looking up from her supposed reports.

Amethyst thudded her hands down against the table dramatically. "Garnet. She's sick."

That got Pearl's attention. She slowly set her quill down and folded her hands in front of her, listening but wary. "If this is in jest-"

"It's not!"

"-it's in very poor taste."

"Her magic is acting strange, too." Amethyst bounced on her heels, jittery and nervous at Pearl's scrutinizing gaze. "It's not a trick this time. Please," she said, "I- I'm worried."

Pearl's jaw clenched and she stood from her chair. "I'll find Rose. Go be with Garnet."

"Wait, why do you need the Queen?" Amethyst asked as Pearl strode past her.

"Garnet. Now," Pearl commanded, already out of the room and down the hall.

Amethyst crossed her arms. "Bossy," she huffed. She trudged back up the stairs and pushed Garnet's door open, a little disheartened to see that she was still asleep. Amethyst sat down on the edge of the bed, patting a rhythmless beat on her knees. "Sooooo... how's life, Garnet?"

No reply. As expected. Only the birds chirping and, in contrast, the distant clang and clamor of the guards urging on a scuffle in the courtyard met her ears.

Despite all that, it was still far too quiet for Amethyst. She bit her lip and glanced at Garnet again. "Try not to lightning attack me," she whispered, reaching her hand out. She shook Garnet's shoulder, wincing at the shock dancing across her palm, but held on another moment to give her another rougher shove.

Garnet's breathing hitched and her eyes opened, bleary. "...Wha- Yes?"

Amethyst laughed triumphantly just as the Queen and Pearl entered the room. "I woke her!"

"Thank you, Amethyst," Queen Rose said, but her gaze was focused on Garnet. "...I thought you said it was just a scratch."

Garnet blinked in confusion. "It is." She tried to sit up only to fall back down, wheezing a little. "At least, it was. Agh."

"Perhaps the beast that attacked you was cursed," Pearl said thoughtfully.

"What?!" Amethyst waved her arms around. "You were attacked?!"

Garnet flashed her a weak smile. "Only a bit."

"Why does no one tell m-?! Gah!" Amethyst stuttered in frustration. She watched the Queen gently push up Garnet's shirt to examine the claw marks marring her side. Rose tisked and Amethyst's concern only grew when the Queen began to cry, her tears falling against Garnet's wounds.

A brief glow of light encased Garnet's side and then vanished, the claw marks disappearing with it. Amethyst squeezed her eyes shut and then reopened them, not understanding what she was seeing. "...H-how?"

The Queen turned to her, a sly smile on her lips.

Realization slowly overcame Amethyst. "...Are you magic, too?" Her whisper was reverent; she had respected Queen Rose before, but now it was doubly so.

"Yes," the Queen whispered back, seeming amused.

Amethyst grinned at Queen Rose before she remembered Pearl. Giddy, she spun around to clasp the knight by the shoulders. "And what about you?"

Pearl frowned something halfway between sullen and affronted. "I'm not magic. Only a knight."

The Queen made a noise of disagreement and moved to cup one side of Pearl's face and kiss the other, lips hovering by her ear to whisper something that had Pearl bashful and blushing.

Garnet chuckled, drawing Amethyst's attention. "Not in my room," she teased, voice quieter than usual, her breaths deep and slow.

"Are you tired?" Amethyst asked.

"Very."

Pearl cleared her throat, stepping away from Rose's smirk. "W-we should let you rest then."

"We should," the Queen agreed, "Please, send for me if you start feeling unwell again. Rest tomorrow as well."

Garnet nodded. "I will, and thank you."

"Well... bye! Sleep well," Pearl said as she and the Queen left, the door swinging partially closed behind them.

Amethyst scratched the back of her neck. "I guess I should go, too."

"Not if you don't want to," Garnet said.

"Do you /want/ me to stay?" Amethyst's heart skipped as she asked, making half of her question unsure and breathless.

Garnet made an indecipherable noise and rolled onto her back, situating herself under the covers. "I wouldn't mind if you did."

"Oh, uh..." Amethyst's face felt hot for some reason. "I can stay for a while." She hesitantly sat at the foot of Garnet's bed, right on the edge as if she were considering making a hasty escape.

"...I have to thank you," Garnet said, "I assume it was you who found me."

Amethyst chuckled awkwardly. "I, uh, crawled under your door as a beetle, so..."

"Impressive," Garnet murmured.

"Heh, thanks. Been practicing my magic while you were away." Amethyst stared at her feet, biting her lip in thought. "Garnet? Why didn't the Queen tell me she was magic too?"

Garnet sighed, settling further into her pillows. "She's very private, being the leader of a kingdom and all."

"Magic- it's not... something to be ashamed of," Amethyst said while looking up at Garnet, almost begging for reassurance,

"Certainly not," Garnet affirmed, "And she's not ashamed of you either, if that's what you worry about."

Amethyst swallowed and nodded, a little surprised that Garnet had found the root of the problem before she had even discovered it herself. She looked away again.

After too long a silence, Garnet spoke, her voice soft, "Come and lay down."

Amethyst nearly choked on her own tongue with how fast her head turned. "Wha- Uh, next to you?"

"If you want," Garnet said, one corner of her mouth drawn up in a sympathetic smile. The way her eyelids drooped made Amethyst think she was barely clinging to consciousness.

"...Uh yeah. Sure. Why not?" Amethyst said, feigning casualness. She hopped off the foot of the bed and walked over to the side of the bed with the most room, which was not much- Garnet's bed barely fit Garnet, much less two people.

"Sorry," Amethyst whispered as she haphazardly positioned herself on the bed. It was impossible to lay down without some part of her side pressing into Garnet's.

Garnet hummed good-naturedly, eyes closing.

Amethyst, however, was far too aware of Garnet's shoulder brushing against her own to do the same. She forced herself to lay as still as humanly possible, not wanting to disturb Garnet. Even breathing seemed like too much. And her heart- if only it would get the message and calm down as well. They were so close that Amethyst was almost worried Garnet could feel her pulse fluttering.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been this close to someone, this close to Garnet. It was tantalizing in a way; she had enough contact and yet she wanted more. To be even closer.

Amethyst eyed Garnet's hand, resting loosely curled beside her.

Gutsy.

She carefully inched her hand over, now truly holding her breath as she placed her hand warmly over Garnet's. She tensed, waiting for a reaction, a rebuke. After a short, stunned pause, Garnet chuckled under her breath and rubbed her thumb across Amethyst's knuckles.

"I'm glad you're here," Garnet said.

Amethyst's heart soared and she blinked away the beginnings of watery tears. "You too. Me too? I mean, uh." She cleared her throat, finding her words tangled in her mouth. "I'm not very good at... talking today," she apologized, face hot.

Garnet squeezed her hand and laughed quietly. "That's fine."

Amethyst exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, trying to calm down some. Despite this and Garnet's thumb running soothingly over her knuckles, a sort of worried dread seeped up in her gut. "Garnet?"

"Mm?"

"Sorry. I keep waking you," Amethyst hastily apologized, "But uh, getting attacked by cursed monsters isn't a regular thing, is it?"

"I'd say not," Garnet said, "Why?" She turned her head on her pillow to look at Amethyst, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh. Just." Amethyst swallowed, mouth dry at the breath tickling her ear. She didn't dare turn her own head toward Garnet because of how close she was already- if she did, they would surely brush lips- so she spoke to the cobwebbed ceiling, eyes firmly skyward. "It was a little... scary seeing you like that, I guess."

"It's not a regular occurrence," Garnet said, "And it's even more unusual for them to land a hit on me. Don't worry."

Amethyst chuckled, greatly relieved, and tilted her head just enough to meet Garnet's eyes. "Oh, are you bragging now?"

Garnet grinned wide, eyes sparkly with pride and mirth. "Perhaps a little."

"Well, you earned it. You best me at every sparring match."

Still smiling, Garnet shook her head slightly and reminded her, "No, I recall you having one very decisive win."

Amethyst laughed. "Yeah 'cause I tripped you and you landed flat on your back."

"It was a good move," Garnet defended.

"It was." Amethyst sighed, content. Now that her worries were put to rest, the silence that followed was almost enough to allow her to fall asleep, and she would have if not for Garnet's head slipping forward to rest against her temple.

Amethyst stiffened and almost offered a teasing comment about it in order to appear unaffected, but the steady breathing beside her told her Garnet had finally fallen asleep. She laughed under her breath, a little amazed at her current situation- a little amazed at the woman beside her.

"Sweet dreams, Garnet."

Author's Note: For some reason I have a very hard time keeping one shots as, well, one shots. I feel a plot coming on...