Just The Darnedest Thing

by Omnesci

Falling in love with your Best Friend sounded like an easier ride than it actually was, especially if said friend had issues with 'love' in general. Xana hadn't meant to fall for Spinel, it just... happened. She was careful to keep it quiet, however, for fear of rejection. Little did she know her feelings weren't quite so unrequited as she may have originally thought.

3. Catch Me Before The Vertigo Hits

"...So. Darlin'."

"...Yes, Spinel?"

"Ya plan on... goin' through th' doors anytime soon?"

"M'workin' on it..." The dark-skinned woman murmured as ultramarine eyes stared brightly over the sheer intricacy and design of the colossal entrance before them, barely able to hold back the excited squeal she could feel ready to burst inside her chest. "G-Gimme a second."

"Hehe, you utter dork~!" The pink entertainer cackled to herself as she rested an arm atop Xana's head and braced her chin in her hand. Her friend didn't even flinch. "Pfff~ Ya look ready to worship th' door." Crossing her legs upon her perch of Xana's shoulders, she smirked down at the woman with a raised brow. "I think yer droolin'."

"Shut up; I am not!" Xana vehemently denied as she snapped out of her artistic appraisal stupor, pouting up at the grinning gem before walking forward with a blush and a huff. "How dare. I dun make fun of you when you're begging me for fruit gummies."

"Since when?! You've totally done it before dollface!"

"Yeah, maybe the first time! But that's because you were so cute that I just couldn't take it and had to say something!"

"Was not!"

"Was too~!"

"Pfff," Spinel waved-off, rolling her eyes, "Ya don't know what'cher talkin' about."

"Mm, I hear the faint tune of Denial in the wind, how strange~." The woman snickered loudly as Spinel did her own blushing huff, crossing her arms as she puffed out her cheeks. The doors opened upon their closing proximity to reveal what was the throne hall's splendor, and the human's mouth dropped upon seeing the utterly massive thrones of what had to belong to the Diamonds as they entered. "Whoa..."

A snicker came from above her head. "Yeah, I'm sure ya remember how big they are, but seein' this is kinda intimidatin', ain't it?" Xana nodded slowly, to which Spinel pet her head soothingly, silently enjoying the softness of her mane. "Don't worry, sweetheart-They ain't here right now, off tourin' the liberated colonies and tryin' ta make amends, ya know. Kinda glad they ain't around. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but they can be kinda... overbearin', an' if I had ya around while they were, they'd wanna meet ya... Not exactly first visit material." She shrugged, then pointed towards an open doorway off to the side of the yellow throne, "My room is thatta-way, suga'."

"Eheh~... Iiiii'm kind of glad about that... I'd love to meet the people you care about so much, but uh... I think I'm dressed too casually to meet with a Diamond, let alone three." Xana chuckled a bit nervously, self-consciously shaking out the knot she had forgotten was still holding up her dress and letting it fall back to cover her legs again as she marched in the direction of where Spinel pointed. "I'd at least want to make a good impression."

"Pfffttt. Oh please, they'd love ya. Especially since ya make me so happy. And they wouldn't care 'bout what yer wearin'. Literally. Gems. No concept of clothin' and all. I think they'd mostly be fascinated because ya change outfits every day."

"Oh yeah... That makes sense." She murmured, blushing a bit at Spinel's subsequent snickering as they entered the new corridor.

The hallway was long, with impossibly tall windows that overlooked the city. The whole place was decorated in various shades of pink. Steering herself the correct way, Xana looked around at the incredibly rosette hallways, feeling of two minds as she regarded the color. On one hand, it was the color of her sweetheart's former 'best friend' (who she was glad she'd never meet. Xana had taken a vow of 'pacifism unless totally necessary' as a teenager but if she met Pink she probably wouldn't have been able to hold back the urge to sock her in the face) and these were most likely her old quarters; and on the other, Spinel was several shades of lovely pink as well, and Xana loved every single one of them.

Speaking of the sweetie, she was speaking. "Ah, s'that door ova' there." She pointed at a large doorway that came up before the next corner.

"Oh, aye-aye, captain~!" Giving the rubbery legs that she was holding onto carefully an affectionate squeeze, the curly-haired female scampered over to said door and knelt down, sticking her tongue out at Spinel with a giggle and a playful 'debonair' tone. "Your room, my liege~."

Instead of simply stepping off, Spinel just decided to be extra, lengthening her legs and simply walking away from her human's lowered shoulders. Not bothering to shorten her limbs again, she performed an elaborate curtsy to her unconventional ride, "Thank you very much, my loyal steed," and with a giggle pressed her palm to the panel beside the door, causing it to slide open. Standing back up to her full height, Xana cocked her head to the side curiously as she took her first look inside and hummed with amazement.

It revealed a wide room, completely disorganized and filled to the brim with cushions of varying sizes (seriously, she could spot a few bigger than her laying around), oversized toys, and all kinds of various unrelated knick-knacks. There was no rhyme or reason to the mess, but it felt rather homey, lived-in.

"Oooo~... Heh, nothin' to see, huh?" Xana teased with a grin and walked through the doors to take a good look around. "Oh, wow..." She murmured to herself, slowly making her way further inside as the door slid shut behind them.

The cushions and toys hadn't been too much of a big surprise- She had known Spinel was a sucker for soft things from day one of their friendship, and the toys were an obvious 'duh' too. Some of them looked totally bonkers to a human such as herself, but she figured Gems had a few different ideas of fun nowadays. The trinkets had confused her upon seeing them at first, but as she looked on, attempting to find some kind of connection to them, Xana realized.

These were things that people would normally toss away or forget about after they had no use for them anymore. Something Spinel obviously related very heavily with.

Something that Xana related very heavily with.

"Mm..." Letting herself eye the whole room for a moment longer, she glanced over at her gem friend, who was nervously waiting for the human's verdict. "I like it~!"

Spinel's wary expression brightened, almost quite literally, a joyful grin overtaking her face. "I'm glad!" She jumped high, landing on the largest visible cushion, seeing as there was very little floor space available. It was bright within the room despite the small windows, which did nothing to hide the clutter but everything to highlight the centerpiece of her collection, which she now stood next to; a gigantic intricately decorated cube, purple with golden swirls and flourishes and at the very front the stylized visage of a jester. Cerulean eyes lit up with glee as the violet centerpiece of the room finally came to her attention; Violet was her favorite color, hands down-Even if she was starting to gain more of an interest in pink nowadays.

Taking off her sandals again, she tried her best to climb over the sea of pillows and cushions in her path to get closer to where Spinel stood, but with a misstep and a gasp, she went tumbling forward, body easily disappearing within the mountain of softness.

"...Spinny. Halp," Came the soft call for assistance, "Your pillow collection is eating me."

"Hm?" Spinel looked up from where she'd been doing something behind the cube, and a slow tune started playing from it as she snickered as she hopped over to Xana's downed form and looming over to smirk at the unfortunate being. "Pfff~! Havin' fun there, tootsie?"

Quiet giggling started up from where she was half sunk in the soft cushiony sea, face somewhat smushed against a light pink cushion as Xana did her best to look up at the comedian and reach out with a pleading grabby hand. "These are sooooo comfy. I swear I could have the best nap on this~! If you don't save me, I may never come out!"

Having knelt beside her to do just that, the small pliable being couldn't help but snicker louder. "Well, we can't 'ave dat, now can we? An' ain't it great~? It's plenty hard tryin' ta find anythin' soft in Homeworld, y'know-We're all angles and sharp lines and crap. I get kinda sick o' it. Soooooo I miiiiight have kinda maybe possibly started yoinkin' a pillow back wit' me whenever I went to visit Steven. Don't tell him, though~!" She winked, mischief written plainly on her face.

Why did that not surprise her?

Cackling under her breath, Xana was hefted up out of the majority of the makeshift quicksand so she was leaning against the cushions rather than sinking into them. She nodded as she made a zipping motion over her lips. "My lips are sealed, Spinsy~." Giggling (man, she just loved how mischievous Spinel was), her hand slipped as she was adjusting herself and fell further into the soft abyss; that is until it landed on something much harder than its current surroundings.

It felt like a handle.

"Eh...?" Digging around for a moment to get a good grasp on the object, Xana eventually managed to pull it out with an 'Aha!' before stopping as she looked her new prize over.

Ooo. A hairbrush!

Pff, Spinel was so silly. Why would a gem need a-Waaaaaaaait...

This hairbrush looked particularly familiar...

"Heeeey... I was wondering where this brush went!" Xana exclaimed, looking over the ornate hand-crafted handle and bristles that she had hand made herself (it had been one of the first things she made after making her home in Beach City) before she grinned and looked over at Spinel (who was turning borderline crimson) with a raised brow. She looked more amused than anything from this turn of events. "You coulda told me you took this, silly billy~!"

Spinel squeaked as the tune in the background sped up, quietly stuttering for an answer that wouldn't sound too incriminating.

This was why she'd been originally reluctant to come here with the human. Over the past year, she'd taken to... 'borrowing' some keepsakes of her and stashing them in her room. She made sure it was never anything all that important; A hairbrush here, a mirror there, a few hairpins, some sketches, maybe an old photo or two... Or twelve. She'd meant to return them, really she did!

...Eventually.

It just... never ended up happening?

"I," She declared with as much confidence as she could muster while pretending not to notice the skeptical look taking Xana's face, "have no idea how that got here."

The woman gave a quiet snort of bemusement. Right. Like Xana was supposed to believe that one of her creations just randomly piggy-backed onto a warp pad, traveled lightyears across the universe, and somehow got tossed into Spinel's room. Yup. That was a totally normal thing that happened aaaaaall the time.

"Suuuuure you don't~." She said teasingly before looking over the brush again, expression going soft and fond.

The tall human had felt pretty attached to this particular brush and had been somewhat bummed when she thought she had lost it. Not only because of it being one of her first projects that had actually come out well but also because when Spinel was first just getting comfortable around her, she had come up to Xana with the brush asking what the hell it was meant for.

That had also been the day she learned Spinel's pigtails could be undone, as well as the day she begged for Xana to brush her hair so she could see what it felt like... The first time she had seen her friend completely relax in her presence...

"Mm... Tell you what." Xana spoke softly, sweet notes of affectionate sentiment in her tone as she looked up at Spinel with a charming smile. "I'll let you keep this... If you let me brush your hair again."

The music sped up further.

Said gem blinked, the answer impeding her building anxiety. Out of all the responses she thought she might have gotten, such as anger or disgust, she... hadn't expected that. "Wait, really?"

"Mmmmmhm~!"

"...What's the catch?"

"Pfff! No catch, silly~. I just wanna brush your hair again, like we did that one time a long while ago. Don't you remember?"

Oh, she sure did, how could she ever forget? It had only happened the once, but it had been an... incredibly relaxing and weirdly intimate experience. She hadn't realized Xana had enjoyed it so much herself; after all, she hadn't been the one to have her hair brushed. But, since she was asking...

She threaded her fingers through one of her pigtails, curling the end with a finger. Hesitation struggled to gain a foothold on her expression against a large amount of eagerness while her human waited patiently for an answer.

Finally, she looked back at Xana, biting her lip. "...And then I really get to keep it?"

The woman smiled wider, almost bouncing where she sat cross-legged, and nodded in reply. Almost had her...! "Yup! All yours forever!" The woman couldn't help but giggle at the cute conflict flashing across the gem's face, lifting the brush up and waving it in front of Spinel's face teasingly, though vaguely wondering why the tune of 'Pop Goes the Weasel' was coming to mind all of a sudden. "C'mooooon... You know you want it~!"

A warm pulse from her gem made Spinel flush a bit pinker at those words and she opened her mouth to respond. "...I-"

Then, as the tune reached a fever pitch, several things happened all at once.

The music, which Xana realized too late was the reason for her random thought of an old nursery tune, cut off suddenly; the lid of the cube popped open with a powerful slam and released a gigantic and translucent bust reminiscent of a jester, which leaped up and forward from its coiled spring with a wicked sounding cackle.

Neither of the girls had taken the shock of being jump-scared all that well.

"FUCK!" Xana yelped fearfully as she went tumbling backward, scrambling in an effort to get away from whatever had just launched itself in her general direction which left her half-splayed and half sunk into the pillowy surface as she gripped the brush in her hand tighter to herself. Spinel jumped with a shriek, arms and legs coiling and retracting towards her, before she immediately stretched towards Xana, although whether it was to shield her or hide behind her, she hadn't been too sure.

...

...

It wasn't until a few seconds passed in a tense silence, fight or flight responses letting go of its grip of on their forms that it started to dawn on them what the bloody hell just happened.

Spinel stood still for a moment before her limbs unspooled onto the floor in relief, a deep groaning sigh leaving her as she stared at the bust. Its sneer was incredibly mocking at that moment as only one thing could come to mind. "...I forgot I wound that up..."

...

...

Xana slowly clutched the space above her heart and hissed out a stressed breath as she weakly laughed at herself, head bowed and hair hiding her eyes. She was sure she looked utterly outrageous right now, but she really didn't do well with being frightened. "H-Heh... Hehe, h-hey, Spinel... H-Have you seen my heart anywhere...?" She managed to choke out, giggling feebly in an attempt at a joke. "'Cause I could have sworn I just felt it leap out of my throat and run away..." Distressing memories struggled against the mental iron door Xana always kept under lock and key, her chest tightening as that door rattled angrily. 'No no no not right now, not right now-'

"...Snrk!"

As a loud snort came from beside her, the human froze, blinking slowly before looking to her side in befuddlement. Spinel, who had been holding back her laughter with some success, snickered loudly as her eyes made contact with Xana's lost and bewildered expression then started giggling almost hysterically, practically folding in on herself as she wheezed for air she didn't need.

"...Um."

"I-I'm so s-sorry-y, heeheehee~! Oh~! O-Oh stars, pfffftttt!" She sobbed with hilarity as her arms wrapped around her body several times, her thin frame rolling weakly against the cushions she had collapsed against. Xana felt embarrassment start to flood her cheeks with heat; she really wanted to feel offended at being laughed at so openly but hearing Spinel's laughter managed to snap her out of her incoming anxiety attack. For that, she could be nothing but grateful.

Even if her friend was a little shit.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up at the scaredy-cat human..." The woman griped half-heartedly, taking advantage of Spinel's distraction to wipe away the beginnings of tears before they could be noticed. She gave a deadpan at the gem's trembling little form, but couldn't help but giggle a little more genuinely at the sound of her amusement, rolling her eyes with a grin. "You can stop now."

"I'm tryin', I-I swear~!" Spinel insisted as she somersaulted back up into a sitting position and stretched out her noodle arms to pull the woman out of her soft prison and back up into a sitting position. "Y-Yer jus' so... so-! Eeheeheehee~!" Collapsing beside her utterly adorable crush, she leaned her full weight against the warm, soft human body, feeling as if she were melting into the heat and comfort.

Xana, on the other hand, was silently enjoying the moment with a delightful addition of mental keyboard mashing as a chaser but put on a fake pout as she was adjusted back upright, huffing down at the pink gem. Her hardlight form always felt rather nice pressed up against her... "Ah, yes, I can sense your indomitable restraint." The hysterical laughter only rose in volume at that one.

She waited quite a while for her wild giggles to peter off; Xana staring down at the little entertainer with an expectant and really-trying-not-to-be-bemused look but every time Spinel glanced up at her attempt to look austere, she tumbled back into her laughing fit with a renewed vigor.

Eventually, though, her audible mirth started to quiet and fade.

With a deep sigh, the slender gem shifted her head to look the human in the eye, barely just managing to hold back another snort at Xana's half-lidded raised brow stare. "M'really really sorry, dollface... I thought it'd be funny! I always wind it up when I enta' my room, but I guess I completely fergot about it, what with... y'know." She gestured vaguely at the brush still clutched in Xana's hand, leaning further into her heat. 'So warm...'

Slowly shaking her head, the human woman chuckled softly as she stayed completely still, trying not to disturb the gem's position against her. She hoped that she wouldn't move anytime soon. "Heh... Guess that means it was my fault more than anything, huh? My bad. Didn't mean for you to get scared too..." Xana took one last deep breath, feeling her heartbeat calm. "And my heart's still tickin' away in my chest, so... No harm done!"

"...Wait, ya mean ta say a human's heart c'n stop beatin' just from gettin' scared?" Spinel looked incredibly horrified at this revelation. "Ain't that death?!"

"Oh, well," The curly-haired dame hummed a bit nonchalantly, much to the distaste of her little gem buddy, "It's definitely not a very common thing unless a human is farther along in years or has something wrong with their heart? Like a disease or a defect. But yes, it's happened before."

"...Humans are so... fragile." She muttered worriedly, arms slowly winding around her human's waist almost protectively. "Gosh, how did yer species even survive for so long...? An' why are ya so calm about all o' th' stuff that c'n kill ya? Doesn't it scare ya?"

Shrugging, Xana's fingers tightened around the brush once again, holding it up for her perusal. "Mm. Nah. Not all humans are so blazé about the whole dying eventually thing obviously, but when you've had several near-death experiences in just twenty-two years of life, you learn to just sorta... not care about the eventuality of it anymore. I'm not in any rush to die, of course, but I'm also not hindered by the knowledge."

"..." Spinel's coiled arms only tightened around the human's squishy body as she continued to mumble dissatisfaction under her breath; Xana couldn't exactly hear everything she said but she was pretty sure the words 'anythin' that wants to hurt her has ta go through me' were thrown somewhere in there, causing her heart to flutter with elation.

So sweet...

"S-So, um..." The organic being murmured a bit awkwardly, clearing her throat a little to regain her attention. "Hey."

"Hm?" The gem hummed in question, looking away from their bunched up legs to eye the dark-skinned woman's face. "What's up toots?"

"...If you really don't want me to," Xana said gently as she held up the tool between the two of them, "I'm still willing to let you keep the brush." The jester blinked in surprise as the woman blushed and glanced away as if embarrassed. "But I'd... Still love to play with your hair for a bit... If that's okay?"

"I..." Spinel hesitated for a moment, magenta eyes flickering around as if making sure nothing else was going to interrupt her with another bad scare before looking back up at her a bit shyly, "...Yeah... Yeah, I'd like that." She peeled herself off Xana (much to her temporary disappointment), sitting upright with her back to her like she remembered doing the first time. After settling in, she reached up to undo her pigtails and let her unruly hair cascade down around her shoulders. While normally hard to tell, the length was actually rather long, reaching to about her waist. No longer forced to stay in the restrictive pigtails, the magenta strands rested in awkward angles with cowlicks everywhere, clearly showing how unused to the pull of gravity her mane was.

Xana felt her enthusiasm return with full force, bouncing in her seat excitedly with a giddy giggle and she settled into a cross-legged position as she started to work her magic. Despite how utterly discombobulated her hair was, it was literally impossible for Gem Hair to tangle (yet another thing to be jealous about as a human), but even so, the woman just brushed in a routine fashion as she was taught so long ago. First brushing out the underside, not stopping until it felt silky smooth, she then moved upward. She made broad sweeping movements from scalp to tip, being slow and careful while the slender fingers of her free hand massaged gently at the gem's nape. She happily watched Spinel's hair glide through the brush and her fingers like silk, oddly entranced by the sight.

Said gem tensed momentarily as she felt fingers on the back of her neck. This was... new; there hadn't been any of that the first time. She fidgeted a bit, twiddling her fingers with the urge to move still stirring within her filaments. And yet, in between the soothing brushing and the gentle movement of her human's hand, the feeling waned and the little alien slowly found herself drooping, for once feeling the entire force of the not inconsiderable gravity of Homeworld and not putting up a fight.

Gentle handling was not something she was used to. She was made to play and run and occasionally roughhouse; and after the garden, she hadn't been all that fond of touch from anyone other than specific people. But the hand at her neck and the tranquil motion of the brushing of her scalp and hair spread a sort of intangible warmth throughout her hardlight body. It was a loving sort of comfort, and as a wave of bright affection welled up in her, her body slowly melted into a puddle. Almost literally.

Xana smiled fondly to herself as she felt the pink hyper dynamo relax into her hands, breathing out a soft chuckle. The slow brushing movements stayed constant in their speed as the human started to daydream just a little out of feeling content with just... Existing at this moment in time. After several moments passed in comfortable silence, a soft and homey tune from bittersweet times long passed slid its way enticingly into Xana's mind and without really even thinking about it, she began to hum along.

The first note brought Spinel out of her blissful pipe dreams, her eyes refocusing back into the present, and she just listened quietly for a few moments. Xana didn't sing all that often, let along when she knew others were listening to her. Like when it came to many things, she was very shy about her voice being heard in such a way. The alien really didn't see why; Sure, her singing wasn't perfect; her voice cracked in certain places from strain to hit the notes farther out of her comfortable voice range and she may have lingered a bit too long on a note or two. But that was what Spinel liked about it. It wasn't perfect, but it was still sweet and delicate like her. It was a comforting hug in an auditory form. It was just Xana's... own accent to a tune, for lack of a better word. The notes she placed emphasis on were the ones that she felt that mattered; the ones that spoke to her the most on the inside. Spinel respected that.

So it was with great reluctance that she allowed her curiosity to interrupt the rare event.

"...What song's that?" The jester asked quietly, feeling a cold pang of disappointment hit her gem as the question cut off the sweet notes spilling from her human's lips. Still, she persevered. "I know all th' tunes ya got on yer phone... I ain't heard'a that one before though."

The motions of the brush through her hair paused and for a long agonizing second, Spinel believed she had committed a blunder of some kind by opening her big mouth. Before the panic could set in though, the feeling resumed and she had to hold back a sigh of relief.

"Heh, sorry." Came the murmur from behind her, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "I didn't even know I was singing. My bad."

"S'okay! I love ta hear ya sing..." Spinel assured quickly, nibbling a bit on her lower lip with nervous energy. "Th' melody jus' took me by surprise. I know how ya are wit' yer favorite music, but I hadn't heard that one on there an' you obviously jus' know it from memory... I could hear it in ya voice. Soooo, I was curious. S'real nice."

Silence lingered between them for a bit as Xana hesitated in her answer, before softly sighing. "...It's called Wanderer's Lullaby."

"It got words ta go ta it?"

"...Yeah."

"S'real pretty. I like it. Sounds nice, comin' from ya." Spinel smirked as she heard the human splutter a bit, clearly disagreeing. "No, really! Sounds... Calmin'. Why don't ya sing it more often toots?"

"O-Oh, well... It... Kinda hurts to." The reluctant answer made the gem's cheeky mien fade into soberness. "...My mom used to sing it to me, whenever she'd comb through my hair... At least before she left."

Uh-oh. She might as well have waltzed into a Red Eye. Fuck. "G-Gee, doll, m'sorry, I didn't mean ta-"

"No no, it's okay Spinny, you're good. You couldn't have known." She soothed softly in return, yet Spinel couldn't help but feel immensely guilty. "It's not a bad memory, it's just... One of the few I still remember of her. I was still so young when she walked out of our lives... Six. I was six." Her voice sounded as if her mind was far away, yet was only a tad melancholy all things considered. "I can't even really remember her face, but it was like... Our thing. Kids are always a handful and I was no different, I'm sure. I got into everything, asked a lot of questions, and could be a real brat at times. But no matter how bad my tantrums got, or how sad I was, whenever she did my hair and sung that song... I'd always feel better. It was like all her love for me was in that one song, I guess. Just... Didn't think a mother's love was only good for six years." A soft slightly hollow chuckle left her as she lifted the brush away from Spinel's hair to admire her handiwork, smiling as she spotted just a few locks that were too stubborn to neatly stay down. That was okay though; it matched her little friend's character. "Do you want your hair back up in its regular style, or do you want to try something a bit different?"

"Oh, um, uh..." The gem seemed to flounder a bit at this question, a bit surprised from the sudden topic change before furrowing her brow in indecision, "...Whatever ya think will look good, I guess?" She trusted Xana's expertise on something so... Human.

"Hehe, okay, I'll style it a bit different and we'll see how you like it." That meant Xana would get to play with her hair a little longer. A win-win considering how much Spinel seemed to enjoy it. Placing the brush down to the side, she smoothed her hands through the silky locks to get an idea of what she wanted to do before starting to play around a little. Spinel remained quiet, her unseen expression a bit disturbed and upset.

Why would anyone's love for someone as great as Xana just stop so suddenly? She really didn't get it... And humans seemed so good about that type of thing in comparison to Gemkind. Humans were so unique, so there was always just so much to appreciate... So much to love.

But maybe that uniqueness wasn't always the greatest thing...

"...Xana?"

"Yeah?" Said woman replied, carefully running a finger against Spinel's scalp perpendicular to her temple in order to separate her hair and make a part. The feeling caused the jester's Gem to tremble a bit.

"How do... Ya know yer in love?"

Xana blinked at this, her hands pausing in their motions. She was, quite frankly, gobsmacked.

Spinel.

Of all people.

Asking about love?

...Was the universe ending?

"S-Suga'?"

"A-Ah, sorry hon, I was... Lost in thought." The tall woman quickly recovered, pushing her shock aside at the sound of her friend's anxious tone. "...Why do you ask?"

"M'curious, I guess...?"

"Hm." A little skeptical but not wanting to pry, Xana shrugged and let her hands continue their work. "Well, it depends."

"On?"

"What kind of love you're feeling for someone."

Spinel frowned a little, her brows furrowing in confusion. "There's different kinds o' love?"

"Yup." The human confirmed, nodding resolutely. "Eight, in fact."

...Eight?!

"S-So many?!"

"Heh, yeah, I know, a bit of a shocker, right? I only knew of four myself until I read about the rest in a book somewhere." The gem barely managed to hold back a noise of great frustration-Why did emotions have to be so complicated?! She literally just found out that she loved her human, and now she had to figure out what kind of love it was?! This was madness!

"W-Well, how do I-, uh, does someone tell 'em apart?"

"Oh, well, you need to know the differences first, and it's kind of a long explanation-"

"I got time." She really needed to know. "'Sides, just means I get ta hear ya explain stuff."

"A-Ah, well... Okay, if you insist..." Xana hummed in compliance, wondering about the sudden interest in a topic that was once heavily avoided by the small comedian but deciding to take it in stride. If it meant her friend was trying to work past her trauma, then she would always be supportive. "Well, the first one is the easiest to identify, though really one of the hardest to gain." She began, creating a small plait on both sides of Spinel's head and starting to braid the strands of hair in her grasp. She was going to make them meet in the middle where she would make them join together. "Philautia; To have a healthy self-compassion for one's self and to recognize one's self-worth. Respecting, accepting, and appreciating yourself... Definitely the most important. In order to love someone else properly, you need to love yourself first. It's something that everyone struggles with at one point in their lives and, well, not all people really find that love." She sighed, smiling just a bit ruefully. "I know I still have issues with it. I try my best but... It's hard."

...It was. It really really was. "...I wanna get ta that point one day."

"You will~. Your best friend's here to help you out after all!" She giggled in return, moving to grab the brush again and trying to pin down an errant lock of hair that kept getting in her way. "The second's Philia, which is an affectionate love that runs deep in one's friendships. It's a love without romantic attraction and is shared between friends and even between some family members."

Well, Spinel knew she definitely knew that she felt that kind of love for Xana... And she was sure Xana felt the same. Was that it? "So like, how I feel about the Crystal Gems... Like Bismuth and Peridot?"

Wow. Admitting she felt love now? That was such a leap for her pink buddy! The human couldn't help but feel immensely proud. "Yup! Just like that!"

"...S'it possible ta feel more than one type o' love fer someone?"

"Oh yeah, for sure."

"Hm." ...She had to make sure there was nothing else. "What're th' otha's?"

"Next is Storge, the... Familial love." Xana heard her voice go a bit vacant as she made very tiny ponytails to each side of Spinel's crown, feeling a slight bitterness well inside her heart. Such negative feelings eased though, as one of Spinel's hands looped behind her to comfortingly pat the woman on the back. "It's supposed to be a naturally occurring love. An infinite one built upon acceptance and a deep emotional connection. It's most notably observed between parents and their children, but it can be between best friends too."

Another ringer. Her love for Xana was definitely built upon acceptance and it sure felt deep and infinite. Even so... "So, like what I feel fer th' Diamonds."

"There ya go~! And the fourth is Agape, the highest level of love someone can ever offer." Spinel felt herself perk up at those words, and flinched as Xana brushed a bit of her hair up into her face. "It's the Selfless Love, an unconditional and empathetic love one feels for everyone and everything. It's given without expecting anything in return, in any situation; even in destructive ones. Steven's real good at that one." She giggled, smiling at the thought of the selfless hybrid boy.

He sure was. Hm. Was her love for Xana unconditional...? ...Maybe. She had to think a little more about that one. "I'd say yer pretty good at it too, Doll."

"D-D'awww, you're sweet... I try my best! Everyone deserves to be loved in some way... Oh, here, turn your face towards me." Promptly turning her head a full 180, Spinel froze as she realized just how close her face was to Xana's. The chocolate-colored woman didn't seem to notice herself, way too focused on her task of rearranging the hair hanging in front of her eyes into parted bangs. She used the brush to curl the strands inwards as much as she could before pulling back with a flourish and a bright grin. "There! All done~!"

"O-Oh?!"

"Yeah!" Xana clapped her hands, cerulean eyes glittering excitedly as they perused the gem's new hairstyle before grinning audaciously. "Hehe, I don't suppose you've yoinked about two or so mirrors of mine so you can see it too?"

...

...

...

...

...

"Oh my stars, you did, didn't you~?" Xana whispered with an underlying note of hilarity, a shit-eating grin spreading widely on her face as the gem's cheeks glowed a bright crimson.

"S-Shuddup..." Spinel grumbled under her breath, swiveling her head away as she extended an arm across the room and went digging into some pillows, ignoring the smothered hysterical giggling behind her. Her search was fruitful; after a minute or two she reeled her arm back in, holding two ornate looking hand mirrors haphazardly by their edges. Xana did indeed recognize these-They had gone missing from her workshop back home perhaps about... Eight months ago? She had been planning to put them up for sale and was utterly bamboozled upon realizing that they had just vanished.

For some reason though, she just felt this as incredibly endearing. She knew would have been totally justified to be upset or even angry, but she just... Couldn't be anything but tickled at the situation.

She guessed being in love would do silly things like that to your common sense.

"Gosh, you're just... So cute~." Xana snickered wildly as she took one of the tools from the comedian's hand. She couldn't see her face, but the human just knew the gem's expression was something to behold. "Okay, okay, I'm done teasing... For now~. Now, do me a favor and hold the mirror you got in front of you so you can look into it, and I'll hold up this one so you can look at the back of your hair in the reflection!" She remarked excitedly, carefully scooting herself back as she did. Spinel just barely held back a soft whimper at the loss of contact, yet did as she was told.

The moment her eyes made contact with her reflection though, she did a perfect freeze-take. Magenta eyes slowly widened at the sight of her hair framing her pink face, the novelty of it striking her silent. Her gaze roved slowly over her form, taking every tiny detail; from how absolutely adorable the itty bitty rattails looked at the very top of her head, to how fancy the braided back section looked wrapping around the back of her head, and finally with how her hair looked so shiny that it gleamed in the warm light of the room. The wildness of the few cowlicks that remained didn't even detract from the somewhat abnormal sight; in fact, to her, they enhanced it.

"...Oh wow..." She breathed, awe stirring within her gem.

"I know right?! Pretty different from how it usually looks, huh~?" Xana bounced excitedly in place, a bright grin curling her lips as her eyes stared at Spinel's gentle distracted face through the mirror. "Do ya like it?"

"It's... amazin', Xana. I look..." Spinel struggled with her vocabulary for a moment before settling on something simple. "Pretty."

Spinel hadn't... Ever really thought herself as pretty before, especially not after her first trip to Earth. The way her form looked now just made her feel awful every time she saw her reflection, for obvious reasons. But at this moment in time?

She liked what she saw. Not even those damned tear streaks ruined her opinion of the new look, especially not when Xana had done it for her. It... Was a very weird feeling.

"Ohhh, sweetpea! You're always pretty, but I'm so glad you can see it for yourself now!" The azure-eyed woman rejoiced, feeling incredibly proud of herself, and put the mirror she had down so she could throw her arms around her friend's shoulders to hug her close. She placed her chin atop Spinel's shoulder and grinned at their combined reflections, giggling as the elastic gem's flush deepened.

"You think I'm p-pretty?"

"Absolutely gorgeous, honey." If only she knew. "Look at ya~. All dolled up, yet yer stuck with silly ol' Xana, heh. Ya got a hot date tonight, pretty lady~?" Spinel just continued to stare at their reflections as her human kept on snickering at her joke, feeling her gem heat and flutter with a confusing cocktail of emotions.

She really really liked it when Xana complimented her like that, even if it was hella embarrassing... It made her feel good. Feel desired. It felt like nothing could ruin her high when her human talked about her with such approval and praise within her voice. She wanted to hear more of it. Give it back in spades when she could. She wanted to see her blush and smile and do that cute little move where she tucked a curl behind her ear when she was feeling coy...

That didn't really fit anything that Xana had previously described, had it...?

Hm.

Spinel gently pulled herself away from the delicate hold the human had on her, placing the mirror down beside the other with no words spoken. Xana blinked, surprised and even somewhat alarmed; It was a general rule that Spinel wasn't the one to disengage from physical affection when it was just the two of them.

Okay, well, not just a general rule. This was a first.

"Spi-"

"So, Sweetheart," Spinel spoke as she sat across from the organic being, expression somber, "...What're th' otha' kinds of love? There's still four more, yeah? Ya didn't finish..."

"Oh...! No, I... Guess I didn't, huh?" Xana stared in shock at the somewhat dismissive way her friend steered the topic away from herself and frowned a little, concern lining her lovely features at how serious Spinel seemed all of a sudden. "...Are you okay? You seem really intense about all of this..."

"M'fine, m'jus'... tryin' to figure somethin' out is all." She responded quietly, eyes flickering down at her clasped hands before looking back up at the human sincerely. "Go on, darlin'... Please."

"...Um...Okay... Uh, the next would be Mania, or Selfish Love." She continued, bringing her legs up so that she could rest her chin on her knees and wrap her arms around them, worriedly watching the magenta jester for any signs of distress. "...It's the worst kind. It's obsessive love. Possessive. It borders on madness and creates unwanted jealousy. Instead of wanting to be with someone, you want to own them." Spinel's expression twisted a bit uncomfortably and Xana looked away, frowning deeper. "The object of affection has no real choice in the matter. You have to be their one and only, have to have every single bit of their attention, or you go insane. The possessor doesn't want them to have anyone else, no matter what; It doesn't even seem like love to an outsider looking in. It's... oftentimes abusive. Instances of it are mostly found in romantic relationships, but it exists in platonic ones too." She hums, looking down at her feet. "...I think that's what Dad felt for me. After Mom left, he went off the deep end and I just became his emotional, verbal, and physical punching bag. Something there to take his anger out on. That's probably why he came looking for me back then. He probably got tired of not having anyone to treat like crap to make himself feel better."

...Spinel knew what event Xana was remembering. It happened about a year or so ago; Xana's father came to Beach City, posing as a distraught, loving man who had been looking for his runaway daughter for close to four years. Steven was the only person that Xana had opened up to about her past abuse at that point, and well, he had already moved away by then so no one had any clue as to the man's true colors until it was almost too late. The bastard had fooled them all with his sob story, especially Spinel. She had been so angry at Xana, thinking she was just like Pink, leaving someone who loved her behind so callously.

If she hadn't called Steven upset and he hadn't panicked and told them all everything...

"T-Thanks again for the save, by the way... That had been, ah... Real scary." Xana spoke softly, giving Spinel an awkward smile as the gem's troubled gaze connected with her own. Xana had always felt misplaced guilt about finally leaving her father, despite all the abuse she had received from him. After all, she was really the only thing he had left and she had felt an obligation to stay until it just got too much. She almost gave into her father's sugary demands and sly threats to leave with him too. If the Gems, Steven, and Connie hadn't intervened when they did, she'd most likely be dead by now.

And it seemed her friend had been highly aware of this fact.

Spinel forced a smirk onto her face, but it was sharp and mirthless. She'd love nothing more than to rip that man to shreds for hurting her friend, even a whole year later. The fact that he got away pissed. Her. Off. "Th' offa' ta pound him into th' dirt's still open, by the by~."

Despite the heavy topic, Xana couldn't help but snort. "Oh my stars, Spins, no. You'd absolutely wreck him, it wouldn't even be a fair fight."

"That's th' point, Doll. He'd deserve e'ery bit o' pain he'd get. An' I'd make sure there'd be a lot o' it." She scoffed with amusement, both of them relaxing back into familiar banter. But Mania, huh? ...She supposed she could admit (to herself, at least) that she did have those dark moments where she wanted Xana's attention to remain solely on her. She did always get a bit jealous when she saw her human laughing and having a good time with others... But the woman deserved happiness, even if it wasn't with just her best friend.

She never wanted Xana to go through such a terrible experience again. Especially not with her being the cause.

Spinel promised herself that she'd work on those darker urges. For Xana's sake.

"As tempting as the offer is, I'd rather not go to jail for conspiracy to commit battery and possible murder. Besides, Steven would be sooooo mad at us."

"An' none o' us wanna disappoint Steven, do we?" The jester rolled her eyes, yet pushed those vengeful thoughts to the side at Xana's behest. "Anyway... Th' otha' three?"

"Oh, they're much nicer, heh... There's Ludus, the Playful Love. It's more romantic in nature. It's child-like and flirtatious... Usually present with young couples and in the earlier days of a romantic relationship." Spinel's head tilted to the side curiously as Xana sighed a bit dreamily, a fanciful smile on her face. Was she remembering something like that? "It's usually compounded by lots of teasing, playful motives, and a bunch of laughter. It's the emotional part of romantic love. When you're with that special person, you feel giddy and excited... You're heavily interested in what they have to say and what they like and just look forward to seeing them no matter what you guys plan on doing for the day. It's often called the Honeymoon Stage or Puppy Love."

"..." That one... That one had been the most accurate so far. After all, seeing Xana was always the highlight of her day, no matter how good it had been before, and she could listen to the sweet human's ramblings for eternity, just because she could make anything sound so interesting with all of her enthusiasm. Even with flowers, and Spinel tended to avoid flowers with a vengeance because of her past.

Spinel also vaguely knew the difference between platonic and romantic relationships, thanks to Garnet and that Fluorite fusion. It had interested her to a point but the idea of romance always sort of overwhelmed the little pink gem who had so much to learn about love, so she figured that maybe she would stick to the less all-encompassing stuff. But now, when she placed Xana and romance into the same thought...

She didn't... dislike the idea? If anything... It made her feel a bit excited.

"And then there's Eros. Passionate Love." Tuning back in as Xana continued, she blinked at the blush that had coalesced onto the human's dark face. "Also known as 'Falling in Love'. It's the most well-known kind, at least for humans, mostly because you can find it eeeeeeverywhere on Earth. It's in the media, books, commercials, ads... Heh, humans just love the idea of being in love. It's... Instinctual, Primal... Physical." She wrung her hands a bit anxiously, averting her gaze as she bit her lip. "It's a bit like Mania, in the sense that it borders on madness; but while Mania is one-sided, Eros is mutual. It's like a flame is burning you up inside when you think of that person or people. The feeling of affection is so, so strong that you practically feel pain if you're not touching the person you're in love with, either by holding hands, or hugging, or u-uh... Other things." Xana squeaked out, but moving onward before Spinel's curiosity could compel her to ask. "It's encompassing, it's deep... It's emotional intoxication. In that kind of love, there's no 'You' and 'I'; it's 'We' or 'Us'. I've... never been in that kind of love before. It honestly sounds kinda terrifying, but... I can't deny I want to experience it at least once in my life."

"...But why?" The gem supposed she could understand the appeal to a degree, but to be so enveloped in another person? Even if it was mutual, it sounded like a set-up for a broken heart if something unfortunate happened. She had already gone through that with Pink, even if the love she felt back then was nowhere near a romantic one. She supposed that love had been closer to a platonic Mania; It hadn't been healthy in the slightest. And sure, she loved Xana's hugs and holding her hand when she could get away with it, but the way she worded Eros sounded... super heavy. "Sounds risky as all hell, like a gamble or somethin'... What if that otha' person changes their mind o' loses interest? Why open yerself up ta th' heartbreak?"

"...To be able to find someone that you want to trust that much with yourself... To be that desperate for your special one's presence and get that same want in return... I guess the thought of it is just exciting for humans." Xana hummed quietly, twiddling her fingers as she kept her gaze to the cushions below. "Evolutionary wise, I'm sure it's a chemical state in our brain to encourage us to keep reproducing; it's much easier to do when it just feels so good, you know? But... There are people out there who can't reproduce or simply don't want to, and fall in love like that regardless." Pointing her gaze to the ceiling, her expression turned to one of longing. "That feeling is something humans just strive for. To find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. No one wants to spend their lives alone with no one to love... I certainly don't, I've done plenty of that already. Besides, everything about human life is involved with risk. Sure, it's dangerous, but it's necessary and even beneficial at times."

"Name one big risk you've taken that's benefited ya that much."

Xana smirked, glancing back at the skeptical alien and raising a brow, "Running from my dad? If I hadn't, I probably would have never even seen Beach City... Would have never met the Crystal Gems, or you." Spinel paused a bit as the human giggled in understanding, yet shrugged, "And I was risking my life taking that chance... I'm pretty sure he would have killed me if he had caught me trying to run. But I'd say the risk was worth it. Can you think of a personal bet bigger than your own life?"

Frowning, Spinel directed her gaze back down to her clasped hands. Xana did make a good point... And she supposed if she had to choose anyone she'd want to spend the rest of her existence with... "...And what 'bout th' last one?"

"Ahh... The love people talk about in fairytales, the kind everyone dearly wishes they could have and yet don't even know the name to... Pragma, Enduring Love." Xana chuckled quietly to herself as she leaned back onto her hands. "Pragma is the highest form of romantic love there is. It's only attainable if the partners choose to put equal effort into the relationship; it can't just happen out of nowhere. It requires commitment and dedication. It's mature and everlasting. Instead of 'falling' in love, it's 'standing' in love. While the partners feel Eros for each other, they also know how to spend time apart. There are times where it's 'We' and 'Us', and there are times where they know it's okay and healthy to be separate people with different likes, wants, and needs. They trust each other, respect each other, but they also feel the same about themselves. Couples like that?" The human murmured, something dreamy and wanting in her voice. "It's what humans like to call Soulmates. One doesn't complete the other because they realize they were already whole, to begin with. Instead, they... Magnify each other's glory."

Spinel stared, a vague sort of awe settling within her at the sheer reverence Xana's voice held, speaking of such a thing. "...That sounds... Amazin'."

"Don't it though~?" She responded, smiling at the pink dynamo and resting her chin on her knees. "In Pragma, they've got the other's backs no matter what. It's love like that lasts until the end of time, even when the ones who held that love no longer exist." The woman sighed softly then, looking resigned. "But not everyone finds love like that... It's just as rare as Philautia, if not more." She shook her head, wild curls bouncing against the sides of her face. "I can only hope I'll be lucky enough to be able to work towards something like that with someone."

"...I don't see why ya wouldn't be able ta." The gem murmured, fiddling with her fingers shyly. "Yer so sweet an' nice... An' ya care so much 'bout the ones yer close to. If anyone deserves love like that, you'd be first on tha' list."

"Heh... You're sweet. Thank you." Xana hummed back with a flattered smile, even though she didn't look all too convinced. Spinel nodded silently in response before turning her gaze to one of the windows. The released strands of hair tickled against her cheeks as she sighed, mind full of perplexing and warring thoughts.

So... Ludus was the type, huh? This knowledge wasn't... upsetting. After all, Spinel knew enough of herself to know she didn't skimp when it came to the things she did. You either gave something you committed to your all or there was no point. And she could have definitely picked someone worse to start falling in love with, in her honest opinion.

And even if Xana didn't feel exactly the same way, she knew that the human woman felt at least a platonic love for her.

Spinel could live with that. If she was still loved by her human, that was all that mattered.

...Right?

"Spinel?" The sound of her name snapped the gem out of her intense rumination of the window and she glanced back into somewhat concerned looking eyes. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" The malleable alien blinked in surprise before attempting to force a smile onto her face. "Yeah, m'good dollface... Jus' thinkin'."

"...About?" Xana insisted quietly, genuine sincerity and worry twisting her fair expression. She was starting to get super concerned with her friend's current behavior... "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I'm here for you."

Oh, Spinel was incredibly aware. That was one of her problems. "...Yeah, I know. Yer great like that." She muttered, a small smirk appearing on her face as the human woman blushed and gave her that puffy-cheeked pout she liked so much. "...I guess I 'ave anotha' question? If that's okay."

"Oh, y-yeah!" Was the quick reply, along with an exuberant nod. "Ask away."

"...What do ya think about love? I mean-" The gem struggled a bit to find her words, chewing nervously on her lower lip. "-How do ya feel 'bout it 'n general? What... What does it mean ta ya?" She watched, apprehensive, as the woman's expression shifted into something contemplative.

"Hm. That's a pretty good question, Spinny, cause I've never really thought about it recently. Or at all, really..." Xana mused and tapped a finger against her chin as she became lost in thought. "In the past, overall, I thought very little of it? I wasn't getting it at home and because I had always been a bit of an odd duck, any peers around me at school weren't the biggest fan of me either, though I had tried to find my own love. It didn't end very well since I had no clue back then what healthy love looked or felt like... So I guess before running away, I would have called it a waste of time cause I was subconsciously bitter about it all." She shrugged with an almost apologetic smile as she watched Spinel's eyes widen. "Obviously that perception's changed since I've been in Beach City though; Hard to stay a bitter angry jackass when you were around someone as cute and genuine as Steven back then. So now? I'd say it's a great thing. Hell, even necessary. Love's what helps us grow into compassionate people that care about others around us. Humans are built to survive first and foremost, that's just how evolution works. Yeah, we're capable of amazing generosity and empathetic acts, but that's a strength we have to learn and grow into, you know? I'm just glad I met Steven before it was too late for me."

"Huh... S'hard for me to try an' imagine ya as... How I was." Her friend mumbled, trying to reconcile the idea of quiet shy Xana being cold and angry at the world around her for the pain it had given to her in spades. "Yer just so... Nice."

"Hehe, thanks. That just means I've come a long way~." Xana replied, smiling proudly as she moved to stretch out her body to keep it from cramping up in such a position. "And you have too, y'know. I'm proud of you."

"Eh? How d'ya figure?"

"Well, I mean, you're asking all these questions about love all of a sudden..." She cocked her head to the side curiously as she watched Spinel's face twist in incomprehension. "Spins, you never liked talking about love before. Whenever the topic came up in the past, you always tried to laugh it off or just avoid it altogether. But today you're the one who brought the subject up! And you admitted that you felt love for others, even if only to just yourself and me! That's a huuuuuge step for you!" The woman gushed excitedly as her friend's face went blank with shock, reaching out to take her hand and clasp it tightly in between her two smaller ones. "I'm sure you had your reasons for asking, but the fact that you could even bring yourself to do so? That's amazing! You've grown so much in the past couple of years and I can't be anything but so very glad for you!"

A pleasing warmth bloomed within Spinel's gem, and she felt herself start to flush a luminescent pink at all the praising. "You think I've changed that much...?"

Xana was quick to nod rapidly, smiling bright as Spinel's hand slowly closed around her own. "You bet! And you're so much happier too... It brings me so much joy to see~." She said, just barely holding back the impulse to nuzzle her friend's hand against her cheek. "All I'd ever want is for you to be happy. No matter how you'd want to find that happiness."

"Really? D'ya mean it?"

"Absolutely-Positutely, honey! Whatever you decide to do for yourself, I'm behind you a hundred percent if it keeps you happy and healthy."

"...So... If I told ya I think I'm... In love with someone. Romantically." The tall woman felt herself stiffen up out of her comfortable slump as Spinel looked down, a shy blush coming to her face. "How would ya feel?"

"...I'd be even more proud of you. That takes a great amount of courage to admit after what you've been through." Xana felt something cold and prickly press against the inside of her stomach but forced a sweet smile onto her face regardless. If she was too late, that was her fault; This was a big moment for her friend and she wasn't going to take that away from her. "Whoever they are, they're incredibly lucky; winning your heart-... er, Gem like that. They must be an amazing person if you trust them that much, haha..." She chuckled out awkwardly, looking away as her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

She froze, though, as the hand she was holding slipped out of her grasp and the unexpected feeling of gentle fingers brushed feather-light against her cheek.

"...She is." The hand traced downward to cup the human's chin, thumb tracing slowly against the soft line of her jaw before turning her head so their gazes made contact once again. Xana felt her eyes widen at the vivid pink optics staring so seriously into her own she could feel it in her soul; it was clear from her gaze that Spinel was trying to express her sincerity. "She's kind and smart, and tha' cutest thing in tha' whooooole universe." Her gaze flickered away in doubt for a moment, closing as she inhaled a deep quiet breath before returning a resolute gaze as she spoke the sentence that shattered any willful ignorance the dark-skinned woman could have had.

"She's my best friend. The only one I could... evah' feel this way for."

...

...Oh.

Xana may have been a pretty dense girl, but not even she couldn't miss the implications of her infatuation's words.

The curly-haired woman gaped in silence at the little entertainer in front of her, face a cherry red and her irises practically pinpricks as Spinel shook a bit in place, chewing on her lip nervously.

"...Y-You... mean that? R-Really?"

A single slow nod was her response and she exhaled sharply as if she had been punched in the gut. Her smaller hands gripped tightly at the fabric of her sundress as she went still from the shock. Because honestly, what could she say?

"Xana...?"

"Y-Y-Yeah?"

"Do ya think you'd evah' take a chance on that kinda love...?"

"I..." Was this happening? Right now? Oh stars, she wasn't at ALL prepared- "I-I want to... But, it'd have to be with someone very s-special to me." She whispered in a quivering voice, wide eyes firmly locked on Spinel's intense and observant expression. She dared not even breathe too harshly. "S-Someone I know I can trust. Who I've already shared a great friendship with for at least a... c-couple of years. I'd h-have to be sure their feelings were t-true; I'm, h-heh... Kinda oblivious about this kinda stuff, you know? If s-someone was to confess to me... They'd have to be blunt. T-Transparent. I... I can't have any doubt."

"Yeah...?"

"...Yeah." Spinel gulped harshly, her cheeks glowing a striking carmine as her hand slipped from her human's soft face to her shoulder before drawing herself up into a better posture, as if gathering up all her strength and confidence with the movement.

"...Ya make me... Feel things, y'know. Real confusin' things." Spinel began, twitching at the sound of Xana sucking in a quiet but sharp breath but soldiered on in her speech. "Whenever I'm around ya, I can't take my eyes off ya. Yer jus' so pretty an'... whenever ya walk into a room, ya jus' light it up with yer smile. An' I... I-I feel that. I-In my Gem." Her spare hand came up to rest on the dimly luminescent crystal upon her chest, her skinny form fidgeting a little bit in her seat. "It feels... So warm, toots."

"Warm...?" Xana couldn't help but squeak out, trying to squash down the ardently hopeful feeling she could feel welling in her chest. She couldn't get ahead of herself, not now. She had to be sure. "W-What kind of warm? Does... Does it burn...?"

Spinel just looked at her for a moment, taking her in. Her lovely legs, her huggable waist, her soft arms, the line of her jaw, the curve of her cheeks, the lighter flecks of color in her irises. And then she shifted her hand, palm resting at her cheek, feather-light on her skin, a strange electric feeling buzzing around the area of contact. Her lashes lowered, fluttering in insecurity, but she kept eye contact regardless. "It feels like sunshine when m'around ya, l-like a sun inside mah chest wheneva' ya look at me. It... burns so good..." She gave a soft sound of distress, similar to a whine, as the color on her face darkened further. "I didn't... It 'ad me so confused. Didn't know what it meant, until... U-Until now."

...Holy shit.

Xana stared back, eyes wide with awe and wonder before she worried at her lower lip with her teeth. She fidgeted a bit in place, forcing herself to look away to keep from... Just shouting out her feelings and tried to take this slowly. Wringing her hands and licking her lips out of nervous habit, she responded quietly. "...Y-You make me feel warm too."

Spinel's wandering gaze snapped back up to look at the incredibly flustered human, her leer sharp and roiling with wild emotions. "...I do?"

Xana nodded slowly as she looked over Spinel in return. Bottom to top from her pointed jester shoes to her lithe skinny body, her Gem dimly glowing in the light of their current spot to the dark streaks of black over her cheeks to her rosy eyes. A rueful smile moved her lips involuntarily as she chuckled, raising a hand to lay it over her face in defeat. "...Thing is, I've known what my warmth means for a long while..."

Almost unconsciously, Spinel leaned into the human's personal bubble, a burning question in her eyes. "...What does it mean, Xana?"

Said human almost cringed in place, shifting her hand to try and hide more of her expression as her eyes flickered away uncomfortably. "I'm sure it's not hard to guess..."

"I wanna hear ya say it." The gem insisted fervently, her hands moving to wrap around the middle of the organic being's upper arms as if to keep her human from running. The pressure was gentle but purposeful. "Please Suga'... Say it. Out loud." The pink dynamo whispered, her eyes pleading and desperate."Please."

A grimace forced itself onto Xana's lips as she hesitated, trembling a bit in place. She was trying to figure out how to say it. She knew that once she opened her mouth, there was no going back.

Taking a deep slow breath, Xana felt her hands ball into fists. Please don't hate me after this...

"L-Look, Spinel, I've known how you fee- uh, felt about... Love and all that." She began sheepishly, as if ashamed to even broach this subject. "That's why I've sorta dodged this subject all this time? I didn't... I didn't want to lose your friendship by trying to reach for... more." She bounced a leg agitatedly as her arms went to wrap comfortingly around her midsection knowing she was sliding into a panic babble but unable to stop. "You... You mean a lot to me, and losing you... That's been like my number one fear for about a year now. S-So I've been trying to ignore just how much I care for the longest time... And it's not like I'd have anything to offer you even if you liked me back. I mean, look at you then look at me!"

Gesturing to Spinel, Xana's expression turned into something of sad awe, her well-known wonder clashing with the wide-eyed stunned stare across from her. "You're sweet, you're pretty, witty, funny, strong, can do literally anything you set your mind to... You're perfect, and I'm just... I'm just me!" Bringing her hands to her chest, she gave a sardonic laugh as she felt the burn of unshed tears starting to build at the corners of her eyes. "A goofy mess of a human who nerds out over flowers and art and has curls of hair that could strangle a man. I don't have anything that you don't already have, can't give you anything really worthwhile and I won't... even exist in the Universe for much longer compared to you, so... I don't get it!" She exclaimed, making the gem jump at the woman's normally soft tones raised in sorrow. In her panic, despite the resolution she had come to make earlier, now that she was faced with the subject of her affection returning her feelings, all Xana could do was think of all the reasons why this was the worst, most selfish thing she could do to her beloved friend.

One day Death was going to take her from her crush, it was inevitable; all she'd end up doing was hurting her dearest person by pursuing this!

"Xana... X-Xana, sweetheart, ya need ta breathe-"

"Human life is so short compared to Gems, so fragile, so easily ended...!" Her breath was quickening, her chest tightening; her hands coming up to grip tightly at her wild locks as hot tears began to trail down her cheeks. Her eyes glared unseeingly at the cushions below as her heart beat out a harsh, damning rhythm in her chest. "I could be gone tomorrow from some stupid accident and yet I have the nerve, the absolute gall, to fall in love with you and have the absolutely blasphemous want to have you as mine-!"

"Xana!" The woman flinched as the sharp call caused everything (thoughts, words, movement, ever her breath) to halt completely, leaving her staring down at the pillows beneath her. She felt herself shake as she heard more than saw the gem's slow crawl closer to her, sniffling back a sob before gasping as strong infallible arms looped several times around her torso and pulled her into a tight hug against a firm physique.

"I need ya ta calm down fer me suga'... Ya need ta breathe. Yer body needs air, yeah? Can't have ya passin' out on me..." Spinel's soft heavily accented voice murmured calmingly in her ear, and she shuddered almost involuntarily at the sensation against such a sensitive area. "C'mon... Take a deep breath. I'll even do it wit' ya, okay? In... And Out. In... And Out... There ya go... That's it, yer doin' great..." A large hand rubbed gentle circles against Xana's upper back as she forced herself to match the pace of the comedian's deep breaths, though to her it felt more like desperate gasping. "That's a good human... Good girl... H-Heh, m'real glad I remembered you doin' this for me. Otherwise, I'd be panickin' a lot more."

"I... I-I... I don't understand...!" She managed to gasp out, whimpering as she trembled in Spinel's snug grasp. "Y-You should be hating me...! I'm human. I-I'll have to leave you one day whether I like it or not... I'll just end up hurting you, Spinny!" She sobbed quietly through her attempts to regain air, unaware of the painful twist Spinel's expression gained. "I c-can't... I won't-!"

"No, hey, you cut dat out right now. Yer gettin' worked up again." The jester scolded softly, a hand coming up to gently flick Xana in the middle of her forehead. She pulled back to look over the distraught woman's face, uncharacteristic worry and sternness resting on her features. "Y'ain't about'a ruin all tha' hard work we jus' did, not on my watch."

"But... But-!"

"No buts, doll." Spinel replied firmly with a soft growl, frown deepening as Xana went stiffened and whimpered softly at the command. "Now ya listen an' ya listen good, toots. I could nevah' hate ya. Yer jus' gettin' lost in yer own head thinkin' like that, an' I ain't jivin' wit' it." Narrowing her vividly pink eyes, her hands cupped either side of the woman's face while her arms remained wrapped around her body. "Now, ansa' this fer me... Wouldya ever leave me o' yer own free will?"

The woman sniffled pitifully as she was forced to keep eye contact with the insistent gem before her. "I-I don't wanna, but-"

"Ah-ah! It's a yes o' no ansa'."

"...N-No, but I-"

"But nothin', doll. You worryin' 'bout this so much? That jus' tells me I made tha' right choice." She chuckled softly as she gave Xana's cheek a quick little nuzzle, smirking at her loud surprised sputtering. "I couldn't 'ave picked anyone bettah' ta fall in love with... You actually want me around, and we still have time left. Now... I know I ain't tha' best choice fer ya, that's a loooong shot. My only real healthy friendship's been wit' you, an' I-I wasn't exactly all that good ta ya in th' beginnin', but-"

"W-What...?! N-No... I certainly don't think that! Stars, Spinel, I've never felt more confident in who I am and w-what I can do before I met you. I feel like I can do a-anything as long as I'm by your side! You make feel like... Like..." Several tears trailed down her face as she sniffled again, glancing down with shame in her eyes. "Like I'm... Actually worth something..."

"Oh... Oh, Xana, babydoll..." Spinel murmured softly as gloved thumbs gently rubbed away the tears streaming down her hot cheeks. "Don't ya get it...? Yer worth everythin' ta me." The jester almost flinched as the words slipped out, but they were true and she wouldn't take them back. "Look, I won't... I won't lie ta ya and say this ain't hard for me, cause it is... M'not... good at this, ya know that. I don't trust easy, not anymore. But... When it comes ta you?" Her gaze locked onto Xana's, refusing to let go, refusing to be misconstrued. "Yer beautiful. Yer warm and... Soft and kind and passionate. You've neva' lied ta me, an' I can't tell ya jus' how much I appreciate that. I... Didn't like flowers before I met you, but the way ya talk 'bout 'em makes me want ta listen about 'em forevah'. With ya, I can jus'... be. I don't know exactly what tha' future will hold fer us..." She reached up to gingerly brush back some curls out of Xana's reddened face, "...but I do know that I nevah' want ta let go of ya. I'm... I'm not gonna force ya inta this, but... I wanna try. I wanna give ya tha' healthy relationship ya deserve, jus' like ya've done fer me... If you'll let me? M'gonna keep ya close an' l-love ya fer as long as ya live, you 'ear me? Jus'... Please," Spinel suppressed a sob of her own as her voice dipped into a whisper and her eyes fluttered shut, "...Please don't abandon me... Not willin'ly."

"Oh, sweetheart..." Xana whispered back, her drowned cobalt eyes glimmering oh-so prettily in the softening light of the room, "Only way I'd ever leave your side of my own accord now is if you tell me to."

"Nevah'." Spinel practically snarled in reply as her eyes opened to half-mast and Xana barely repressed a shiver at her tone as a wobbly love-sick smile slowly split her face.

"T-Then, heh... Guess you're stuck with me for the rest of my life, huh...~?"

"Heh... Hehe..." Slow soft chuckles began bubbling up from the gem's throat and gradually got louder as she loomed over her human, a large and absolutely delighted grin growing across her face. Her eyes promptly morphed into throbbing little hearts, and Xana felt her heart melt at the sight. "Hehehehehehahaha~!" The human squeaked as the cozy hug promptly became crushing, being dragged halfway into the smaller being's lap. She was sure it was a rather comical sight, considering she was at least a head taller than her precious... Fuck, exactly were they now? Girlfriend and Gemfriend? Sweethearts? Lovers was a big stretch, she felt naughty for even thinking of that one...

Was it too early to be worrying about this, they had literally just confessed, gosh Xana, you fucking spaz-

"G-Golly gee dollface~! This-haha~! T-This has gotta be the best day since my emergence!" All of a sudden she was up in the air and being twirled around in a circle, relieved and joyous laughter emanating from the both of them as they went. Spinel's arms were tightly wrapped around two of them, keeping them almost flush to each other's forms, and Xana had her arms thrown over her new beau's shoulders. She could feel herself getting dizzy, but she couldn't find the will to really care.

"Y-You're tellin' me~!" The woman managed to laugh out as she reached out to gently wipe away the tears that were beading in the corners of the gem's eyes, cooing softly. "Don't c-cry, sweetpea; I'm the crybaby here!"

"If ya think these are anythin' but relieved tears, yer dead wrong, Suga'! I'll cry enough fer both o' us~!" Spinel squeaked with a giggle, bouncing from foot to foot in her incredibly giddy excitement and making Xana's vertigo even worse. "Stars, I-! I can't believe ya want me... Like I do?! L-Like this~! This is the BEST day-"

"S-Spinny, I'm starting to get real dizzy now~!" The wily-haired woman squealed out, giggling through the feeling even as she felt her head swimming something awful. "Please, m-my head-"

"Oops! M'sorry Doll!" Screeching to a jarring halt certainly didn't help the woozy sensation at first; Xana could have sworn her eyes were spinning in their sockets as her head flopped backward with a groan. "O-Oh jeez-I'ma put ya down now, okay?" The pink rubber hoses for arms unwrapped quickly from around the two of them until the only part of Spinel touching her were oversized hands holding her up by the shoulders. She was gingerly lowered so her feet could make contact with the cushions but the moment she let go, Xana went tumbling backward onto the pillows. "X-Xana!"

"M'okay~..." The human giggled as she tried blinking away the vertiginous waves making the ceiling spin above her, splayed haphazardly over the softness beneath her. Now, this was quite a high. "Heehee~! Oh, g-gosh..."

"Ya sure yer a'ight?" Spinel tittered worriedly as she stretched to loom over the woman's downed form. "S-Stars, I hope I didn't break ya!"

Giggling louder, Xana shook her head with a snort, "Pfff, I'm fine. Just enjoying the view..." A random bolt of mischief streaking deviously through her mind as her eyes finally began to refocus onto Spinel's worried face, she smirked as excitement lit up her face as she realized a very very important thing. It wasn't exactly her best skill, all things considered, but even so...

She could FLIRT now, and it wouldn't be weird!

"Your room's not a bad sight either~." She finished cheekily, winking up at Spinel.

Said gem sighed in relief and opened her mouth to reply, only for the last part actually to register. She stared, open-mouthed, at the long, waving lashes and playful curl of her human's lips. Her gem gave a single pulse and then glowed, spreading a shade of slightly luminescent pink up her chest, up her neck, and all over her face. She blinked several times, spluttering with disbelief before squeaking in embarrassment as she began stuttering out words. "I- uh, the view- I mean- um..." Tried as she might to play it off though, her efforts were in vain. "W-W-Whaaaaa?!"

She has no business being that cute.

Unable to hide the absolutely delighted grin on her face, Xana hauled herself back up to a sitting position, crossed her legs, and leaned back onto her hands, her eyes falling half-lidded so she could stare up at the shell-shocked gem through her eye-lashes. Man, she hoped she didn't look as ridiculous as she felt. "Heh, what's wrong, Spinny~?" She half-cooed, raising a hand to gently grip the comedian by the wrist and pull her down to her eye level so she could gaze into those rosy eyes. "Human got your tongue~?"

'This is how I die.' Spinel thought with complete acceptance as she gaped at the beguiling human, steam whistling from her face. 'Shattered inta tiny pieces due ta gem self-combustion. Was a good run folks.'

Confidence was not a look Xana wore often, but oh did it suit her. She was enchanting, alluring in a way Spinel hadn't allowed herself to notice before. In the presence of such lovely magnificence, she felt awkward in her half-crouched, half-standing position. Her words left her entirely, eyes glittering widely with both awe and something else she was... hesitant to name.

.

..

...

...

Oh fuck, did I break her?

"Uhhhh... Spins?... Spinel honey, you still with me?" Xana asked with concern as a few moments of silence passed, her coy grin falling into a worried frown. "Stars, I'm sorry, was that too much...?" Her hands fluttered anxiously around Spinel's face, wondering if it would be rude to poke her in an attempt to snap out of it. "H-Heh, I know I'm a dream come true an' all, but come back down from Cloud Nine for me...?"

At those words, the gem snapped out of her dazed pipedream, eyes refocusing on directly on her human's worried face only about four inches from hers; this, as one would guess, only caused more of a flustered reaction-Her arms quickly wrapped around her small thin body before her hands covered her face as she reeled backward with an interesting-sounding strangled screech.

Ooookay, maybe that had been a bit too much...

"Wha... W-W-Wha-Wha-Wha-?!" Xana watched, perplexed and with no small amount of concern, as the stretchy jester just began to self-destruct in front of her. She nervously bit her lip as one hand extended towards her sharply, a pointer finger wavering a mere inch from her nose. She could feel herself going cross-eyed just by looking at it."What was that?!"

"What, you mean the flirting?"

"Yes, t-t-that!" Spinel whisper-screeched as her finger inched closer until it was gently pressed against Xana's button nose. Quite a juxtaposition to the sheer frenzy the comedian was currently displaying. "You've... Y-You've nevah' done t-that before?!"

"Hey, I've complimented you befo-"

"That's different! Those eyes ya made, t-that smile... There was a clear difference!"

"I-It's what romantic couples kinda just do with each other? W-Which we are now... I guess?" With a wince and a sigh, she felt regret starting to stir within her ribcage. "...I'm sorry, I've been holding back everything I've wanted to say about you ever since I realized I was in love so I... couldn't help it." The woman mumbled slightly with a blush, twiddling her fingers while watching the alien's face flush a deep red. "H-Hey, listen, all I want is for you to be comfortable, so if you, ah, wouldn't want me to do that anymore just let me kno-"

"No!" The loud and firm denial was so vehemently sudden that Xana couldn't help but flinch back with shock at the volume change. Her new beau yanked her hand back quickly, the gem's expression seemingly ladened with conflict and desperation. "N-No, no, nononono, I-I! I l-l-liked it...! I-It's jus' that- I-, uh, well-Aaagh!" Her hands gripped her head tightly as she released a loud frustrated groan before sinking to her knees with a hiss. "Words! Feelings! What are they?!"

'Oh gosh, that's such a mood.' The idle thought flitted involuntarily through the woman's head as she watched Spinel's struggle flash across her face with an awkward knowing smile. "Hey, hey it's okay... I get it. If this was the other way around, I'd pretty much be a mess too." She chuckled softly, curling up to make herself look smaller for the Gem who was watching her timidly through her fingers. "This is pretty new for both of us... So, y-y'know there's bound to be some bumps along the way while we figure things out. More than anything, I just wanna make sure I don't make you uncomfortable with anything I do..."

"...I, um, heh... D-Don't think that's really possible..." Was the muttered response as the entertainer unwound her rubbery arms from around herself, letting them flop every which way onto the ground. She pointed a smile, wobbly and even a little bit nervous, at the human in front of her, her blush dimming only slightly in brightness. "M'nevah' anymore comfy than I am wit' you... You could literally do anythin' ya wanted ta me, an' I probably wouldn't complain at all."

...Well, now Xana was short-circuiting. "O-Oh my Stars, Spinel, sweetpea, ya can't just... say that to people...!"

"...But m'not? I'm sayin' it ta you." Spinel responded in a rather confused tone, raising a brow back at the spluttering organic being. "I wouldn't jus' say somethin' like that ta some rando, sweetheart; Ya know me well 'nough by now ta know that. I... I trust ya, though."

"There is no way you could trust me that much." The cocoa-skinned woman hissed disbelievingly, causing the alien to gain an odd look on her face.

"...I'd let ya touch my Gem." The human felt her jaw drop open incredulously as the jester promptly chuckled in embarrassment, raising a hand to rub at the back of her neck. "H-Heh, ah, s'actually r-really embarrassin' admittin' that out loud... But anyway, uh... M'sure ya know I don't have 'ny experience with this. An' that ain't even factorin' in how love as a concept jus' really got introduced ta Gemkind."

Somehow managing to not burst into tears at the sheer honored feeling welling up sharply within her chest, Xana couldn't help but give a watery giggle, nodding in understanding as she tentatively crawled closer to Spinel. They exchanged shy and somewhat skittish looks as she stopped in closer proximity, their knees now touching, and took one of the hands that were within reach into her grasp. "I only have a little real-life experience myself, and... Well, it wasn't anything memorable. And I'm not a Gem either, so... I'm sure that complicates things to a degree. B-But boundaries are a good thing to have, and I'm sure I have some for myself; so it's only fair that as we move forward, you set limits for me as you find them too. I'd never want to do anything that makes you feel unsafe around me."

The gem smiled bashfully as she giggled along, hesitating for a second before looping her arms around them both several times and nuzzling into her human's neck, "O-Okay... Seriously though, I liked the, uh, flirtin'. Feels... Nice." She murmured, blushing as her human's face promptly lit up with glee. "M'not sure how this kinda thing works fer humans, soooo yer gunna haveta teach me. That's fine with me though-M'always happy ta learn new stuff from ya."

...

Xana could practically feel the devil horns growing on her head as those words registered. Try as she might, it was much too late to hide the devious tone her giggles had gained.

Spinel was quick to notice.

"...Why're ya soundin' like that all o' a sudden...?" She asked oddly as her eyes flickered up to look at the human attempting to paste a saintly expression onto her face.

"I dunno what you meeeean~?" The human sang, batting her eyes innocuously.

She wasn't buying it.

"Uh-huh." The gem returned flatly, eyeing her suspiciously before huffing and returning to her original position of snuggled into the woman's neck. Leery or not, she was enjoying the physical waaaay too much to complain at the moment.

Xana glanced down at Spinel's happy expression pressed into her neck and gained a sly smile. "So, uh... Teach you, huh~?"

Or maybe she spoke a bit too soon.

"...Yeeeeees?" The pink comedian replied, feeling her eyes narrow. "Is that an issue, Doll...?

Leaning forward with impish intent, the woman spoke with an innocence that was way too chipper for the jester's liking. "Oh, not at all~. I suppose lil' ole me can whip up a few lessons for ya!" Hooding her eyes, her smile widened into a grin as she nuzzled Spinel's face in return. "Want your first oooone~?"

...Did Spinel just spring a trap? It sure felt like she did. Xana's tone of voice was absolutely much too cheerful to be genuine.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your view), before she could open her mouth the nuzzling had stunned her back into silence. Touch starvation was a bitch. She felt a deep affection rise at the contact, so she ended up just nodding her head in response. She was entirely too curious for her own good anyway.

Xana, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic. "Well then; before we begin! You always tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable or you otherwise don't like, understand?" She said seriously, wrapping her arms tight around Spinel's waist and staring down at the gem intensely. "Promise me, okay?"

"I..." Said gem was taken aback by the sudden shift in attitude, but nodded once again regardless, "A'ight... I promise."

Searching her eyes until she was sure the message had been received, Xana smiled reassuringly. "Good! Then, lesson number one! As your... uh... Hm... More-than-friend, let's go with that for now, yeah, as your More-Than-Friend, I reserve the right to fluster your cuteness and you, me!" She chirped before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Spinel's forehead. She would keep that as a hard limit unless Spinel specifically said she wanted more; she didn't want to overwhelm the sweetie. "Like so~!"

The human woman had to fight extremely hard to not burst out into giggles at the sight of her gem's face promptly going slack with shock.

"Eh?" Spinel blinked as a hand raised to touch her forehead, cheeks blooming a dark glowing pink."Eh?"

Why...

Why was that so much?

Gems were more absorbers of heat than creators of it-It was a big reason why Spinel liked to hug Xana so much. Her warmth was seeping into her hardlight body even now, but its gentle incandescence was nothing compared to the new blazing spot of fire now centered on her forehead. She knew of kisses, vaguely. She had seen it in some movies she had watched with Steven during sleepovers, had even seen the occasional pair of gems in Little Homeworld do it... But she'd never imagined it would have felt like this.

If her eyes were sporting stars or hearts at that moment, she wouldn't have been surprised.

'Cutest. Thing. Ever.' Feeling lighter than a feather with all of the tension broken and her feelings out in the open, Xana felt herself relax completely, her face looking particularly smug as she watched Spinel... Essentially buffer like a Youtube video while processing her emotions. Humming softly as she looked over the bright magenta on her cheeks, she grinned.

Oh yeah. I could get used to this.

"Take your time, sweetheart." The human cooed, chuckling softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Those last words seemed to be what she needed to snap out of it though, glittering wonder-filled eyes refocusing excitedly on the curly-haired being's face as her hands went to grip the woman's arms, "Do it again~!"

'...Oh my.'

A slight blush spread across Xana's cheeks as she blinked, before grinning as she rose a brow in surprise. "Really? You sure?"

Spinel's flush darkened but she paid it no mind, nodding perhaps a bit too eagerly in return.

"Well... How can I deny such a cutie~?" Listening to the gem squeak loudly in delight, Xana couldn't help but chuckle. She didn't exactly know where this new confidence of hers was coming from (maybe because Spinel was even more clueless about this than she was?) but the human woman couldn't say she disliked it. She lifted a hand to cup Spinel's cheek, rubbing it gently with a thumb and holding back for a little just to tease; just as she was about to start squirming impatiently, she then placed an even softer kiss against the gem's opposite cheek, grinning at the consequential sharp intake of breath. "Mmm... There. How's that?"

"O-Oh stars, I didn't think it could get bettah' but it did!" A warm softness on one cheek and a sun on the other and her forehead. A large hand came up to cover Xana's, the gem giving her a delighted smile which was returned tenfold. "I-Is it always like this?"

"Mmm, I wouldn't know sweetie." The cobalt-eyed woman shrugged, lips twisted up in an apologetic smile. "I haven't really... kissed or been kissed anyone before, soooo... I'm just as in the dark about it as you are." She snickered loudly at the responding look of disbelief she was promptly leveled with. "No, seriously. No one important to me's ever wanted a kiss from me, and I've never met anyone I wanted to kiss until you. First kisses are kinda important to humans; I didn't want to give away the experience to just anybody, y'know?"

Hm. That last part made sense to Spinel, at least. Xana was particular like that. As for the rest, she was of two minds; On one hand, she was offended on Xana's behalf and on the other? Well, that just meant all the more for her!

But that also meant something that bothered her...

After a long moment of deliberating on this knowledge, she leaned in and softly pressed her own lips to her human's cheek, keeping contact for a good few seconds before pulling back with a flourish. "Like dat? Did I do it right?"

Xana, not having expected any reciprocation for at least a good while, felt her breath catch as she felt the temperate feeling of Spinel's lips against her own cheek, her mind and heart skipping a beat in unison as she blinked, stunned. She took a deep stabilizing inhale before releasing a soft breathless laugh of glee, her face exploding with a deep red color. "Yeah... Yeah, you did it p-perfectly honey~!"

Spinel's smile brightened further, lighting up her whole face as she giggled with immense joy, "I learn quickly!"

"Haha, yeah... Y-Yeah, you sure do~!" Taking another deep deep breath to try and make the giddiness bubbling inside her settle, Xana stared down at her sweet little gem fondly, biting at her lower lip. If someone had told her that the day would have headed in this direction, she would have thought they were insane. Even now, as she mused over their mutual confession that took place minutes ago, she could have tricked herself into believing it had all just been a hallucination.

She blinked then, her next thought coming to her randomly. It caused her to feel a bit... shy. "Hey... Spinel?" She spoke quietly, as if not wanting to break the sweet spell they both seemed to be under by being too loud, "When did it all... Start? The... feelings, I mean. If you don't wanna talk about it, that's totally okay, I'm just... curious. Wanted to compare, a bit..."

Spinel blinked her eyes slowly at the question, taking her time to register the question and formulate a response. "Hmmmmm," She thought back to their many meetings, to how they'd started and how they'd ended, and tried to focus on how she'd been feeling during those moments. There had been... quite a lot. "...The warmth started... Not long after we met. I guess I started noticin' whenever we touched, how nice it was. Ya warmed me up from the outside and eventually, I started feelin' it inside too. And then you got prettier and nicer and more wonderful every day. Or... well, not that, you've always been that great; I guess I just started noticin' those things. And that you make me real happy!" She proclaimed with a grin, tilting her head back to make eye contact.

"...Oh." Xana looked away as her face flushed red, but nothing could stop the pleased smile that took her lips. All that time and she hadn't noticed...? Guess she really was that oblivious. "...Guess I'm the slow one here, but hey, we already knew that, huh?" She gave an embarrassed chuckle, reaching up to comb her fingers through Spinel's soft locks.

The jester giggled in return, quick to nuzzle the hand with a content expression. "And what 'bout you, Suga'?

"Ah, well... I think, for me, the deeper feelings started when you kept me safe from Dad? But I only really figured it out about six months or so ago, back when I-"

The woman cut herself off suddenly as she thought back on a day she had spent with the Crystal Gems while Spinel was gone, eyes going wide and face turning an interesting shade of crimson. She sputtered for a moment or two, then she shook her head furiously. "Uhhhhhh, you know what, nevermind!" She squeaked, clearly mortified by whatever she was remembering. "F-Forget I said anything...!"

Pfft, like the Gem was going to let it go now.

An extremely interested look compounded by a slightly raised eyebrow was the responding expression she received. "When you what?"

"N-Nothing!"

"Nah, ya can't just say that an' expect me ta let it go! C'moooooon, Xana! When ya whaaaaaat?" She started needling with a smile, poking the squishy human body once in the side, "Tell meeeeeeee~!"

"Hey-" The human lurched involuntarily before glaring down at a very mischievous looking Gem raising her hands and wiggling her fingers threateningly, "Hey, no, don't, you know I'm tickliiiiIIIIISH, AHAHAHA, OH MY STARS, NO STAAAAHP-" Bursting out into forced laughter as she was suddenly assaulted with gentle jabs against her body, she flailed with the effort to get away, although she already knew it was all for naught. Curling into a ball and collapsing onto the pillows in a vain attempt to save herself, she laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes, wrapping one arm protectively around her midsection while her other hand waved feebly at Spinel in a futile attempt to try and catch at least one hand. "Nooooohohohohoooo, please, have mercyyyyyyyy~!"

"Nevaaaaaahhh'!" Spinel cackled as she loomed over her downed victim, now purposefully going all the ticklish spots she knew of; and there were quite a few. "Not 'til I know tha' truth! Speak, woman! When ya what? When ya what?!" She was perhaps having a bit too much fun with this and needed to remind herself not to go overboard or else her human wouldn't be able to breathe. She'd learned that from experience.

A particularly enlightening day in regards to human sensations.

"Okay~! Okayokayokay, I'll tell you, just p-pleeeeeeeeease~! Sssstaaaaaaaaaahp!" Swiping up the largest pillow within reach (about the size of her torso, wow) and holding it protectively over her body as a shield, the woman wheezed with hysterical pants as she tried to catch her breath. Her face flushed, smile wide and eyes lined with tears, Xana peeked over the edge of the pillow with a soft whimper to make eye contact with her jolly aggressor.

"Ya bettah'~! I ain't above ticklin' you again, toots!"

"Eep! Okay! J-Just... promise me ya won't l-laugh at me..."

"Hmmmmhmhmhm~" Mirth and mischief sparkled in Spinel's eyes as she lowered herself from her prime attack position, but still hovering some inches above Xana, "I promise I won't laugh at you, but I can't promise I won't laugh~!" She replied with a giggle.

Groaning slightly but realizing that was probably the best she was gonna get, the human curled up further under her pillow, leaving only her eyes and up visible. She looked away, blushing, and absolutely unaware of how adorable a sight she made. "...Remember that time I told you about the Crystal Gems taught me about fusion and how excited I was about it? And then how I said I was so embarrassed after, that I avoided them for about a week...? Well, I didn't... Exactly tell you everything about that day." She murmured, clutching the pillow tighter.

With a slight flush rising to her cheeks at the sight, the gem shifted a bit closer, hands coming down on the pillow to support her weight and inadvertently framing Xana's shoulders in the process. "Rings a bell, yea. Do tell~" The words dripped from her lips like honey but sparked in the air between them like spice, and her eyes twinkled with a fond kind of interest.

Xana's breath hitched at the lessened space between them, keeping her eyes firmly on the pillow in her grip. "...The Crystal Gems had been showing off and stuff, ya know? Even Volley and Connie was there! I was jumping and running around with all of them, being my dorky self; you know how I am. I really liked Opal and Sardonyx! But then... Steven and Connie fused and I met Stevonnie." Xana sighed, a small smile on her face as she remembered, continuing her ramble. "I had been so shocked you know? I didn't know Humans could do that stuff, and you know me; I had immediately started asking if I could join in."

"Hehe, yeah, that sounds like ya!"

With a pout and a deeper blush, the human woman squirmed in her current position. "But that's when they told me that humans couldn't fuse with a Gem. About... How much it meant to a Gem to fuse with another. How in the past the only reason Gems fused was to fight bigger problems they couldn't handle alone, and even then it was never two different types of Gems; that is, until recently. And then Garnet told me the best reason for Gems to fuse was for love like Ruby and Sapphire did. Steven had noticed I was disappointed and told me the only reason he could fuse with humans was that he was half-human himself. And then he said that if I really wanted to see how it felt, he'd be willing to fuse with me." Xana went a bit quiet then, glancing up at an attentive Spinel before looking away again timidly. "I... I wanted to, but... I decided against it."

"Oh..." The smile on the comedian's face shrunk but did not disappear, gaze turning thoughtful.

Fusion, huh? Spinel herself had never actually fused with anyone, not the Diamonds, not even Steven. It seemed like too intimate an affair for her, something that required an immense amount of trust if done properly. To allow yourself to melt and merge with someone else and create somebody entirely new? The thought was almost terrifying.

But...

"Ahhh, now I'm disappointed. If there was anyone I would've liked to fuse with..." The small alien glanced down at the cobalt-eyed human with an affectionate smile, "...It'd definitely be you."

"...hhhhhhhhhhhh, why you gotta go and say something that sweet, huh?!" Xana promptly whined into the pillow, wrapping her arms fully around it and hugging it tighter to herself in an attempt to bare the... Startlingly giddy feeling of happiness and fluster bubbling in her chest. "I was gonna say that...! I had had the thought that if the first person I could share the experience with wasn't you, then... I'd rather just not do it at all... And that's when it hit me!" She confessed, throwing her head back with her cheeks feeling as hot as a coal stove; unaware of the stunned expression the pink jester gained. "And somehow, someway, even though I hadn't said a damn thing other than 'no thanks', every single one of them had this knowing look on their faces like they just knew I was thinking about you. Amethyst had even said, 'It's about damn time!'" With an embarrassed whine, she threw her hands up before using them to cover her face. "Every single time I saw one of them after, they just had this smug smile on their face. Even Garnet! It's like the whole universe knew I was in love with you before I did!"

The sentence startled a laugh out of Spinel before, the sound light and clear; an expression of joy in its purest form. It wasn't the prettiest laugh, but by the stars was it the most sincere laughter that had ever slipped past her lips. Still struggling with the occasional chuckle after several moments, she put her whole weight on one arm and lifted the other to gently coax the pillow out of her human's hesitant grip. She could feel a bubble of soft fondness and something else hot and velvety that she could almost put a name to settle behind her gem, expanding until it felt fit to burst. Finally, the pillow came free from reluctant hands and the gem set it aside, moving her hand to carefully shift a stray curl from Xana's face while her gaze softening and smile widening.

"If even tha' universe knew... I guess we were jus' meant ta be, huh?"

Something instinctual inside Xana shivered pleasantly at those words as the pillow was taken from her hands, and the woman was sure if her cheeks went any redder than they already were, she could pass for a tomato. The sound of Spinel's laughter was just... music to her ears. It could be the only thing she could listen to for the rest of her life, and she'd still never get tired of it. "...Yeah... I guess we were~..." She whispered back, eyes slightly wide and unmoving from her sweetheart's face, just taking in the happy expression and gentle smile. Every time the little jester smiled, her heart fluttered with all the fervor of a hummingbird.

Her gaze fell to the gem's lips for just a second, thin and pink, feeling herself swallow a bit harshly.

If she leaned up just a little bit...

In order to distract herself from doing anything Spinel might regret, Xana felt around the cushions for the brush she had let go of and upon her fingertips brushing against it, brought it up to offer to Spinel with a small shy smile. "...Here. All yours, like promised. O-Oh! And," She quickly reached out for the mirrors nearby as well, scooping them up and offering them to the elastic being, "You can even keep these as a consolation prize, h-heh!"

Yes, Xana knew the offering was abrupt, but she panicked in order to keep from doing something stupid; cut her a bit of slack.

The gem blinked, almost startled out of the lenitive atmosphere by the sudden tonal shift. Her rosy eyes drifted from Xana's face to the brush and mirrors, "...Rocks, I completely fergot 'bout these!" With a ginger hand, she took the objects from the human's grasp and inspected them thoughtfully. "...You know, I started collecting a few of your things because... I dunno, I wanted to be close to you even when we were apart... Or somethin'."

"O-Oh yeah~?" The woman cooed in a flattered tone, giggling at the soft blush rising back to Spinel's cheeks.

"Yeah... M'sorry fer doin' that by tha' way; I meant ta give it all back eventually but whenever I tried ta force myself ta do it, I just... always ended up chickenin' out. Ya hadn't mentioned any of it, and I really didn't wanna make ya mad at me."

"Hehe. I know I should be at least be irritated with you about it," The alien winced at those words as she extended her arm far to the side to place the objects she now properly and officially owned onto a cluttered ledge as carefully as she could, "but I just can't bring myself to feel that way. You should have told me you took them, yeah, but more than anything, I guess I feel... strangely flattered?" The curly-haired femme shrugged a bit as Spinel glanced back at her, an intrigued look on her face. "Besides, I'm an absent-minded dumbass; If I had somehow just misplaced everything that had gone missing, I wouldn't have been surprised."

"Really? Self-deprecation, dollface? Right in front o' me?" The stretchy entertainer looked properly outraged at this transgression, frowning as Xana simply snorted and shrugged as if to say 'What ya gonna do'? "And in my room no less. Unacceptable."

"Pfff. Sorry, sorry~." The dark woman waved off with a giggle, raising a brow teasingly as Spinel promptly puffed out her cheeks like she was an angry pufferfish.

'Drastic times call for drastic measures-'

"Hmph. Ya know, I almost feel bad now," Pretending to act dismissive, she waited for Xana to glance up at her curiously before smirking, "Gettin' ta keep yer things don't feel like much of an accomplishment anymore... Not when I've got the grand prize right in front of me." She teased, her expression twisting smugly.

The curly-haired woman blinked absently before her face blew up with crimson coloring, her mouth opening and closing incredulously. "E-E-Excuse me...?!"

"Did I stuttah'? Here ya are, right where I want cha, an' rejectin' the nice things I have ta say about ya. If ya keep twisting my fuse... Well," A gleefully deep chuckle escaped the overzealous pink slinky as her grin widened, "I'll jus' haveta tell ya how great ya are until you believe it."

Xana blushed deeper at the suddenly dominant shift in Spinel's voice before turning her head away defiantly. "Pfff. Your threats don't work on me, sweetpea!"

"Ohhh, Xana, Xana, Xana~. That wasn't a threat, ya silly dame," She tsked in a chiding manner, her rosy eyes falling hooded by shiny black lids as she ran a finger gently over the soft line of the woman's jaw, "That was a promise."

Making a sound that could only be described as an audible keysmash, the organic glanced away timidly before crossing her arms and puffing back up with a pout. Stubbornly, she doubled down. "I-If this is to intimidate me into accepting your compliments, i-it's not gonna work!"

"Oh, won't it though~?" Spinel slowly drew closer to the other, her smug expression remaining unchanged in the face of Xana's skeptical scoffing before continuing. "My grand prize, the attention-grabber, the spotlight of the show! Yer things are lovely, but they're only made so because yooouuu handled them! Oh, to be one o' yer mirrors, ta show ya how beautiful ya are every time you looked in my direction~!"

...

Oh no.

Inhaling sharply, cobalt blue eyes went wide with flustered horror-This had taken a sharp turn into a direction she hadn't expected, and the human had a feeling this wasn't going to end well for her. "Oh my Stars. Spinel." She hissed as she felt the apples of her cheeks heat with a tingling fire. "No. Don't."

"Don't whaaaat~?" Oh, the gem knew exactly what she was doing. "Don't tell ya what a blessin' you are? Don't tell ya jus' how much I appreciate yer presence in my life? Hon, if I stop doin' that now, I've obviously been kidnapped and replaced by an evil clone!"

"You sure that hadn't happened already and I just didn't notice?" Xana indignantly squeaked out, her expression clearly portraying a high amount of embarrassment as she pointedly turned her head away with a whine. "Doooon't, I mean it, stahp."

Spinel's smug expression gained more than a hint of mischief as she stretched her neck out so she could keep looking Xana in the face. "M'absolutely, positively sure! But now you tell me- are you suuuure you want me to stop? Because you're amazin', and you deserve to be told such at least once every ten seconds, and yer adorable squeaking is only making me want to tell ya mooore~!"

"Noooooooo~!" The human moaned with mock despair as she whipped her head away in the other direction, lifting her hands up to cover her reddened face. She even tried to use some errant locks of her hair to cover what her fingers could not as a rather ineffective curtain. "Hhhhhhhhhh, Spinnyyyy, staaaaaahp!"

"I dunnoooooo," the gem sang lightly, sliding closer to lightly tug at her human's hands in a playful way, "Maaaybe you could convince me to stop for a short time, but eventually I'm gonna be overwhelmed by your beauty again, and what then? Your gorgeous self, unable to escape the flurry of compliments that you very much deserve!"

"Desist." Xana growled out in fluster, snatching a hand away and desperately reaching for a pillow to hold protectively as a shield between their faces, as if it would do anything to stop the words being launched teasingly in her direction. "Cease and desist, this is slander! Libel! I demand a lawyer!"

"Well suga', you know what they say in those cop shows; 'anything you say can and will be used against you~'!" Spinel draped herself over the other, poking at the pillow while making sure she could be heard loud and clear. "Let's look at what ya just said, fer example. Ya demand a lawyer? Mmm, I like it when you're assertive, doll~."

This was Hell. Xana just knew Spinel was going to make her life hell by flustering her every chance she got now. Her face was going to be stained permanently red in two weeks, tops.

...Well, if she was gonna do it-

Narrowing her eyes playfully over the pillow before tossing it away, the woman smirked as her eyes gleamed with mischief and quickly brought her legs up to wrap around the pink Gem's waist. Making sure her grip was firm enough (her thunder thighs actually came in handy for something, hell yeah), she took the Spinel's surprise to her advantage and flipped the two of them over so that their positions were switched. The gem had squeaked the yelped at the manhandling, grunting softly as her back hit the cushions and she realized their positions wee now reversed. Bracing her hands on either side of Spinel's head, Xana giggled deviously as she stared down at her Gem with half-lidded eyes. "So, you like it when I'm assertive, do ya?" She purred out, voice a little more sultry than it's ever been and curls framing her pretty face. "Well, Honey Bunny, how could I ever have allowed myself to deprive you of such a thing...? Shame on me, really~."

...

Whoa.

Spinel sucked in a quiet breath as she stared up at the sneaky woman, wide-eyed. Their torsos were so close together she could almost feel the vibrations of speech as Xana spoke, and yet again her gem released a pulse; then another, before a pink luminescent flush spread over her body. It left her gasping despite the fact that she didn't need air, and what little air flowing between them quickly grew warm and dizzying.

She wanted to-

To...

...Spinel wasn't really sure what she wanted, but she knew she wanted it now.

Xana's eyes were wild, twinkling with heady vindicated intent in the shadow her hair cast over her face, her smirk wavering in between something akin to confidence and fluster.

The move was really out of character for her, she knew, but she just couldn't help herself when it came to the jester! The teasing had gotten past her usual defenses! Her smiles, her laughter, her blush, that surprised look in her rosy eyes whenever Xana did something that impressed her... She could feel the pounding of her heart in her head, coaxing her, leading her towards...

Her eyes flickered involuntarily to Spinel's lips.

Stars, she really was in deep when it came to this Gem, huh?

"...Heh. Nothing to say anymore~? What happened? That human got your tongue again...?" She murmured quietly, her tone deepening into something... provocative. "...If not, I can fix that for ya if you want~."

Spinel was staring. She knew she was staring. But for the sake of her Gem, she couldn't stop. She felt as though she was overheating somehow, the slightly glowing full-body blush refusing to fade.

She had only a vague idea of what her human was talking about, but oh she was intrigued. Something, a feeling or a thought, made her push her chin upwards just the slightest bit and tilt her head sideways just to seem cute.

Watching the face above hers from under her long lashes, the gem's voice came out as nearly a whisper, "And how would you do that?"

"Mmm, well, that's a good question, Spinny..." Xana hummed back, absolutely bloody delighted that Spinel decide to play along. The woman adjusted herself so that only one hand was holding up her loom over the Gem's form, the other coming up to gently cup her cheek, thumb rubbing gently against those attractive black streaks. "And you know? I think we can go into your second lesson about romancing a human while I explain~." Chuckling lowly, she lowered her face further so the very tips of their noses were touching. She could feel the anticipation mounting in her veins, giving her a boost in confidence she very desperately needed.

"You see, hon... Kissing is a big part of being in a relationship for some. It's a very intimate thing to do." The human murmured, stretching her fingers a little so she could wrap a strand or two of the gem's wild hair around her fingertips. With the strands splayed around her head like a saturated halo, Spinel really looked like an angel... "And of course, where you put those kisses can mean different things. You've already felt what they were like on your cheeks and forehead... Friends and family could kiss you there, and no one would find it weird. But in a place such as, say... your lips?" Xana grinned then, her eyes flickering up to make contact with Spinel's. "Only romantic partners do that~. So if you'd like to figure out how it feels... I'd be happy to oblige whenever you'd like~."

A soft considering hum was the response as carmine eyes flickered attentively over Xana's face. "Humans are so weird, giving meaning to every little thing..."

"Mm, maybe..." The woman conceded with an amused smile, eyes flashing with mischievous intent as she tilted her head to the side and smugly placed a small kiss to the line of Spinel's rounded jaw, snickering at the consequent gasp she earned. "Buuuuut it has its advantages~."

The gem felt her face heat further, the sly move causing her mind to stutter and skip a beat. Her human, of course, had not been wrong. Thinking deeply for a moment, she brought her hand up to frame Xana's flushed cheek, trying to mirror the hand on her own face. It felt like their bodies shared a wild sort of static, like a premonition of lightning. Never had she felt such anticipation about learning something new before. She felt her lips curve upwards into a coy smile, gazing into beautiful eyes framed by dark lashes. "Show me?" The not-quite-question caressed its way out of smiling lips to hover between them leaving a tangible tension in the air; it felt strangely flammable, where just one spark could have the whole room up in flames.

Xana shuddered as something, (she wasn't sure what but it felt intoxicating) buzzed between their connected bodies, drawing them closer to each other as if they were magnified. Something hot and triumphant flashed through Xana's ultramarine eyes at Spinel's request, a giddy cross of a smirk and a grin taking her lips.

Oh Stars, this was the moment Xana had been dreaming about for months. She almost couldn't believe it was happening...

"It'd be my pleasure, darling~. Just remember what you promised me, okay?" She whispered, their lips only just barely touching as she sucked in a deep breath.

"Mh-hm." Spinel murmured absently as their faces drew closer, closer, so very close it was almost maddening-

"Good. We'll take this slow..." With one last reassuring look, her eyes fell shut as she leaned in completely, pressing her warm lips softly against Spinel's own with a mere whisper of noise.

And the gem's mind promptly blanked.

Oh.

...

...Oh.

...

This was...

Spinel didn't know how to describe it.

However much her forehead and cheek had blazed with the heat of the human's touch just a few minutes ago, it was nothing compared to the pleasant, aching burning of her lips now.

Xana's lips felt soft and delicate and damp against her own, and she felt a push of warmth and affection and want that spread from the point of contact throughout her whole body. It caused her to relax almost involuntarily, her filaments easing yet still utterly fizzing with giddy electricity. Their lips met at an angle, and it felt like they fit perfectly together. The static was there between them once again, multiplied tenfold; a wild, uncontrollable feeling. With every minor shift, she adjusted herself; learning, processing, performing, and eventually ceasing to think altogether, minimizing the space between them the only thing on her mind.

Spinel's lips were firmer than Xana's, which was both surprising and unsurprising to her. They didn't have the same heat as her own, but they weren't at all cold-In fact, she could have sworn that they were warming up the longer their lips stayed meshed against each other. Xana inhaled quietly through her nose as the pressure increased, though it was not because she herself deepened it; she made a noise of delighted shock, a soft light note of a sound as Spinel expressed her enjoyment by pressing closer to her, prompting her hand to move from her cheek to the nape of her neck; gently making sure she couldn't back away just yet. "Mm~..."

The gem trembled as the noise registered in her head, heat pulsing within her gem with a rhythm of an intense heartbeat. It sounded so... risque for some reason, and Spinel really liked it. Did the kiss feel that good to Xana? Was Spinel really the reason why she was enjoying herself so much right now? It sounded almost ludicrous to the self-conscious alien, but she had to be, right...? Her human was clutching at her so tightly...

Just to hear that sound again, Spinel tilted her head back a bit in the kiss, increasing the pressure between their locked lips.

"Mmn~!"

Ah~. There it was, just the sound she wanted to hear. Spinel smiled into the caress, eyes finally falling shut so she could focus entirely on it. The hand on Xana's cheek slowly shifted until her fingers were slightly entangled in the hair behind her ear while her other hand lifted without conscious command, hovering without purpose before it landed on her side, fitting snugly in the curve of her waist.

Xana could feel her heart beating out a harsh rhythm in her chest; if she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was trying to escape. She kept the movements of her lips gentle and soft despite the building want of more, her fingers entangling with the gem's magenta tresses as soft quiet sounds of enjoyment left her.

All too soon for her liking, however, the slight ache of her lungs complaining about the lack of air began to make itself known. Though she gave a soft whimper of disappointment, she gave one last peck before slowly pulling back, soft pants leaving her as she struggled to regain her breath. Her eyes fluttered back open, irises hazy and opaque with strong emotions as she stared through hooded eyes, her face hot and painted a pretty shade of crimson. Her tongue flicked slowly over her bottom lip, attempting to get the faint sweet taste lingering (how?) before managing to speak a single word.

"W...W-Wow..."

Embarrassingly enough, Spinel whined when their lips parted and she found herself chasing Xana's retreat for a few centimeters before halting to watch her pant, hazy eyed and rosy-cheeked and altogether lovely. Her gem was thrumming in pleasure, almost pulsating in her chest. Her lashes fluttered as she heard her speak and even as dazed as she was, she managed to sport a smirk. "Did... D-Did I do good~?"

"...For lack of a better phrase... Hell yes." Xana murmured back, a responding smirk taking her face as her eyes flickered over Spinel's countenance; all flushed and dazed and delicious looking, it was so damn unfair, it should have been illegal to look that pretty. A giggle bubbling up in her chest, she let her fingers rub gentle circles against Spinel's scalp as she panted softly for air. "...I... G-Gosh, Spins, I had always heard about how good that'd be with someone you love, but... Still..." She exhaled shakily, a breathless laugh leaving her as her eyes scanned every inch of her Gem's gorgeous face.

Soon, a challenging look appeared in her stormy eyes. "...So... Whatcha think? Too much~? Or do ya want more~...?"

Spinel giggled right along, the hand in Xana's dark curls tightening around a fistful just slightly, "Oh, I'm not th' one gaspin' for air, Toots~" She defied mischievously, riding on the high of the kiss and enthusiastic, approving praise. Obviously, she must have done something right. It certainly felt that way.

"You can't tease me for a human limitation, that's not very fair~." The woman cooed back, nuzzling her nose gently against Spinel's cute small one.

"I nevah' said I'd play fair..." Spinel muttered a bit petulantly, giggling as she promptly got a playful scowl in return.

"Still... I bet I can still take some of your breath away~." Xana chuckled out, letting her eyes fall half-lidded. "I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve after all."

Immediately perking up in interest at her words the jester released an exaggerated gasp, "You were holdin' out on me? How dare you!" She tried to keep a frown in place but the corners of her mouth kept twitching upwards.

"Didn't want to overwhelm ya and cross a boundary~. S'important to me and all; Gotta keep you comin' back for more!" Xana chuckled, grinning amusedly down at the dynamo still pinned underneath her. "Cause if I had my way...? You wouldn't be able to even think right now..." She purred out, reaching up to remove a stray strand of hair from her face.

Spinel glowed a bit brighter as she leaned into the touch, the hand at Xana's waist coming up to cup her other cheek, gently caressing it, to try and play off how those words kept flustering her. "Like I said earlier-I'd love anythin' you'd do ta me. Besides... I don't think I could evah' get enough of ya," she confessed, the words tearing themselves from her throat before she could stop them.

Blinking slowly, Xana felt her grin widen across her face and leaned in quickly, her hand grasping just a bit tighter at the back of Spinel's head. Her lips were so close, that her breath whisped gently over hers.

"Well, in that case... I'd hold on if I were you~." With an exhilarated giggle, her lips sealed over Spinel's once again with a warm passion.

Spinel gasped as cushy lips were passionately pressed against hers once again, taken by surprise. Even so, this time around she wasted no time in recovering and kissing back, pulling herself up by the hands around Xana's face as her weight lay on her shoulders. Humans were always so warm, but this went well beyond that. She felt like any moment, something between them would spark and she'd be lit afire.

And she was loving every second of it.

Chuckling with delight at Spinel's quick response, the human allowed herself to sit up, her now free arm wrapping around the gem's thin waist and swooping her up out from under her and placing her on her soft lap. A squeak slipped out between their lips as she was settled upright, her legs came down to straddle Xana's own as they were pressed together in a heated haze. Deep blue eyes flickered up mischievously, smirking against her firmer lips. Xana raised a brow, as if daring her to say a word of protest while totally aware Spinel had no problem at all with being manhandled. Her arms, while delicate in comparison to the rosy rascal, seemed as strong as steel girders as they circled the gem's waist and pressed her flush to her front, giving her bottom lip a playful nip with her teeth before smoothing over the tender area with the tip of her tongue.

The spark.

A bonfire.

Spinel released an involuntary moan at Xana's ministrations, every point of contact between them burning and blazing and crackling with almost tangible electricity in the most pleasing way imaginable. Her gloved hands slipped past her cheeks to tangle fully into Xana's wild, irresistible mane, clenching tight within the curly tresses to keep her from moving away even a centimeter.

Whoa. Xana's body hummed with bliss upon hearing that sound coming from her, desire popping and buzzing furiously wherever they were touching. A hand splayed protectively and even a tiny bit possessively against the small of the gem's back, the action keeping their bodies pressed together chest to gem. She shivered as the larger fingers brushed against her scalp in their bid to take hold of her hair, a soft answering moan escaping her as the next thought in her mind was a consequential 'Fuck it'.

She HAD said she was going to catch her sweetheart's tongue...

Even with all of the wild, building emotion between them, Xana was careful and tender with her movements; waiting for Spinel's lips to part just enough, she traced them with the tip of her tongue before sliding it past, letting the kiss deepen with the tilt of her head and squeaking with delight as she felt the warm glass-like feeling of Spinel's tongue against hers. The introduction of their tongues could almost be called polite, with how gentle she let hers brush up against the gem's at first.

Spinel had been on a roller coaster before. She knew the heady, dizzying feeling of letting go of all control and being taken along for a thrill ride. This felt a lot like that, only times ten. She whimpered needily, back arching at an improbable angle, trying to get their bodies impossibly closer than they already were, pressed together in a buzzing heat haze. She felt the pressure of her overheating gem against Xana's softness, of their tongues dancing in her mouth and could do nothing but hold on tight, hands pulling slightly at the curls in their grasp.

Any thoughts Xana could have had came to a screeching halt by now, letting herself just lose most higher functions and just bask in the assaulting feelings of want and desire. Every shift, every breath, every noise Spinel made was taken note of and cherished, wanting to make the gem feel just as good as Xana was feeling right then. She groaned quietly with bliss as Spinel practically melded up against her own body, her skin feeling hot and absolutely trilling with pleasurable electricity as their tongues danced and twisted around each other with building excitement.

She felt so good...

Irritation sparked in the human's mind as the need for air strained insistently against her ribcage again, and she had attempted to be defiant by pushing her lips hungrily against her sweet jester's; it couldn't be ignored for too long however and with a quiet growl, broke apart for air, their lips parting with a soft wet sound and thin strands of saliva still connecting their mouths, glimmering in the cool light of the room. The human didn't take long, however; for what she was limited in ability she made up for in passion-Licking away the syrupy sweetness that remained on her lips, she trailed needy pecks leading from the corner of Spinel's mouth down her cheek, to her chin and neck. Hot pants of breath flowed over her now very heated skin, a small smirk coming to her upon realizing Spinel was positively glowing with her blush.

"Ah~ha..." Spinel couldn't help but release several pleased, small sounds, now that Xana's lips weren't there to swallow them. She gasped as the human left a blazing trail along her jaw and throat. Something in her chest was bubbling over, hot and thorny and velvety, and her borderline fluorescent face buried itself in Xana's soft mound of curls, a small mercy in a whirlwind of sensations.

Feeling Spinel tremble in her arms, Xana let her eyes actually focus again and with a soft breathless chuckle, her arms slid up the Gem's back to gently grasp at her shoulders. She pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the base of Spinel's throat with a pleased hum, the gleam of her gem catching her dark, stormy eyes. It glimmered almost teasingly in the light breaking through their touching forms, her eyes roving the facets and shifts of the large crystal.

She wondered...

'Fuck, slow your roll, you absolute animal.' Common Decency hissed scoldingly within her head, causing her to remember herself. With a slow blink, Xana sighed heavily and pressed another soft kiss to Spinel's throat, tilting her head up to murmur a sultry whisper against the underside of her chin. "You... doin' alright, love...? Is it too much~...?" Spinel shivered, feeling Xana's hot breath ghost over her throat.

Ah, wait, she'd been asked something.

The gem struggled to get her higher faculties in working order, peeking down dazedly at the human, "W-wha-...?" was as much as she got out, still trying to process the question. "U-Uhh... W-What'd ya say...?"

So adorable.

Chuckling again, she gave another small peck to her throat before slowly withdrawing (despite not really wanting to but maybe a little space would help the jester) and leaned back on her hands, eyes roiling with the remnants of deep and wild emotions. Perhaps it was a bit too much at one time. She didn't think that as a human she could find any limits to a Gem, but here they were.

Perhaps she should have been a little more sensitive considering the newness of the situation.

'I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy it though.' She thought with honey dripping from her thoughts, heated and wanting irises roving up and down over the pink dynamo's glowing, confused form. "...This day feels unreal..." Xana whispered to herself, sighing deeply once more. "I'm terrified that I'll wake up any second now and realize today was just the best dream ever." She reached up to run a hand through Spinel's hair gently, maybe a bit too smug of how wild it had gotten during their little makeout. "If this really is a dream, I hope I never wake up."

Still trying hard to form complex thoughts, the gem felt herself finally cooling down some, lashes fluttering as she processed the last few minutes. Finally, she managed to get her mouth working for its intended purpose again, "...I don't think a dream could feel this good..." She whispered while breathing in the sweet scent of her human, closing her eyes with a small, contented sigh as her lax hands slid down Xana's neck to her shoulders.

"...I dunno... I've had some pretty good dreams." Xana muttered to herself, eyes obviously lost in remembrance of some, before coming back down to give her a warm look. Her fingers twitched against the cushions as she watched Spinel relax, smiling happily upon seeing her so content. A hand drifted up to the Gem's chest, careful not to touch the jewel without permission but gently tracing the area around it idly.

She giggled as the gem's breath hitched, a grin coming to her as she pasted on a nonchalant look. "Told ya if I had my way, you wouldn't be able to think~ You're so cute~."

The repetitive motions around her gem sent a shiver coursing through her. The comedian shook her head, attempting to dislodge the sensation from its cling on her thoughts. Now was not the time, they were talking. "A-ah, well, I really... Didn't expect that. ...I don't know w-what I expected at all, actually." She snorted with a sheepish grin, one hand moving from Xana's hair to scratch her cheek.

"That's fair~." Xana conceded, smiling with a shake of her head, curls bouncing gently against her face before she tilted her head to the side curiously. "Out of curiosity, what did it feel like...? Your body is so much different from mine-I got a bunch of cells and nerves and squishy stuff and you're just... hardlight? That's the word for it, right?" She asked, swaying a bit as she giggled. "You got a lot hotter and you were practically glowing. Hell, you still kinda are!"

Spinel's blush deepened at having it pointed out, but she gave it serious thought regardless. Her hand came to rest beneath Xana's jaw, as if testing something, "...Humans are so warm, it's amazing." She started, her thoughtful look melting into softness as a happy sound escaped Xana's throat as Spinel's fingers gently stroked her chin. "I'm not sure you've noticed, but gems aren't... like that. We don't produce heat, we jus' adapt to it. Only I guess we can overheat." She giggled, pressing two fingers against her gem. "M'not sure what happened there, s'pretty new and all. But it felt like..." Her eyes squinted as she attempted to find an accurate description, then looked into Xana's eyes, "...like ya electrified my body and lit my gem on fire. But it was a good kind? I dunno, it's a bit hard ta explain."

Her human's blush spreading cutely over her nose and cheeks at the words but she listened intently, looking thoughtful at the explanation. "Hm... Well, glad to know the feelings were mutual at the very least." The woman hummed, nuzzling her face further into the large, gloved hand. "Nerves are what help humans feel stuff, I'm sure you know, but it's a little weird cause they aren't really spread out evenly over our bodies. Some places have more nerves than others do, and even then sensitivity may vary from person to person... I guess that's another reason why we wear clothes, you know?"

"Whatcha mean?"

Xana glanced up at the extremely high ceiling in thought. "Well, it protects us from the elements and other errant physical things, I guess. Being naked gives us a sense of vulnerability, which clothing... eases? I suppose? Well, at least for me; I liked to have a lot of my body covered. Makes me feel safer. Depends on the human, of course, but if a human allows you to see or touch them when they don't have any clothes on, it means they trust you a lot. Like, alot, a lot." She shrugged then, chuckling slightly at the topic they had somehow steered to. After a makeout no less.

How weird life was.

"Huh." Spinel tilted her head, "I guess we're pretty evenly sensitive then? Tha' only extra sensitive spot I know 'bout Gemkind is the gem itself and maybe about an inch around it." She took a moment just to watch Xana, the way her chest rose and fell as she breathed, the way her eyes blinked lazily and her fingers fidgeted against the variety of pillows underneath them.

Her magenta eyes shifted to studiously trail along the (possible?) outline of Xana's body beneath her dress, feeling genuinely curious as to what she looked like without clothes. The thought wasn't weird, right? After all, Gems didn't have to deal with such restrictive things and were pretty much laid bare for all to see already, but for a human...

Without fully knowing the context and implications around them, the words slipped out, "Will I get to see what you look like without clothes someday?"

Record scratch.

Xana went still, slow uncomprehending blinks making her eyes flicker as the question took a long amount of seconds actually to register.

Processing...

.

..

...

Analysis complete!

Her face exploded in red, almost rivaling one of Spinel's earlier blushes as her eyes went wide, her face turning to actually look at the Gem with a great amount of shock and fluster. Her mouth gaped unflatteringly, opening and closing a few times silently as she tried to find something, anything to say and break the increasingly awkward silence before an intelligent sounding, "Uhhhhh..." managed to escape.

Spinel raised an eyebrow, her smile growing into an amused grin as she watched Xana practically crash and reboot right in front of her before getting enough of her wits about her to actually speak.

Just barely.

Her fidgeting kicked up a whole five notches as she bit her lip, eyes flickering around the room to look at anything but Spinel as she reached up to rub at the back of her head through her spongey curls. "I-I, um, well, ah... You see... U-Um..." She coughed into her hand as she screamed internally, her hand gripping at her hair and giving it a gentle yank to get her to focus. "W-Well, I trust ya a lot, y-you saved my life and all, but I'm pretty self-conscious and I made a p-promise to myself that I'd only ever let myself be that vulnerable with my sweetheart, w-which I guess you are now, so? I? Um-"

She coughed again, feeling like this was karma for flustering Spinel so much earlier, before rapidly nodding. "Y-Yes. Yeah. I, uh... You would. Whenever you're... Up for that, I... I guess."

Ohhh, this was probably about that modesty thing again. Spinel had almost forgotten with all that happened in the past hour or so. She snickered at Xana's blush, but the look in her eyes were genuine, "M'happy that you'd trust me that much, babydoll!" She decided to spare the woman any further embarrassment and didn't press the issue despite how curious she was, looking up at the ceiling.

Xana stared down at her lap where her hands laid clasped, her face and tips of her ears burning with a fiery vengeance. She groaned softly as she attempted to rub away her blush, hissing at her sudden timidity. "...Well, I mean... After everything you've done for me, I can't really... even think of having any answer other than 'yes'... I'm sorry, I know I'm hella awkward-"

"Pfff, yer fiiine toots. I get it-This is... gonna take some time ta get used to fer us, but we'll work through it, yeah?" The jester grinned wide as she leaned forward to catch Xana's gaze again, an understanding expression taking her face. "We've been through worse ta'gether, haven't we? Besides, learnin' even more about each other could nevah' be bad."

"...Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Nodding resolutely at Spinel's bright expression, she gave a deep sigh and nibbled on her lower lip. She glanced down at the sweetheart's gem, smiling fondly as her eyes looked over the angular facets and soft glow. How fitting that the second anniversary of their friendship would also be the beginning of their romance too...

Pffft. If she had known this was where their day was headed, she would have had a gift for her new beau primed and ready.

With that, a sudden thought came to mind; the human gasped aloud excitedly, startling Spinel out of her quiet rumination of Xana's hands. "Oh, oh! This means I can make something that marks me as yours now!"

The gem blinked, her expression turning into one of blank shock. "Wat."

"Yeah! Gems tend to mark the symbol of their life partner on their body, don't they?" Watching as the staring gem gave a single slow nod, Xana grinned brightly. "I'll just adopt the custom for you while doing mine at the same time!"

"...Custom? Wha-"

"It's... kinda a human thing, a way to let people know that you're taken without having to bring it up in like, every conversation." She tapped at her chin in thought, humming a bit before lifting her hands to trace the area of her own neck, oblivious to the slow widening of Spinel's eyes. "Usually it's something like a ring, but uhhhh, that sounds a bit heavy considering we literally just started this relationship... Sooo, maybe a... A necklace! A chain of Gold or Rose Gold, and... A charm with maybe a jewel oooor stained glass inside it that's in the shape of an upside-down heart, like your Gem! And I'll measure it so the charm hangs right around my chest, just like where your Gem is." She made goofy jazz hands at her sweetheart, grinning with enthusiasm. "Whatcha think?!"

Spinel could only stare, awed that Xana would want to do all that just to let people know she was hers. That Xana was Spinel's and Spinel was Xana's. That she'd want Spinel's wrong, damaged heart on her own chest.

That thorny, velvety, warm feeling bubbled up inside her again, filling her whole gem, her whole body.

Just as if Xana was about to wonder if she committed a faux pas of some kind, Spinel pounced, teary-eyed; laughing loudly as she wrapped her arms around Xana one, two, three times over while applying what she'd learned today and planted innumerable smooches all over her face. Xana squealed with delight as she was bowled over, her arms catching the pink missile and hugging her tight, giggling with fluster and amazement as several kisses were pressed against her soft mien before finally settling down to nuzzle her neck. "I'd... love that."

Xana smiled down lovingly at her sweet little jester, eyes filled with fond affection as she happily nuzzled her back.

She knew Spinel was pretty clueless about this whole thing, and she hadn't even said she loved her back, but... Xana didn't need that.

As long as her Spinel was smiling and happy, that was more than enough for her.

"Good... Cause it sounds pretty damn swell to me too~."