A/N: Part II!
That first time, Garnet actually doesn't stay herself much longer. The visions she experiences are vivid and potent. Almost as soon as the amusement over her inside joke fades, they come fast and furious. A gem with huge, soft pink curls and a flowing white gown standing with a shield and a sword, stance low and ready for battle as an imposing dark shadow approaches. Herself, as Garnet, delivering a stupendously powerful punch using glowing red gauntlets with spiked knuckles, right into the topaz of a fellow gem; the gem cracks like glass, and the topaz disappears. A large room filled to the ceiling with supplies, giant metal crates carrying enough parts to make hundreds of injectors for a Kindergarten. Artificial canyons pockmarked with hundreds upon thousands of emergence routes and, not five kilometers away, wilting green organic matter, and the gaunt faces of fleshy, humanoid—
The visions cease as Garnet breaks into her complimentary halves. They are both panting, but Ruby collapses and puts her head between her knees. Her head is spinning, and her gem is quivering in her palm. She's overwhelmed, and scared, and she already wants to go back to being Garnet, but she's so small now, and all of those visions, those enigmatic scenes, what does it mean—
She lets out a low, wavering breath as Sapphire's arms come around her, knees and all. She leans into the contact, and wraps an arm around her partner's lower back as she rests her head in the crook of her shoulder.
"For the record," Sapphire says, and her voice is shaky too. Ruby can feel the gem in her palm pulsing rapidly against her side. "I had no idea the future vision would start acting up like that. I'm so sorry."
"Is—is that what you deal with all the time?" she has to ask. She thought she understood Sapphire's future vision, but that… that…
"Nothing like that. Mine are much shorter flashes, and I never get so many at once." Sapphire nuzzles against her comfortingly, plants a kiss on the corner of her eye. "You're okay, right?"
Ruby ignores that. "Do you think that, with practice, they wouldn't jump front-and-center like that?"
"Before I answer your question, please answer mine: Are you okay?"
"Who cares about that? What ab—"
"I care, Ruby," she says pointedly, sitting back on her heels. Ruby's still being held, though, so she's probably not that mad.
It might be polite to finally answer the question, though.
"I'm okay. That's not lip service!" she yelps when she spots the skeptical tilt of Sapphire's mouth. "I mean, I'm not used to it, so there is that. But I'm not hurting. See?" She shows her gem and tries to grin despite the fact that she's still shaky with reaction. "No breaks."
Sapphire lets out a breath. She knows what Ruby's doing, but she offers a smile anyway. "Good," she says, and she threads their fingers together like the contact reminds her of Garnet. Something in her demeanor changes as she looks at their hands. "I've never heard of gems doing anything like this before," she says softly. "I know we've talked more than others, but that was…"
Oh.
"Talking about it is a lot different than feeling it for yourself," Ruby agrees. She squeezes her partner's hand. "It—I don't know how to say it. I've never…"
"Been so close to someone before?"
Their eyes meet through the fringe of Sapphire's bangs. "Exactly," she whispers. It's not an embarrassing thing to admit. Not to Sapphire, at least. "It was nice to feel as powerful as that too, don't get me wrong, but that wasn't…"
"Wasn't why it was so great. I know. I felt it too."
Ruby traces the back of Sapphire's gloved knuckles with her free hand. "Do you think—err, that is to say, would you want to… try and figure out how to do it again?"
There is a small pause before Sapphire asks tentatively, "Visions and all?"
"You don't think that's something Garnet can learn how to control?"
They both take a moment as their fusion's name is said aloud. Garnet. Hearing her name feels so good it hurts. It also opens up a mighty cavern of longing. After being that close, sitting together like this, expressing themselves through words and facial orientation, is suddenly so shallow and inefficient.
Besides, Garnet can't exist without them. They are the only two individuals who can give her life, and it's impossible for them to do it alone. There's something indescribably beautiful about that.
Maybe that's what Sapphire was talking about earlier. Ruby thinks she finally understands now.
"I-I don't know," Sapphire says honestly. "Maybe? I don't have the same control over them like I do when it's just me. It's totally different, and it could end up better, or worse. The probability of success is split right down the middle."
"Are you scared of working on it?"
"Not really. Aren't you?"
Ruby shakes her head and smiles, lifts their joined hands up in a small gesture. "Not as long as you're with me."
The smile that grows on Sapphire's face is lovely to behold, it really is. "Then I say let's do it."