Fuchsia Pearl

Nobody ever touches pearls.

Pearls are pretty and delicate, meant to be observed, nothing more. Touching is practically unheard of. Those high ranking enough to own one would never debase themselves in such a way, and those low-ranking enough for it not to be an issue are never in close enough proximity. As such, the only ones who ever touch pearls are other pearls, and even then, never in public.

So it was for this Pearl, until she met Charoite.

Charoite was visiting her master for one reason or another- Pearl wasn't sure, she hadn't been paying close attention- when some memo came up and her master bustled out of the room to attend to it. It had been just her, and Charoite, left alone in silence. Waiting.

Until Charoite had covered the distance between them in a few smooth strides, surveyed her up and down, and then said, "You are a pretty thing, aren't you?"

Pearl had floundered for a moment, unsure of the correct protocol for such a situation, before saying, "Thank you, ma'am."

Charoite had observed her for several long moments more, her bright eyes really looking, noticing, not just sliding off of her like everyone else's. Then she reached out a hand to Pearl's shoulder— and stopped, hovering just a few inches above the skin. "May I?"

No, would have been the correct answer.

Charoites are warriors, which garners them respect, of course, but they are no Quartzes. They are smaller, swifter, meant for infiltration as opposed to head-on battle. They are lower ranking than Pearl's master, a Purple Spinel, who would not want her property so sullied by the hands of a soldier. If Pearl had said 'no', this Charoite would have been obligated to back away.

Of course, Charoite is far larger than Pearl, and much stronger, so there's not much she could do to resist... But there was something on this Charoite's face that made Pearl think that she would back away, if asked.

Maybe it was for that very reason that Pearl nodded.

And so, Charoite had reached out, and brushed her fingers lightly along Pearl's shoulder.

The touch had been brief, quick. Neither had wanted to risk being caught. But that had only been the first time. Charoite had been sent on visits to Purple Spinel's quarters again and again, and sometimes, they would be left alone. Not often, but enough. And they would touch.

In small ways, of course. At first, Charoite had been light, gentle, as if admiring her exquisite form, tracing the soft curves of her face and Pearl's arms. Then, those touches had become a little more firm— squeezes and presses. Pearl liked those, even though they scared her a little. Charoite was a warrior, who could destroy her physical form with a single squeeze, and she liked feeling that power and knowing that Charoite would not. Not long after that, Pearl began reaching out to Charoite herself, tracing her form the same way that she had traced hers. She was strong and lithe and muscular.

Then came the embraces. Charoite pulling her in, wrapping her arms around her, tucking her under her chin, like she fits. Like she belongs there.

She doesn't.

Pearl knows this. She is not Charoite's, and Charoite is not hers, no matter how much they sometimes pretend otherwise.

Pearl knows nothing of romance. She has never heard love stories or their ilk. If she were to hear them, she would probably flinch away from the idea of having the concept applied to her. She does not love Charoite, not precisely.

She likes that Charoite is different. She likes that Charoite appreciates her, in ways she's never been appreciated before. She likes feeling another Gem's body pressed against her own. She loves the the game of it, the escapism.

She loves knowing how much her master would detest it, if she knew.

oOoOoOo

Author's Note: The idea for this piece popped into my head at around the same time as the previous one... I wanted to explore the concept of Gems Touching Gems, considering how big a thing it seemed to have been based on 'The Answer'. I really like the idea that touching between castes- especially if there's a big gap in their ranking- is seriously taboo. Not only is it sufficiently shitty for Homeworld, it almost makes all the casual touches between the Crystal Gems all the sweeter.