♡Give it a chance!☆ Hinedere spinel x "Deredere" spinel reader

14: mellowing out

After getting back to your cozy home, after putting away your groceries and getting situated for the evening, you decided to order a pizza for the two of you. You didn't really feel like making dinner, and this'll be a good way to introduce spinel to other's cooking in a way. Of course it was a bit of a wait, there are still very few gems that eat at your residence so Fish Stew was still getting used to the route.

You passed the time by teaching spinel how to use the television and teaching her about what TV programs were. And of course, you had to introduce her to (show), your favorite series. And Luckily for you, it was a rerun of the first episode, so it made things much easier to settle her in.

It didn't seem like it at first, but you could tell that spinel was already enticed after about 20 minutes of watching.

And by the time the episode has over, the pizza had arrived. You both had sat at the bar to enjoy your (topping) pizza. Spinel was hesitant since it was not only sloppy looking, but it wasn't your cooking. And the last thing she wanted was to try something made by a human. But of course, her conscience got the best of her, and she hesitantly decided to give it a go. She struggled a bit at first; since she wasn't used to handling something so greasy, and the cheese kept sliding off, but after a bit of teaching, she finally managed to take a bite. "Hm... so this is what pizza tastes like?"

You nodded happily, proud of her feat. "Yup! Pretty tasty, right?"

Spinel looked back down at her slice, with a small, contemplative sneer. "It's... not bad." She replied, trying to sound plain. Sure, it was a bit messy, but somehow, it was actually surprisingly good. Even if she wasn't familiar or even used to the salty, savory flavor, it was a surprisingly satisfactory change from the sweet foods she's sampled so far. "Just a bit..." she fumbled with her slice, trying to prevent the cheese from sliding off. "Messy, though."

You giggled softly, handing her a napkin. "You might want this then!" Spinel nods, quickly taking the napkin to wipe off the grease and tomato sauce that resided on her lips and gloves. "It's a good thing Fish Stew is starting to make delivers to little homeworld now, some of the gems here are starting to get into the habits of eating as well!" Spinel lifted her brow, looking slightly bothered, but said nothing as she took another bite of her pizza. You rubbed your chin, looking up in thought as you remembered something. "I even heard that Mr. Universe and the gems have been thinking about teaching more earthly culture... what was the place..?" you thought a bit harder, before you snapped your fingers as it came to you. "Little Homeschool!"

"Little what now?" Spinel asked mid-chew, brow lifted in confusion. "Little homeschool! It just opened a few days ago!" Spinel's chewing had stopped completely as she stared at you as if you had grown three heads. "...what?"

You giggled. "You see, miss spinel, since the liberation, a lot of gems were at a bit of a loss of what to do with themselves. Ya know, they've been pushed around and told what to do all their life, and they kinda need some help adapting to their newfound freedom." You explained, taking a small sip of your soda before continuing. "That's why they made Little Homeschool. It'll help gems adjust to this newfound life, and even forge themselves a new identity!"

"Really now..?" Spinel stared hard at you for a bit longer, mulling your words over before swallowing. "Eesh... the kid's unprejudiced than I thought..." you smiled dreamily, swinging your legs beneath your chair. "Yeah, he's really something!" You giggled before looking back at spinel, with a starry-eyed stare that made the pink gem flinch. "Maybe we should go there sometime!" Spinel's face contorted comedically into a look of apprehension. "Eeeeeaah.... I don't think that'd be a good idea, kiddo..." she sipped at her drink tentively. "I don't think they'll be very happy to see me... remember how I was when I first came here?" You shrugged, wearing a passive smile. "So? That was a long time ago! Most gems probably forgot! And besides, I'm sure you're forgiven. After all, you aren't the only gem that's been hurt!"

Spinel fell silent, as you gathered the dishes in one hand and taking the pizza box, still containing half a pizza, left into the other. "Now, it is time for dessert! Time for some ice cream!" You merrily carried everything to the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink and putting the pizza in the fridge. As you opened the freezer, spinel spoke up.

"Hey, (name)...? How exactly did you know about... me?"

You paused, your hand mid-reach of the (flavor) ice cream.

"How did you know about me and pink?"

She was met with silence. You were completely still, save for your arm slowly dropping to your side as you stared into to the dark freezer. Spinel instinctively stiffened, leaning back in uncertainty. "...ehm... hello?"

"...I just... had a feeling she was behind our first meeting." You replied, your voice entirely void of emotion. "Because like I said, you aren't the only one she's hurt."

If spinel had any blood, it'd be frozen by how grim you sounded. She didn't even need to see your face to know that you were wearing that same dead look you wore a few days ago.

However, no sooner had you said that, you shuddered slightly, as if a chill had gone down your metaphoric spine and shook your head, looking down at your feet and setting a hand on your head. "You uh... you alright there?"

You don't reply for a moment, before sighing and turning it to face her. To her relief, your eyes weren't ringed, but instead, had a tired, weary look on your face. "I'm fine." You smiled tiredly. "Let's not muddle the day with Pink diamond for now, sh-she isn't with us anymore." You turned back, grabbing a carton of ice cream and shutting the freezer. You put on a cheery smile, while gathering the bowls and spoons. "Besides! Without her, we wouldn't be able to have any ice cream! Am I right?"

"Uhm... yeah, sure..." Spinel gave a weary sneer of a smile back. "You uh... sure know how to look at the positives of things..."

You chuckled. Though it was meant to be light, there was a notably dark undertone in it.

"It makes life easier, miss spinel."