Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe.
A/N: Had a request for angst! I can't wait for the SU Guidebook. The interview with Rebecca Sugar got me thinking: What sort of lives did the gems lead on Homeworld? Can't wait for all the show has to offer us yet~ Why must it be on hiatus TT_TT
"HA!" Came a triumphant squawk.
"Woe" Steven came down the stairs to see what all the commotion was about, "What's going on?" He asked, coming onto the scene.
Pearl was towering over a small makeshift device. It was almost indistinguishable from the spare parts and tools that surround it on the floor. Amethyst looked at the grease stained gem with a fond interest.
"Steven!" Pearl jumped, "Nothing at all is going on."
Amethyst laughed, "P, he broke us out of space jail. I think he's got this."
The slender gem looked down at Steven, finding he had the most serious expression. Of course it would be fine to tell him. Pearl just had a hard time letting go of the fact that Rose's son was now growing more independent before her very eyes.
"What's that?" The young gem asked curiously.
Pearl settled her emotions, "That-" A sense of pride taking over her demeanor, "-is a device, of my creation, that will help give us a sizable advantage against Homeworld."
Amethyst clapped.
"Thank you."
"How does it work?" Steven asked excitedly.
"It was simple really." Pearl leaned down to pick up her device, a hit of color crossing her cheeks at the praise, "When we took control of the Homeworld ship, I stumbled upon some information."
"You mean hacked into it." Amethyst grinned, joining the pair in the middle of the room.
Pearl looked a bit put off by the choice of words, "I suppose you could say that. But-" Hoping she was not being too much of a bad example for Steven.
Amethyst shrugged, "No complaints here."
Steven didn't seem to be listening to the pair anymore. His mind was elsewhere, "Do you think they'll be back?"
…
Silent glances were exchanged.
Steven opened his mouth-
But Amethyst could no longer bear the tense air, "Let's try it out!"
It was then that, everything happened all at once.
Steven jumped back as Amethyst lunged for the controller.
Pearl tried to push her away, but only managed to trip them both.
The warp pad activated, revealing the last member of their team.
"Ow" Pearl griped, "Amethyst, that was too much."
"My bad." The purple gem admitted, trying to get up as quickly as possible.
In her haste, she pressed her hand down on the uneven floor.
Uneven?
Amethyst raised her hand to see that she had pressed against the mechanical device, "… oops"
A high frequency rang through the air.
Steven felt a strange sensation in his tummy, a tickling pressured feeling.
It was felt deep down in the very core of each of the other gems.
Unpleasant.
Each gem felt as though the noise was judging them without mercy. Their heart rates quickened as they began to dread what may occur if they were found guilty.
A shriek rang out through the room.
The unaffected Steven ran over to the device, pressing the button once more. The young gem dropped to his knees, thankful that the noise stopped.
The crystal gems caught their breath.
"Are you alright?" The youth asked.
"That-" Amethyst breathed out, standing up on shaky legs, "Was not safe."
"There is no way to test if it would even work." Pearl shook her head, dusting herself of, "But I'm positive my calculations are flawless."
"Why would you make such a dangerous thing!" Amethyst shot back.
"As a last resort."
An unsettled side conversation drew Steven's attention to Garnet… well parts of Garnet.
Ruby and Sapphire were sprawled on the warp pad. Both seemed dazed.
"Garnet" Steven called out to both of them, as he ran to their side.
Pearl noticed the unfused gems and put a hand to her mouth.
"So this is like a gem destabilizer thing." Amethyst noted, nodding her head, "I'm actually kind of impressed."
Pearl did not respond, she watched the interaction between Rose's son and the two unfused lovers.
Steven seemed both happy and worried to see them.
Ruby almost coldly ignored the earth child's concern, as always too focused on doting over Sapphire.
Sapphire seemed lost, with unsteady hands clasped tightly over her chest, yet just as worried over the two in front of her.
Amethyst smiled, walking over to join the reunion.
Pearl however stood frozen in place.
Amethyst entered the scene, wrapping the group in a rough hug. The tense air seemed to clear as the group dissolved into similes, cuddles and laughs.
Normally the sight would be loving and perhaps even a bit comedic. But a fear awoke in Pearl, one she had put to rest thousands of years ago.
She had not made a gem destabilization device.
The intellectual gem knew exactly the type of device she had made, and the results were clear.
Pearl bit her lip. This was not at all the way she wanted to learn her device was a success.
Already unfused, Steven and Amethyst insisted that they all spend some time together.
"Beach Party!" Steven had proclaimed.
One thing led to another and the gems were outside. The heat of the afternoon was dying, but the fun was only just beginning.
Not able to ignore Steven's request, the gems dawned their beachwear and took to the ocean waters.
Pearl acted as a life guard, sitting on a picnic blanket on the shore.
She watched her friends play around in the surf, joining Steven in whatever game he wished to play. It appeared as though they were currently trying to see which could hold their breath the longest underwater. Steven popped up in a matter of seconds, Sapphire held him steady against the powerful tide.
When Ruby and Amethyst did not surface, the young gem began to panic.
Pearl watched Sapphire whisper to the boy. He chuckled, readying himself.
Sapphire held a hand up, putting down one finger at a time. When no fingers remained, Steven ducked down into the water.
Just as he disappeared, Amethyst and Ruby emerged from the depths. The two blinked at the sight of Sapphire.
Pearl watched them ask the blue gem something. Only to panic at the answer they received. The two gems searched the water spastically for Steven, only to have him jump up at them.
Startled, Ruby and Amethyst nearly fell back into the water. Steven and Sapphire shared a laugh, earning looks from the two tricksters whom had been tricked.
Amethyst submerged into the water, taking Steven onto her shoulders and walking away with him.
It was then Pearl noticed a set of eyes glancing over at her.
It was Ruby.
The red gem, said something to Sapphire before heading over to where the contemplative gem sat.
"What's up?" Ruby asked, "It's not like you to be this quiet… It's kind of freaky." It was a thoughtful observation expertly disguised as teasing.
"Can I talk with you?" Pearl asked suddenly.
Ruby's eyes went wide. She had not expected the request, but from the look on Pearl's face, it was serious.
"Should I get everyone?"
"No." Pearl looked straight into red eyes, "For right now I want to talk with you only."
Ruby plopped herself down on the blanket next to Pearl, turning compete attention to her friend, "Shoot."
Pearl stayed focused on the three who still played carelessly in the water. It seemed as though Amethyst had turned into a shark.
"Don't fuse with Sapphire."
"… What?" Ruby could have sworn she had just heard Pearl say-
"At the very least I think you should take caution when fusing with her." With that, Pearl went silent, "That's it." She marked the end of the 'talk'.
To Ruby this was nothing new, "Pearl, I know you have a fondness for Garnet despite your disapproval. But if you really want me to take this seriously, you'll have to give me a bit more than that."
To Homeworld gems, fusion was serious magic and did not come without the risk of serious complication. With no real benefit to fellow gems, staying a permanent fusion was a socially unthinkable act that was often looked upon as overindulgence or weakness.
"Is it really that difficult for you to stay unfused?" Pearl wondered aloud.
"It's not that it's too hard to stay unfused." Ruby flushed a little, no longer able to look at her friend, "But more that we fuse too easily if we're not careful."
Pearl thought back, remembering how the two's fusion went from a long drawn-out dance to that of a simple twirl. She was sure the two could even fuse at a touch if their minds willed it.
"Anyway. Why are you bringing this up now?" Ruby wanted to get to the point.
But instead of answering, Pearl continued her interrogation, "As Garnet, you and she share a mind?"
"Yes…" Ruby answered hesitantly, "You know about fusion too, Pearl. That answer is obvious."
"Of course." Pearl confirmed, "But I also know that not all fusions are equal."
"What are you saying?" The tiny gem turned toward her friend, her eyes narrowed, looking for clarification.
Pearl's face only held sympathy, "Can you tell me you know everything there is to know about Sapphire?"
"Sure I do!" Ruby barked, before calming slightly in reflection, "Well… ya, right?"
Pearl flinched-, "Maybe I'm over thinking things." -questioning herself as a blanket of denial safely comforted her, "Maybe-"
"What calculations?" Ruby asked, "Just get to the point!"
Pearl did just that, "I realized when tapping into the spaceship database that those gems that work under the Diamond authority have a certain quality to their gem. I made that device to react specifically to that 'brand', if you will."
"But what does that have to do with us?"
"Garnet should not have been affected by that device." Pearl stated clearly.
Ruby processed the information, trying her hardest to come to some kind of understanding.
Pearl continued, "I always thought it was strange that a gem of Sapphire's standing would join us, get close to us, as she did."
Ruby's mouth opened.
"If…"
Pearl looked to her friend.
"If Garnet was affected, how do you know it's not me?" Ruby questioned.
The slender gem's heart went out to the red gem, "I've known you longest, Ruby. You may not have the cleanest record, but you're much to honest to be-"
"A spy?" The red gem defined what Pearl had not wished to.
Pearl looked out to the endless ocean in front of them. Ruby followed that gaze. Steven was splashing around, trying his best to win a water fight with the fastest gem on their team.
There was no way.
"So you're telling me Sapphire was some spy sent to gather information …by helping us fight?" Ruby swallowed, not wanting to think that she had been deceived by the very gem that she had the most faith in.
"You know her better than I do." Pearl shrugged, "I was put at ease long ago from seeing how well united Garnet seemed to become."
Ruby stood up, facing Pearl with a mask of anger, "So what do you expect me to do with this information."
Pearl stood to match, "It's ok to have some secrets, but not like this. Not when it leaves you blind and has possible repercussions with the team."
"Understood." Was the only thing Ruby could say.
The taller of the two let out a breath. She turned her head up, "It's getting dark!" She called out to the group.
"Oh no, fun police!" Amethyst warned the group, "Everyone run!" She began to head in the direction of the temple.
"Amethyst, no!" Pearl called after her, "You stay here and help clean up, I'm taking Steven back."
"Aw" Steven said, disappointedly.
And that was how it went.
Pearl headed back to the temple with Steven and the group of three was left to clean.
Amethyst grumbled at the work.
Sapphire paid the fussing no mind.
Ruby rolled her eyes. The other gem's complaining making her feel some kind of way, "Go on." She relieved the younger gem of her burden, taking a folded towel from her arms.
"Yes~" Amethyst celebrated, cheerfully running back to the comfort of the temple.
Ruby eyes watched the purple gem's figure grow small in the distance before returning to clear up the earlier picnic site Steven had made.
As the red gem stood, she could feel damp fabric brush against her. Sapphire's beach cover had become noticeably chilled from the evening air. Ruby was sure she was equally as cold.
Sapphire wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist, bringing the slightly shorter gem into an embrace.
The blue gem pressed her lips gently upon the exposed skin in front of her, frowning slightly. Something felt amiss. Though she knew Ruby was in her arms, the red gem seemed so far away. The harder Sapphire held on, the more distant her pair seemed to become.
Sapphire pulled away, and nothing held her back as she returned to cleaning.
"Sapphire?"
The blue gem leapt at the sound, turning to Ruby expectantly, "Yes, Sweet."
"Pearl told me something."
Sapphire knew.
Speaking it aloud and seeing Sapphire's reaction, it made Pearl's words all the more real to Ruby.
The two stood apart, both terribly afraid to move.
"Do you doubt my feelings for you?" Sapphire asked sadly, her voice sounded painfully close to tears.
Should I?
Ruby shook her head, "I don't think I could even if I wanted to."
It was a fact. Garnet was living proof of their shared feelings.
Almost perfectly one…almost, for both gems held secrets.
In mutual respect for one another, neither asked questions about the past. It was the same for all the gems who fought alongside Rose. All that mattered was the present and future.
But this 'past' possibly related to the direct future.
Sapphire took a deep breath, "I was asked to gather information about Rose." She admitted, looking directly into deep red eyes.
Ruby's mind began to shift through old memories, taking in the very real possibility that they had all been lies.
The blue gem was quick to add, "Yellow Diamond did not know of you, you were irrelevant to the mission." Sapphire took a step forward.
The fighter stood her ground, "How was all that meant to be irrelevant?!" The words spilled from her lips hurriedly, emotion animating her arms as she spoke, "I'm not stupid. You wouldn't take so much time getting close if it was 'irrelevant'. And in the end you heard more from Rose's lips than I ever divulged to you! What did you expect to gain from me?!"
"Nothing!" Sapphire yelled back, "I'm sure Rose knew my purpose from the moment I 'happened upon' the makeshift temple. Pearl was sure to have her suspicions. And you…" Sapphire's voice faded, feeling she could say all too much yet still not give an ounce of justice to her love. "Nothing I learned ever got back to Yellow Diamond."
Ruby felt her initial shock begin to fade, "Why?" She whispered, pressing forward.
"Do you think I liked working for Yellow Diamond?" Sapphire's chocked, her cheeks becoming stained with tears, "I- had just as much reason as any other gem to fight back."
"Sapphire" Ruby could not stand by and watch, "I- I'm so sorry." It was even worse knowing that she was the one who had caused those tears. Feeling her own eyes blur, the red gem enveloped Sapphire in a protective embrace. Sapphire gladly clung onto her love, feeling nothing more than the arms around her.
"What do I do now?" Sapphire asked herself aloud, "That machine of Pearl's is torture, as it should be,… but it hurt you too."
"I don't care if it hurt me, something like that is nothing." Compared to what Ruby was feeling right now, it truly was nothing, "There must be a way to program it to distinguish between Yellow Diamond's and –"
"I was her's." Sapphire reminded, "There is no way to differentiate something engraved so deep."
"But-" Ruby drew away, just enough to look at the other gem's face. She had never felt so powerless. All she could do was listen whilst trying to remove every trace of tears with gentle kisses.
"I could never ask Pearl to give up such a perfect defense like that." Sapphire took Ruby's face in her hands, guiding it to be still, "If need be, it will be a glorious tie-breaker." She tried a small smile.
"We're strong enough even without that thing." Ruby assured, placing her own hands firmly upon the ones that held her, "We can take them on and win."
As though bound by an invisible force, the pair drew closer.
"Together?"
"Like we always have."