Jasper watched as Connie walked away from her spot on the beach. She held the book that the human girl had given her, something called manga. The quartz gem looked down at the cover and grinned at the main character glaring at the reader while holding a rather large sword. Connie had assured her that there was a lot of fighting in this serious, even more than the Spirit Morph Saga.
They had just ended their reading session that had taken place outside the temple since Lion had decided to take a nap on Jasper's couch. Connie was surprised at how Jasper only shrugged and told her that she wanted to get outside anyway. Jasper could now read without any trouble and had been able to do so for a month now but the two continued to meet. Connie no longer had the quartz gem read aloud, but rather she gave a list to Jasper of books to find in the library. Connie would come over with her own copy of the book and the two would read silently together.
"Which one is that?"
Jasper tilted her head to look at Pearl as she answered. "Bleach. I haven't started it yet." She set down the manga and reached over to grab some of the salt crackers she had brought out for her and Connie to share. Jasper plopped one into her mouth and shrugged. "She wanted me to read a couple of chapters so I could catch up to her."
Pearl nodded to show she understood and sat down delicately by Jasper. She made a face when Jasper ate another cracker but didn't say anything.
The quartz gem didn't know how to interact with Pearl besides growling and swearing to get her riled up so she just continued to eat the crackers. Jasper realized that she hadn't done anything to intentionally anger Pearl for a few weeks. Maybe she could leave some dirty dishes on the table. Or perhaps help Amethyst put some of the trash from her room into Pearl's. The thought made Jasper grin and she ate another cracker, imaging the look on Pearl's face.
Jasper turned her head to say something to Pearl but her eyes caught movement on the horizon. She could barely make out Lapis and her heart instantly began to beat faster. The quartz gem had not seen or heard anything from Lapis or Peridot since the Camp Pining Hearts marathon two weeks ago.
Pearl looked to where Jasper was staring so intently and she couldn't see anything. A part of her didn't like that Jasper could sense things before her but she had gotten used to the feeling with Garnet. Pearl waited patiently for whatever caught Jasper's attention to come into her view. Eventually, she could see Lapis fly towards them but something was off. As Lapis flew closer, Pearl's suspicions were confirmed. The water gem's body was a dull blue. Something had happened recently.
"You should go," Jasper told Pearl. She had noticed Lapis's coloration long before Pearl and she knew that it had something to do with her. Jasper also knew that whatever Lapis wanted to talk about was not meant for Pearl's ears.
Pearl looked up at Jasper with something like offense but she nodded anyway. "Okay, but let us know if something occurs." She got up and walked back to the temple but she stood behind a window that gave her a nice view of Jasper. Pearl trusted Jasper more than she had ever had in the past but she still wasn't sure if seeing Lapis alone was a good idea.
Jasper stood as Lapis neared, trying to think up of something to say but finding nothing. She gulped when Lapis landed a few feet away from her, worry eating at her stomach. Lapis looked as bad as the time Jasper had saw her on Mask Island. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Lapis sighed and held onto her arms for some comfort. She should have known that Jasper wouldn't try to beat around the bush. A part of her was grateful but another part wanted to evade the question. She sat down and Jasper joined her, taking a few moments to collect her thoughts. Jasper let her have all the time she needed, she thought she knew what they were about to talk about and she tried to keep calm.
"Me and Peridot got into a huge fight when you left," Lapis finally said, looking out into the ocean. "It kept getting worse and worse until I had to leave the barn."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Jasper was shocked to realize she really was sorry. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have cared. But she didn't like the idea of Peridot and Lapis fighting. "Was it about me?"
Lapis nodded with a grimace. "Peridot didn't like that I made her sit in my lap or that kiss," she explained. She turned her head to look at Jasper. "We know that you left because of it."
"Your relationship is not my business," Jasper said. She shrugged like it didn't bother her but it did. Immensely. The quartz gem could read the conflict in Lapis's eyes and knew that the water gem was debating whether or not to continue the conversation.
Finally after a minute of tense silence, Lapis released an irritated sigh and gripped at her hair. Jasper wanted to pull her hands away in case Lapis accidently hurt herself but she refrained from doing so, not knowing if she was allowed to touch her. "It is your business, Jasper! Don't you get that!?" Lapis yelled in frustration. Afterwards though, Lapis deflated and rested her chin on her crossed arms. "But you probably don't see it, do you?"
"See what?" Jasper was confused and didn't like it. Supposedly she should have known something but she can't figure out what. What had she missed?
Lapis groaned and stood up abruptly, like she couldn't stand staying still. She paced back and forth, reminding Jasper of Peridot. Lapis turned around to face Jasper and the conflict was back on her face. "It is our relationship but," she hesitated, "something's missing. We are happy together and she makes me happy and she says I make her happy but now it's different."
Jasper still didn't understand. "What happened to make it so different?"
Lapis gestured to her widely like she couldn't believe Jasper didn't figure it out yet. "You happened! You're back and you're," she glanced away for a moment, "you're trying to be good."
"Not really," Jasper argued. "I just don't want to go back to that bubble or the other place." Both of them knew that Jasper was referring to the corrupted state of mind. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm not trying to shatter the Crystal Gems or Steven but I'm also not running around declaring my love for earth."
"You are different," Lapis said, shocked that Jasper apparently didn't know how much she had changed. "You're doing things unheard of for jaspers!" She picked up the manga that Jasper had set down. "You're reading and learning to coexist with humans, with Steven." Lapis put the manga down and brushed her bangs from her face. "It's weird for me and Peridot to see and its making us think about," her eyes turned downcast and she turned her head so Jasper couldn't see her face clearly, "about stuff we know we shouldn't." She took a deep breath and said it all in one go. "Peridot and I are starting to develop feelings for you and we don't know what to do. We know it's completely fucked up, given our collective history but," Lapis hesitated for a long time but managed to get it out, "we can't stop."
Jasper sat there, staring at Lapis, her words slowly being processed in her head. So Lapis and Peridot liked her and she knew by now that denying her feelings for them was useless. But a part of her was terrified. Everything was being presented right in front of her and Jasper wanted to take it so bad but what if she screwed things up? What if she wasn't good enough for them? "What do you want from me?" she asked. She laid a hand on Lapis's shoulder and the water gem looked up at her. Jasper didn't remove the hand.
Lapis looked at the hand and then up into Jasper's eyes. "You know what I want." It occurred to Lapis that this might be the most truthful she had ever been to Jasper. This vulnerable.
Jasper must have seen the vulnerability because she shrugged with a grin. "Maybe I don't. Apparently jaspers are supposed to be really stupid."
The sudden bout of laughter that came from Lapis surprised both of them. She covered her mouth with her hand like she could keep in the laughs but failed miserably. "Peridot told me about that," she told Jasper between chuckles. "She was mortified that you would hate her or at least stop talking to her."
"I don't want to do that," was all Jasper had to say. She looked out into the ocean, letting Lapis have the privacy she needed to get herself together. Once the laughter subsided, Jasper surprised the ocean gem by pulling her close until their sides were pressed together.
Lapis's eyes widened at the sudden move but didn't pull away. Her lips slowly curled up into a smile as she rested her head against Jasper's arm. She had no idea Jasper was so warm. It was nice.
Jasper was relieved that Lapis didn't try to hit her or yell at her for touching her like this. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "This is really fucked up."
"Yeah," Lapis whispered, not willing to let reality creep up on them. She knew that if they were truly objective about this situation, they would never let it get this far. Lapis looked down at her hands, ones that she used to trap Jasper for so long, and then at the ocean. "Do you want to know why I like the ocean so much?" Lapis had no idea why she asked such a question but when Jasper gave a grunt, she answered. "From here you'd think that the ocean was just some boring thing. Water coming in and going out, maybe a wave or two or even a fish, but that's it." She smiled and pointed out at the horizon. "But if you're willing to go far enough and dive deep enough, it's like you're not on earth anymore. There are so many beautiful and strange things hiding there. You just have to be patient enough to find them."
Jasper looked down at Lapis and nodded. "Kind of like Peridot. The gem is so small but she can be so loud and bossy."
Lapis laughed and snuggled closer to Jasper. "She can be quite the force to reckon with." She looked up at Jasper with a grin. "Sounds a lot like someone I know." Her eyes dimmed a moment later and she hid her face in Jasper's arm. "Before, what we had wasn't healthy at all and we're both to blame but I want to try something." Lapis lifted her head and before Jasper could respond, threw herself at the quartz gem, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pressing their lips together.
Jasper yelped at the kiss but quickly found herself melting into it. She held Lapis to herself like she was as fragile as the leaf she had given her. Jasper deepened the kiss and groaned as Lapis allowed access to her mouth. She didn't want to stop the kiss but she needed to breathe now. Jasper broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together, a hand cupping Lapis's cheek. She really was so small compared to the quartz gem, her entire head fit into her palm.
Just as sudden as the kiss, Lapis jerked away from Jasper's touch. Jasper let go of the water gem, immediately wondering what she had done wrong. "Peridot," Lapis whispered, her face filled with shame.
Jasper saw the walls coming up again and she cupped her cheek again. "Don't worry," she said, desperately trying to find the right words. "You said Peridot had feelings for me too, right?" Lapis nodded, still looking like she had done something she shouldn't have. That look made Jasper's chest ache, like Lapis had personally wounded her. "Then she will understand."
Lapis covered Jasper's hand with her own for a moment and turned her head to kiss the quartz gem's palm. She let go and stood up, looking down at Jasper, even sitting down Jasper's head came up to her chest. "I'm sorry." Lapis's wings sprung out of her gem and she flew away, leaving behind a confused and hurt Jasper.
She's sorry? Jasper watched her fly away in the direction of the barn. Was she sorry for that kiss, or her feelings? Jasper got up slowly and headed up to the temple, unsure of what she was doing. She wanted to ask Lapis what she was apologizing for but she was afraid of the answer. Jasper shouldn't have kissed her back. It was her fault.
Jasper entered the beach house with the intent of taking a very long nap but the sight inside made her stop in the doorway, the handle still in her hand. Amethyst and Pearl had their hands on Garnet's arms, trying to drag her back and Lion trying to push the fusion back from the front. Despite their efforts, Garnet was still gaining ground and taking purposeful strides towards the quartz gem. Jasper was suddenly glad that Steven was out at the arcade with his father. The fusion, with Amethyst still clinging onto her arm, grabbed Jasper by her right horn and with a grunt, threw her outside. With a click, Garnet locked the quartz gem out.
Jasper gave a snarl, more on instinct than actual emotion. She got up and went back to the door. Jasper lowered her head, her horns pointing directly at the screen door. She knew it was overkill but she had done nothing to warrant this.
Garnet lowered her visors so that Jasper could see all three of her eyes. "Fix it," she said.
The two stayed in that stance for a while. Amethyst, Pearl, and Lion stood on the side, waiting to see what would happen. After a minute, Jasper straightened her back and gave a roar, this one having the frustration she felt fueling it. "Why does everyone want something from me!?" She bared her teeth and hissed angrily at Garnet before turning and walking down the steps. Jasper tried to ignore the terrible knots tightening in her stomach as she began her walk to the barn and Lapis and Peridot.