Attention: this is part of a double chapter update, if you did not read Chapter 25 please go back and do so.

A crash pierced the still summer air, the door to Pearl's house slamming abruptly to contrast the graceful exit the blonde had made. The finality of the sound solidified the blue eyed boy's solitude in the sweltering heat, his gaze fixated on the corner his boyfriend had last appeared. Diamond winced, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach as he balled his hands into shaky fists.

It all happened so fast, he was just in his arms but in a moment like a soft flash of lightning he found himself alone. He wanted to run after him, he was afraid that Pearl was going to break down now that he was alone. He actually had him fooled for a moment that he was okay but it was clearly not the case.

He fought with his conscious as to what he should do, picturing himself running over there frantically. Him prolonging their inevitable goodbye as he would have to return home where he would then spend the evening with his mother who would question what he had done that day, knowing he would have to choose between lying and admitting he would rather be at Pearl's or simply with him than alone with her. He buried his face in his hands, bringing them to rest on his cheeks anxiously as he stood there dumbly for how long he wasn't certain.

Maybe I'm overreacting. I mean, we're not teenage girls that have to be with their boyfriends every second of everyday. Being alone is okay… sometimes.

He bit at his lip staring at the side of Pearl's house up at his room window. He shook his head, they would be fine. Pearl had said it himself and he believed him when he said it more than he did his own conscious at the moment. Home was a simple place where he could relax, it didn't have to be the end of the world to have his mother press him for details he didn't want to let go of. It wouldn't be the first time anyway.

He sighed, if Pearl was going to dart out of the house in a panicked sprint he probably would have by now. He turned reluctantly as he approached his front door. Taking a deep breath and putting on his best poker face he reached out for the doorknob and entered the house slowly.

His house was hardly the cool welcome Pearl had received upon entering his home. His mother sat heavy on the couch as her fingers worked with labored motions to sew the outfit in her lap. Her glameow making a lethargic squeak looked up from where it was sleeping on the spine of the couch. He dropped his bag on the floor near his feet as he seated himself next to his mother.

"Welcome home, Dia," she used her needle-free hand to pull him into a side hug, kissing him on the cheek as she returned to her needlework.

"We really need an air conditioner, it might actually be hotter in here than out there!"

She smirked a bit, not paying the thought any mind at all as she worked. "Rough time getting in? Did you two stay hydrated?"

"We tried…"

"Good. We'll talk about your trip over dinner, what do you want to eat? It's too hot to have you in the kitchen cooking up a storm, so try to keep it simple and I'll cook."

He frowned a bit as he stared at his folded hands, shaking his head of his disappointment and slight jealousy that he couldn't be the one cooking for Pearl tonight. He looked up at the television as he tried to think of the easiest meal possible, reluctant to admit they would likely be eating sandwiches.

The television was playing an afternoon newscast from Sunyshore, people enjoying the beach and sunshine that were custom to Eastern Sinnoh, as they discussed the importance of skin care.

"…It's a scorcher out there today folks, stay cool this Wednesday afternoon. Your local news…"

Diamond slowly hunched over as he caught his face in his hands, a smile twitching his lips at the irony of it all. He tried to imagine Pearl's reaction to the realization as he managed to find some humor to lighten his mood if only slightly.

Not only would they not be cooking together tonight but they wouldn't be able to bicker over which movie to watch or who would be cuddling up to whom this time around. It seemed like such frivolities now but he really would miss Pearl's almost childish way he went about things or the determination that would etch itself into his face, tongue peeking out on one side, during his cooking lessons.

He smiled wide at the thought for a brief moment from behind his fingers, shaking his head sullenly once more.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Wednesday…" He mumbled into his hands.

She looked at him confusedly as she dropped her things into her lap, fixing her barrette as she awaited an explanation. Diamond sat back up, leaning on the arm of the couch, gesturing with a hand indifferently.

"I, uh, I just usually have plans on Wednesdays with Pearl."

"You just spent months with him, I'm sure you'll survive, Diamond." She narrowed her eyes skeptically as she spoke, noting how his usual apathetic demeanor was slipping into something more restless and detached.

I'm not so sure…

An air of tension had settled itself into the house as the casual banter between Diamond and his mother was almost forced through the distraction of their equally guarded thoughts. They were spared any further heat by settling for sandwiches and chips, the faint sound of their sodas' carbonation fizzing lost noise in the background.

Johanna spoke fondly of her time spent in the contest hall, no recent losses to report but some frustration in making new props and outfits. Everything was starting to feel more at ease as she spoke, her motherly radiance and passion permeating her tone.

"There's a great restaurant in Hearthome, you would love it, it's-"

"-By the apartment buildings, right? In the middle of town?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Oh, so you've been there then?"

"Yes, Pearl took me out to dinner while we were there before we took a walk in Amity Square with Wig and Chimhiko. I liked it a lot, decent pricing, too. We really liked it there actually, it's a nice town."

"Uh-huh…"She pursed her lips, taking a sip of her soda as she averted her gaze down. Diamond continued eating unconcernedly, his mother's distrusting expression going unnoticed as she braved the question she was unsure she wanted the answer to. "How was your trip by the way? What did you guys do?"

He shifted uncomfortably at the question, the manner in which she asked more imposing than anything. He was not looking forward to any sort of conversation with her about the two of them, and today was definitely not a day to do it. He figured the best way to avoid it was to act casual and to prevent her from reading between the lines of anything he said, knowing that she was just as good as reading people as he was.

He shrugged simply with a wistful, halfhearted smile.

"Well, it was lovely. We got to see everything and we went out to dinner, hiking, movies, shopping, stargazing. Did some cooking together, at one point we saw some live music in the city. We did it all."

Oh, if you only knew… He smirked to himself a bit at his inner musings but otherwise he listed things off with indifference. Dates of all kinds were now a regular part of their lives as they developed their romantic and sexual relationship over the past few months. It was easy to stay calm about it, nothing suspicious in the least about how matter-of-factually he said it.

He popped a few chips in his mouth; he could feel the salt dispersing on his tongue, the crunches breaking the silence briefly.

Johanna had a befuddled look on her face, hugging her arms to her chest almost as to put up a physical wall between them as she listened to him. She would be lying to say she didn't have her theories, in denial to think that there weren't secrets being withheld from her. But in her head she figured that she had a few cards left unplayed and that she may be able to plead her case to the piece of Diamond that cared what she thought. A cruel game to play but for his best interest all the same, she need only tread cautiously.

"That's good… Don't those sound an awful lot like, well, dates?"

Diamond felt the tension in his shoulders knotting as he sat there silently. Pearl would probably have some sort of witty remark or something dryly sarcastic to say. Maybe he would avoid saying anything. His mother was far sweeter than his was and he wondered how their dinner conversation went or even how his time home was going in general. Did she greet him excitedly? Had she slaved away on dinner all day for him? Did she know anything, or rather did she care?

He brought his own arms to his chest, mirroring his mother as he shrugged meekly.

She had a discouraged look on her face, a desperate edge in her voice as she pressed him further. "You said you really liked Hearthome, huh?"

He nodded simply.

"Nice family atmosphere there. And they have the Poffin Kitchen there as well. I'm not really surprised you took a liking to it."

Her tone was smooth but with an understated sense of urgency like the moments before a submerged person on the verge of drowning has the chance to disturb the stillness of the water's surface the first time. She watched him with a twinge of disappointment and a pang of guilt tugging at her for her own refusal to accept what may very well be an undeniable truth. But as far as she was concerned until the words were spoken aloud that reality ceased to be for her own decaying sanity.

She made sure he was still listening, clearing her throat as she continued.

"Did you ever think about maybe settling down over there? Meet a nice girl, get your own place and start a family. I mean, I know you're young but you're not far off from twenty. You're entering your prime now, if you put yourself out there, be a bit more outgoing- like Pearl is, I don't see how you couldn't find yourself someone in record time."

The color drained from his face as the weight of her words sunk in, knowing that every one was deliberate and what she was implying. He winced a bit, a literal sting at the figurative blows, as his eyes faltered down to his plate. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, thoughts at a standstill as she watched him curiously.

"Whatever happened to that, uh- oh, what was her name? That Berlitz girl you were so smitten with? Do you still talk?"

He drew his lips in tensely, visibly holding himself tightly the way his hands gripped his biceps. It was like the tranquil moments before the first lightning strike. He could feel the emotions pooling in his throat like he was about to cry, like he could practically feel the path the readying tears would take down his cheeks. The only thing that seemed to be helping him maintain his composure other than the shock was the urgent thought that he was going to get out of the room and the prospect of at least talking to Pearl later.

Why? Why does she have to do this to me, I'm not stupid and neither is she- at least I don't think so. I can't handle this another few days, I hope she didn't have plans- Arceus, I am begging that I get to see Pearl soon.

What's more, the thought of Missy was like a dark whisper in his ear, the call of a siren out to unforgiving seas. He knew the temptation of those tarnished gold eyes, an unsatisfying longing for the unobtainable affections she had refused everything in the world it seemed. But the image of Pearl's fiery eyes glazed over with tears, the sound of his voice and the way he had shaken in his arms that night were enough to kill every thought of her he had had since. He didn't want to entertain any thoughts of her but as his mother spoke the image of the traditional family being painted in his head did not lack the Berlitz heiress by his side. He swallowed slowly, trying not to play into his mother's games as he felt her eyes burn into him.

He shook his head subtly.

"Aw, that's too bad." She was all too willing to respond after the momentary pause he had taken, genuine disappointment lacing her voice until she spoke with newfound inspiration. "You should call her up and catch up now that you're in town again, don't you think? I bet she'd love to hear from you. You know you boys should have invited her to go with you, like old times."

She watched him intently, like a spinarak watching an insect pokemon struggle in its web, a light contentment in her blue eyes that those seeds had clearly taken root in his head. She finished her sandwich in the muted silence that followed, taking the final sip from her cup and placing it back down with a hollow click.

The heat was starting to die down as the evening set in, the stickiness over both bodies present only adding to the discomfort of the atmosphere in the house. In Diamond's mind his thoughts were racing and he felt an array of emotions with an apathy that almost left him numb at the same time. He wasn't sure what to say, he was as speechless as they came while she seemed undaunted by her words' consequences.

"No… I shouldn't have. Called her, that is."

His mother looked up, folding her hands on the table.

"I really, really missed him those two years…" His voice was stern but weak as he trailed off, a lump forming in his throat once more as he looked at his fingers where Pearl always kissed him. "I can't remember the last time I was this happy. I'm lucky to have a friend like Pearl, I don't expect you to understand that."

He stood up, tossing his plate in the trash as he returned to push in his chair. It made his stomach churn as he saw the relief overtake her face at his choice of wording, "friend." It didn't matter what he called him honestly. He was everything. The childhood friend, the best friend, the boyfriend, and the only true friend he had ever had. He was like his salvation, like a cleansing rain after an endless summer or the slow burn of a wildfire against a perfectly blue sky, sultry and passionate chaos yet tender and sensual. How could anyone understand them without experiencing it themselves? He was too far under to escape him now not that there was anywhere he'd rather be now that he was there.

"I'm going to shower then to bed… night."

"Alright," she sighed contently, a gentle smile at his vacant expression. "It's good to have you home, Diamond."

He sauntered away, pausing at the entrance of the stairs.

It doesn't feel good, though.

The squeak that greeted the blue eyed boy sounded vacantly through the darkness of the bedroom. The once sweat-doused form was now overtaken by a layer of water over his milky skin, droplets racing over his body with a calm sense of urgency in the silence. The night had settled in, a coolness blowing through the window though it did little to disperse the heat from the day that still lingered. He doffed his towel, it falling to the floor as he rolled over to face the wall.

He hugged his arms to his chest defensively, his bare body vulnerable as he was in his mind while his thoughts raced.

Nice family atmosphere…

Did you ever think about maybe settling down over there?

Meet a nice girl… get your own place and start a family…

Be a bit more outgoing- like Pearl is…

His mother's words echoed through his mind in repetitious snippets that caused the lump in his throat to grow, his breaths more labored as he scrunched his eyes shut. Was he such a disappointment that she couldn't bear to think that he could possibly be happy with Pearl- let alone any man? Settling down, starting a family, it was all so over his head right now. On the edge of seventeen and yet she was adamant to have him rush the future as if time was slipping away.

Of course he had thought about having a family, what person doesn't want one of their own at some point? But as he stared at the wall he started thinking that maybe that wasn't something that was going to happen for him. There were other ways of having children of course, but they would never be both of theirs. He thought of the children playing in the snow in Snowpoint City, the way they had both watched them with that silent acknowledgement of longing.

He huffed with annoyance.

Maybe they would have kids or maybe they wouldn't, what was the difference, they were both far too young to be worried about that now. He didn't want to worry about finding a nice girl to marry or any of the things his mother was so preoccupied with for him. Maybe he wanted to move in with Pearl, marry him, and worry about whether or not they would have children with him and leave his mother out of it.

Moving in with Pearl didn't actually sound like a bad idea. They were together all the time anyway and had spent most of their lives living together now that he thought about it. It would be different, sure, but it sounded nice. Find their own place where they could spend their days and nights living their own lives. Somewhere he wouldn't have to worry about what anyone else thought of his happiness or that Pearl was the one bringing it to his life. A place he could gaze into those deep burning eyes endlessly with his arms around him, their forms bare as they talked about any and everything or nothing at all.

It sounded too good to be true but he needed a place like that right now, or rather a place where Pearl was with him. He felt tears welling up behind his closed eyes, so overwhelmed all he wanted to do was get up and leave. He remembered the last time he had been home. It had been so long but everything seemed exactly as he had left it, so simple and comforting. This time the atmosphere just felt different like there was a kind of coldness despite the uncomfortable heat.

The tremors through his body as he fought the frustrated and tormented sobs caught in his throat left him the only thing stirring in the unnerving stillness of the blue tinged darkness. As he laid there his subtle weight on the exhausted mattress felt the vacancy on the right side just behind the blue eyed boy with a kind of echoed loneliness without the blonde.

The tension had been knotting itself in his shoulders and he could hardly stand any position with much comfort. His heart beating in now pronounced palpitations as his thoughts drew on, trying to downplay the effect his mother's words were having on him only taxing him more from the conscious effort it took to pretend they didn't matter for some peace of mind. Caught between aggravation with his mother and utter misery his body started to respond to the stress in a way he wasn't used to.

Opening his eyes, he brought a hand to his chest and with knitted brows brought himself to sit up. His breaths were forced, stifled pants trapped in his chest with his heart pounding to force the blood to flow as it gushed beneath his fingertips. He looked around with a slight disorientation, focusing less on where his eyes were looking and more on the feeling in his chest. He wasn't sure what to do, feeling a sense of panic as it seemed to only worsen with time. He tried to focus on his breathing, finding it harder and harder to breathe, his mother's words still ringing in his ears with his discontent and guilt that only seemed to worsen the symptoms he was trying to pacify.

Hot tears continued to well up in his eyes, the pressure from resisting their release disorienting him further as his emotions for one of the only times he could consciously recall began to overwhelm him. He who was supposed to be the alleged master of empathy and emotions was slowly losing his grip under the pressure of those words and the conflicting images of a family with Platinum and a happy life with Pearl.

A nice family with a nice girl… That Berlitz girl you were so smitten with.

He started to choke as the tears burned into his cheeks, sliding off his jaw to his lap and forearm. He couldn't make heads or tails of the whole situation, unsure what was happening to him or how to stop it but knowing that he couldn't handle being alone with his thoughts any longer. He managed to heave a breath, trying to blink past tears as he started to sob. He just wanted it all to stop, to just be happy or even just to be able to sleep so that this day could just be over.

He wished he could do that for his mom, maybe one day that would be his reality. Maybe he and Pearl wouldn't work out in that way and who knows maybe even him and Platinum would have a shot at making it work. Maybe they'd live a comfortable life in the lap of luxury and under the microscope of the other socialites with the added pressure of keeping up appearances and ties to strategic networking partners. Or maybe he'd show her that the commoners weren't so bad off in suburbia and they'd escape the life she'd always known and be the poster children for the vision Johanna had for them. Maybe then everyone could be happy at the same time for even a moment.

But as much as he wished he could do that for her that wasn't what he wanted at all. How could he not have Pearl in his life? Of course he would always be there, come whatever may they would never not be friends but they each held a piece of each other now that they could never hope to give to another person, it could never be the same with anyone else. They needed each other, they craved and helped and completed the other. All he wanted, he thought pleadingly, was to be happy with Pearl, to find a house or an apartment- anything would do, with him and make it their home, to care for him and love everything about him. He thought about earlier, the picture he had in his head of them living together, it was so vivid then but now he was struggling to keep it with him to ward off the darker thoughts.

"I just want to be with him," he whispered through sobs to himself as he began to calm down if even by a fraction.

Finally as though a drawstring had been pulled the tightness in his chest eased and he gasped, trying to catch his breath again between defeated hiccupping sobs. He wondered how much time had passed, wondering how long he had been unable to breathe or handle his emotions. He hugged his knees up to his chest and cried into his forearms, a trace of relief to be breathing normally and to have his thoughts trailing off to murmurs in his head. He didn't have any explanation for whatever had happened but all he knew was that he was exhausted and would gladly have welcomed unconsciousness if it meant not being more or less present in that house.

The entirety of the house seemed to be in a muted stillness, a feeling of loneliness felt now not only by the bed that's right side was unoccupied but by the coldly vacant spaces between the walls. Diamond sat alone in his room to lament, the feeling of solitude a whisper in his ear to the aftershocks of exhaustion and sadness as he trembled lightly with his dying sobs.

The time ticked away as defeated Diamond lay beginning to dose off, his mind more or less silent to his pleasure. He wondered what Pearl was doing, his image comforting as he envisioned them together earlier that day. It was incredibly hot, he was glad to be inside in that regard and he wondered how Pearl could stand such heat moving at a pace like that. He wiped his cheek with a yawn, still feeling depressed as he contemplated moving.

He jumped suddenly, the sound of the phone ringing piercing the air with an almost surreal sound that Diamond barely had the presence of mind to respond to. The second ring drew on. Diamond's wide, still watery eyes looked at the receiver with a desperate but fearful hope as he reached his arm out for it and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" His voice was meek.

"Hey, Diamond."

Pearl's voice on the other line was drowsy but held a calm tenderness typically uncharacteristic to the blonde. He was met by silence as Diamond felt himself unraveling once again, crying silently into his hand with happiness but still utter despair.

"You ok, babe?" Pearl's voice was concerned but still held its lazy optimism as he could be heard stretching briefly. "I miss you."

Diamond nodded, taking a grounding breath as he answered back, "Me too." He sniffled, trying to breathe his way out of another crying fit as he spoke a bit more calmly albeit shakily. "I miss you, too. How was your day?"

"Diamond," Pearl said a bit sternly, his tone softening soon after. "It's ok, it's gonna be ok."

Are you sure? Diamond thought desperately. He hummed in halfhearted agreement.

"It is," he said insistently. "I promise, now no more crying. I'm here so you have to cheer up."

Diamond smiled, sniffling a bit. "Ok, I will."

"That's my boy. Now, uh, let's see…?"

"How was your day." He reminded him with a mumble.

"Oh, well today was alright. Mom made dinner early so I ate the same thing twice- you know, leftovers."

He hummed thoughtfully.

"After that we didn't do much, we talked a bit," he rolled his eyes. "Mom wants to take me shopping."

"Your favorite past time."

"Right? But I laid down on the couch and it was crazy cause get this, you know I wasn't tired at all but suddenly I felt so sleepy so I didn't even notice I dosed off! And so mom just left me there until maybe half an hour ago of course and, like, doesn't wake me up or anything."

"What time is it even?"

"Uh, I think 10, 10:30 maybe? Not wearing my poketch. I'm still tired but-"

"You're not going to be able to sleep, Pearl." Diamond shook his head with a nostalgic sigh. "If we were still on the road you'd probably have us travelling or doing something."

"It's Wednesday," he frowned, his tone a childish whine of disappointment. "We'd have plenty to do and I wouldn't have taken a nap!"

"I know," he laughed halfheartedly. "And you never do anyway, I'm surprised."

"Yeah, but what can you do? I'll think of something, I mean, there's gotta be something to do in this house, right?"

"Maybe if you shower you'll feel more relaxed and sleepy? Like an actual shower not your in-and-out kind of shower."

Pearl scoffed on the other line amusedly. "I guess I have to shower still at some point but I don't see why I'd want to hang out in there. There's nothing… and no one, to do in there. It's just water and soap!"

"Hm! Well, it's relaxing if you let it be."

Pearl tsked, shaking his head with a smirk.

"Uh, let me think. You could- gee I don't even know. Do you still have your Wii? Or maybe you could watch TV?"

"Yes or you could, you know, talk to me."

Diamond sniffled, laughing again with a smile. "Talk to you, eh?"

"Yes, Pearl your amazing boyfriend, childhood best friend and- there's more, incredible lover, and, uh, well I'm a lot things."

Diamond laughed, clearing his throat a bit. "Ah, yes. How could I forget? Well, babe, what do you want to talk about?"

"Whatever you want to talk about. What's on your mind, Diamond? How was your day?"

He frowned a bit, looking about the dark room. He felt the dampness of his now soiled comforter beneath him, the water once sitting on his skin now transferred to the intricacies of the seams. The mood in the room had lifted like a weight off his shoulders though it threatened to beat back down with a vengeance should he chance another trek through his inner musings.

He felt the tension reknitting itself into his shoulders as he frantically tried to decide whether or not to confess to Pearl what was plaguing his thoughts, afraid to stress him out or play more into his own preexisting insecurities. He wiped at his eye miserably, wishing he could talk to someone about it all. Part of him died inside that the only person in the world who he could tell couldn't be an option.

"Diamond?"

"You've used my name a lot tonight…" He mumbled trying to divert away from the question, wanting nothing more than to hear Pearl's musings than his own.

"Hm? Oh, well I suppose I have. Something tells me that you need to hear it." He paused, continuing when he was met with no response. "I had this weird dream while I was napping, it actually woke up like I had this strange feeling that I just needed to check on you… And just to hear your voice and know you're there."

Diamond furrowed his brows with a shocked expression, a tear streaking across his cheek. "R-Really?" His voice was barely over an incredulous whisper.

"Yeah, so tell me what's on your mind, I know something's bugging you."

He felt the words on the tip of his tongue, desperate to tell him about his mother and what had happened a little while before but they died on his hopeful lips. He shook his head. He decided he wasn't going to tell him. No, what would be the point in that? Stress him out, too, and have another episode where it felt like he was suffocating or possibly even having a heart attack? Or introduce tension after they had been coasting through so nicely since the mishap at the Berlitz lodge? It wasn't worth it, it would just blow over and his mother would just have to get over herself and stop trying to force her ideal picture of happiness for him on him. He just needed to be patient.

He scrunched his eyes, wiping more tears with the heel of his palm as the inner turmoil began to seep back into his thoughts.

No, not again not again.

Meanwhile, Pearl waited patiently on the other end, fidgeting with his shirt that he ultimately just pulled over his head. He wasn't sure what the issue was but he felt uneasy, his dream leaving an ominous feeling in his stomach.

He opened his mouth to coax him into speaking but was interrupted.

"Do you," Diamond cleared his throat attempting to mask the impending sob caught in his throat. "D-Do you ever think about moving in together? Just," he sniffled "finding a place of our own?"

Silence.

"I just, I-I just I miss you and I can- I can see it. It's you and me and we're just living our lives a-and we're ha-ppy and it'd just be great."

Silence.

"I-I ju-just miss you so much right now," he started to cry, his perfect picture in his head discredited by his strained attempt at describing it. That was really all he needed though was to share that secret wish with Pearl. "I wish you w-were here a-and that we could just cuddle naked i-in, in my bed and I could just cry cause I don't w-wanna talk about anything I just want t-to be with you."

Diamond cried, hiccupping into the phone trying to catch each tear from racing off his jaw. He wondered if Pearl could see it as vividly as he was and hoped that he didn't sound as crazy as he felt he was going.

Pearl all the while sat there in a state of minor shock. He never fared well with crying, especially not Diamond but he had to blush at his sudden declaration. Living together? Was he serious? He rubbed the back of his neck shyly, lips gaping like a magikarp as he tried to make the connection between his senses and his mouth.

He shook his head to attention, the sound of Diamond sniffling snapping him back.

"Dia- er, Diamond, c'mon babe please don't cry anymore… I, uh, I miss you, too. Really I just, I would love nothing more than to be with you right now, have you lying on my chest… run my fingers through your hair." He said thoughtfully, flustered though trying to pacify him best he could.

Diamond was audibly calmer though still sniffling.

"No sniffling, it's going to be ok. Please, for me?"

"Mm... Mmhmm, o-okay," he hiccupped.

"You know I love you, Dia? Cause I do."

"I love," he cleared his throat. "I love you, too."

He smiled, toying with the now unraveled sleeve of his banded shirt. They sat in contented silence, Pearl looking up at the ceiling absentmindedly while he listened to Diamond's breathing even out to a normal, smooth rate as the hiccups slowly ceased. He closed his eyes, slipping his arm behind his head to prop it up comfortably, still listening to the dull noise coming through the phone. He missed Diamond, too, and while he was surprised he was taking it so hard he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to the whole ordeal. He sighed languidly, wishing he were tired enough to sleep but too awake to do any more than lounge idly.

"So, uh, sorry about that I just," Diamond started, shaking his head. "I really miss you."

"Don't be sorry, just don't cry anymore."

"Okay…"

There was another pause, Pearl looking about his room as he bit at his lip thoughtfully.

"Did you really mean it, that you would move in with me?"

"Oh, uh, well yes of course I did."

"Wow…" He looked up at his ceiling like he was suddenly being faced by the reality that his future was unfolding before his eyes. And that was only the beginning he figured. Moving in together would be the first great step of many other serious decisions they would come to face he was sure.

"Well obviously not like tomorrow or anything. I was just thinking that maybe one day we would, you know? There's no rush, I mean…"

"It's too soon. But yeah, one day."

Diamond hummed contently, smiling at Pearl's hopeful tone. "We'll talk about it."

Pearl nodded, letting out a brief nervous laugh to which Diamond laughed at amusedly. "So what do you want to do tomorrow, Dia?"

"Huh?"

"I can tell you already need to get out of that house, so where am I going to whisk you off to, babe? The lake maybe?"

He furrowed his brows with a timid smile, unadulterated happiness replacing his melancholy. "Could we maybe try going to the beach instead?"

"Sure, doesn't matter to me." They both smiled and Diamond sniffled a last time, tormenting thoughts completely out of the conscious realm of thought as they each lay down in their respective beds staring up at their ceilings.

"I just want to be with you."

Vi mancavo, mie bambole?

A hundred apologies guys to have left you waiting so long! But here I wrote 30 pages for you all so that has to count for something right? Anyway, college has been beyond crazy, not so much with school work but with people. I won't waste space with that here though, I will take a moment though to remind you all that My Deviantart journal will keep you in the loop with what's up with me as well as more in depth analysis of the story as it progresses. A link can be found on my profile here.

Anyway, this was a really intense chapter to work on. It hits on alot of heavy stuff and is riddled with foreshadowing. The second climax and main one for the entirety of the story is coming up fast so expect a DRAMATIC turning point in the plot within the next 3-4 chapters. Hopefully you guys stick it out through the second half because it's gonna be different but just as good and the ending is going to be great! Don't worry too much though, there's still going to be a sequel (Which if someone has any ideas for the title, I would love to hear it. I'd like it to keep with the "Something Unf-" trend I got going if possible).

But in any case, I tried to go with some parallelism between the chapters as sort of an interesting way to see them respond to two similar yet starkly different circumstances. I'm sure some people aren't going to be too crazy about how Diamond yet again is showing character weakness/flaw by hiding things from Pearl or struggling yet again with the Commonershipping factor but temptation and feelings are just one of those tricky things. Pearl's dream is something that will be elaborated on in the next chapter but I promise it will be much more lighthearted.

To all my die hard fans or anyone who would like a Clingyshipping poster (or two!) on their wall, I have found myself in a rough spot financially and need to make $2,000 by the beginning of January to pay my tuition. As most of you already know I am also an artist and have been working fervently on making the covers for this story and the prequel which I am looking to sell as posters for about $10 each with a $5 printing and shipping fee or a combined total of $25 if one were to order them both. They would be full color and come signed by yours truly. To meet my goal I would need to sell 200 posters which I personally don't think is too unplausible. I will also be selling prints of my other pieces, mostly linearts, for a reasonable cost. Now, until I get home for break on the 14th I can't scan up the cover images but if any of you are interested please keep your eye on my DA in the coming weeks for a master post concerning this matter.

As always, thank you all so much for continuing to follow my story and giving feedback. It means the world to me!

Baci XXX

((Also I don't want to put the story on hiatus just yet but expect the next chapter probably within the next 2-3 weeks))