Black Diamond

Alt. Chapter 64 - Amethyst and Carnelian's Wild Night Out

A/N: Hey everyone, it's finally finished. Considering Carnelian won the favorite fusion poll a while back. This is the special chapter for his win. I have a lot of fun writing his character if that's not obvious. Jasper is one of my favorite gems (other than Garnet obviously) I had a lot of fun with this one. 

The art was fun to make, and for those that don't know the pose with Amethyst and Carnelian is from OK KO, because I'm Professor Venomous fan too.

For now, I'll be taking a break on rewrites to write more of the main story since we're hitting a big arc and to write the In Greyscale side story, but rewrites for chapters 1-10 are finished. I know how cliffhangers feel, so I would like to get those out as soon as possible. As always questions are welcome to be added to the FAQ or the next QnA and I always love your comments. 

Enjoy the chapter and hopefully I'll be back soon.

P.S: Shout out to @storly I had fun writing that section for the story and appreciate the idea.

_____________________________________

The darkening sky loomed over Black Diamond as he walked home, coming from his last delivery. Steven's idea for all the baked goods left over. The smile that he plastered on his face with each door and gifted treats had faded before he even made it home. He felt heavy. He felt tired, and he couldn't go home like this. Steven and the others had enough of their own problems and troubling experiences already. He'd feel even worse if he added to the pile.

So, reluctantly Black Diamond decided to rest on a bench. Promptly plopping down on the wooden seat, hands dragging down his face in frustration. His eyes burned with unshed tears. It was more than safe to say that a break was much needed.

Things were getting better with the Crystal Gems, but he could still feel it, the wall between him and them. Garnet was the furthest from trusting him. Black felt trapped...unable to move forward. No matter what he did or said they never looked at him the same way. Every smile given felt tight and the way their eyes studied him as if waiting for him to lash out.

It ate at him with each passing encounter, and pessimism had started to seep into the cracks of disconnection and mistrust.

It's unfair.

They act as if they don't have secrets that they keep close.

They judge me for hiding my status, even though we've spent thousands of years around each other.

What difference does the cut of your gem mean after everything they had been through together?

How could they not trust him after something like that?

They worry about him betraying him after so long?

Foolish, if that were the case, they wouldn't have made it this far.

Building trust would have been entirely unnecessary. He could have picked them off one by one easily after a thousand years or so without ever having to approach them. So, why did they still seem to hold out for some unexpected attack.

Black Diamond sighed fiercely rubbing his temples as if it would assuage the torrent of thoughts rushing through his mind. He just needed to be patient. Maybe he just needed a break. He had recovered from the last time, and it had been a while since he had fused with Jasper. Yeah, that's what he was going to do. He needed a night without thinking about everything going on.

Carnelian was perfect for that. A blanket that blurred the lines of his drowning reality.

Jasper was perfect for that. Someone...someone that would just listen to him. Someone that...cared...even if it was in her own strange way. It wasn't a perfect friendship by any means, but...she truly understood him in a way that the others simply couldn't. He missed the sandy beach where the moonlight seemed to hold him close. The shared stories as the reality of the outside world faded away.