Steven handed his sword to Pearl and came running towards Garnet and Amethyst.
"Steven! That was amazing!" Amethyst exclaimed, bumping fists with him and laughing joyfully.
"You've done a great job, Steven." Garnet said, smiling slightly and ruffling his hair. Inside, she burned, and it intensified as Pearl came towards them, along with the erratic pounding of her heart.
"That's enough for today." Pearl said, dismissing her holoform and putting the swords back in their proper places. "It's almost Steven's bedtime."
"Aw!" Steven complained. "But that was so much fun!"
Pearl chuckled at his enthusiasm. "We'll come back out tomorrow, I promise." She led them back to the warp pad and warped them back into the house. Steven went off to put his pajamas on, and Pearl went in the other direction, leaving Garnet alone with Amethyst.
"I still think you were staring at Pearl-"
"Don't start with that, Amethyst." Garnet interrupted. "It's absolutely ridiculous."
"Ooh- Garnet, you're blushing!" Amethyst snickered.
"Amethyst, that's enough." Garnet glared at her. "You're not funny." She walked off towards her room.
Amethyst huffed. "Geez. What's up with her?" She muttered, walking upstairs.
"Amethyst!" Steven called.
"Yeah, what's up buddy?" She asked.
"What were you and Garnet talking about?"
"Nothing. She's kind of grouchy today."
"Maybe you just annoyed her."
Amethyst rolled her eyes. "I was only trying to make her laugh. She's so uptight lately... Haven't you noticed it?"
"Yeah..." Steven nodded slightly. "I guess so."
The moon rose high in the black, glittering sky as Garnet stood by the window, leaning against the wall and staring into space. She took a deep breath and slowly defused, a mess of emotions.
Ruby stomped around in circles, while Sapphire stayed in place.
"Why does this keep on happening?!" Ruby exclaimed. "First the weird feelings, then the dreams, and now Amethyst's remarks! What's going on with us, Sapphire?!"
"I don't know, Ruby. Maybe we're sick. Gems don't usually feel this way around other gems.. Or anyone at all, for that matter..."
"What do you mean, 'Maybe we're sick'?! We don't get 'sick'!"
"I don't know what's happening to us, Ruby. But we have to stay together. We have to stay fused. It's the only way to get through it."
Ruby sniffled slightly. "...Sapphire?"
"Yeah?" Sapphire replied.
"What if... What if it never ends? What if this always happens to us?"
"Then we stay together. Always."
"Is Pearl... Poisoning us? Maybe she's-"
"No, Ruby. Pearl isn't poisoning us. She's done nothing to harm us."
"Then why are we so torn up around her?! Why does our heart beat faster? Why does our stomach burst into flame? Why do our legs feel like limp, wet noodles?! WHY IS ALL OF THIS HAPPENING?!"
"Calm down, Ruby... You'll wake someone up."
Ruby took a deep breath, collapsing onto the floor and crying out in exasperation. "Sapphire... Are we going to die?!"
"No, Ruby. Of course not. We're not dying. It's just a phase-"
"'Phases' don't last thousands of years, Sapphire... Something is wrong with us, and Pearl is obviously causing it." Ruby then started to cry, running to Sapphire and hugging her tightly. They fused back together, and Garnet stood in their place, worry tearing her apart as silent tears fell from her eyes.
Tomorrow was another day, and she'd power through it, as she'd always done.
But it was getting harder.
-Three Weeks Later-
Garnet watched from the counter beside Pearl, watching as Amethyst tried to teach Steven the fusion dance, chuckling softly as he fell on the floor.
"Be serious." Pearl groaned, snapping her fingers in vain attempt to get them to focus.
"Allow me to demonstrate. Garnet?" She motioned her head towards the warp pad.
Garnet took her hands in hers, her palms starting to sweat, although her gems made it unnoticable. In sync, they step, Garnet backwards, Pearl forwards, then again, Garnet forwards, Pearl backwards. They repeat the actions, Garnet's heart pounding in her chest from the contact. She moved her left hand to Pearl's back, lifting her right arm upwards. Pearl's left arm stretched freely, her right hand entwined with Garnet's. They stepped again, and Pearl lifted her left leg around Garnet's waist. The white gem felt next to nothing, while the red burned inside, her pelvis tingling slightly at the touch. Garnet spun her around and lifted her up, keeping her carefully supported as she gracefully dipped her towards the ground. Pearl spun into the wall, and Garnet soon followed, her palms hitting inches from her shoulders.
Then the earth shattered. Everything else fell away as Garnet struggled to contain her building feeling of lust for the goddess standing before her. She stared down upon her intently, noticing the faint blue tint of blush on her cheekbones. Her warm, gentle breath, her pale, radiant skin, bright, beautiful ocean blue eyes. Slender, elongated limbs, her subtle, yet apparent curves in her waist and hips. Her thin, soft lips, which she was dying to press her own against-
"Um, Garnet?" Pearl asked, her blush intensifying as she looked at her leader, her face twisting in a confused expression. "Wh-What are you doing?"
"I thought you had something in your hair. I guess I was seeing things.." She blushed fiercely and moved away so Pearl could stand normally again.
Amethyst and Steven stared at them awkwardly in confusion.
"What was that about?!" Amethyst exclaimed.
"Nothing." Pearl said, moving away from the wall. "That was nothing."
Amethyst snickered. "I think she was talking dirty to yo-"
"Amethyst!" Pearl growled through gritted teeth. "Not in front of Steven!" Her cheeks were now entirely blue, her fists clenched. How she could suggest something like that, and especially with Steven around- it absolutely infuriated her.
"Umm, what do we do now?" Steven asked.
"I think that's enough for today, Steven. Amethyst and I need to have a discussion." She glared in the purple gem's direction.
"Are you guys gonna fight?" He asked.
"No, Steven, we're not going to fight. Amethyst is just getting a severe lecture on her appropriateness and crude humor."
"Okay... I'm going to go see Connie." He headed quickly out the door, shouting his goodbyes to Garnet, who had disappeared to her room.
Garnet leaned up against the wall, her breath shaky as she tried to process the scene she'd just endured. As if her load weren't enough to bear, a realization hit her like a brick to the face.
"I love Pearl.." She whispered, her hands trembling.
"But she doesn't love you back..." Her mind murmured. "Didn't you see the way she looked at you? Like she was disgusted by you being close to her.."
Garnet collapsed into a heap on the floor, the fiery sword of heartbreak and agony slicing her in two. Her tears rained into her lap as the pain set in, ripping holes in her heart and soul. She defused, unable to hold herself together any longer.
Ruby and Sapphire looked at each other, their eyes shining with loss.
"What happened, Sapphire?" Ruby choked.
"Our fusion..." Sapphire murmured. "We became two halves of Garnet, instead of our individual forms... And while our love for each other still lasts, our fusion found love in Pearl... The white goddess..."
"Amethyst, you can't keep making these jokes in front of Steven!" Pearl exclaimed, groaning in exasperation.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Because, he still has his innocence intact! We can't ruin that!"
"Relax, Pearl. I won't say anything too harsh around him. I'm not that irresponsible."
Pearl groaned again, burying her face in her hands. "That's beside the point. It's embarrassing, Amethyst."
Amethyst scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I was just trying to make you laugh. You haven't really laughed in so long... Neither of you have. I was only trying to help. Next time I just won't." She walked off towards her room.
"Amethyst, I'm not trying to upset you.. I understand, okay? And you're right, things have been a little heavy since Steven was born, and Rose left..."
"I know... And I don't want that for Steven. He should live in a place full of happiness, not a house of dreary gems... He might start to blame himself.. And if the sex jokes make you uncomfortable, I won't make any more."
"It's not the jokes, Amethyst... It's my lack of experience that-"
Amethyst snickered. "Five thousand years, and you're still a v-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" She smacked her face into her palms, crying out in frustration.