Solace

Confessions

//SPOILERS FOR STEVEN UNIVERSE WITHIN. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.//

Pearl snapped awake to find herself back where she belonged. Her rapid breathing slowed as she took in her surroundings. Amethyst lay curled up on the couch making loud snoring sounds. A half eaten slice of pizza lay upon her stomach, slowly rising and falling with each breath. Steven was in his bed in the loft, murmuring quietly in his slumber. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was all just a dream. I'm back in the temple where this whole mess started.  Her thoughts were interrupted by a warm hand caressing her shoulder, making her tense with fear. She twisted herself around only to discover that her face was mere inches away from Garnet's. Her eyes widened as she tried to slowly inch herself away from Garnet's slumbering form. Why would she be sleeping so close to me? She hummed and shifted, unconsciously wrapping her arms around Pearl's waist. It took all of her willpower to remain unmoving. She began to carefully remove Garnet's arm from her hip. Pearl felt alarm pulse through her as Garnet yanked her arm away. She sat upright, the sheets falling off of her upper body. "What are you-" Garnet brought a finger to her lips, silencing her. "There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this." Her expressionless features remained constant. Pearl had learned not to question Garnet's judgement. She kept her mouth shut, disregarding the burning questions that lay within her. "I need to talk to you." Pearl sat up attentively, eager to listen. Garnet chuckled softly. "Not here. This needs to be between the two of us." A rare half smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Oh.. um... okay." Pearl's heart fluttered at the sight of her uncommon gesture. Garnet wriggled her way out from underneath the sheets that were sprawled messily across the makeshift mattress. She said nothing more as she walked briskly through the front door, Pearl following closely behind her. She struggled to keep up with Garnet's lengthy strides. A gust of warm, salty air hit her body with a nagging strength as if it were warning her of something important that was just beyond her sight. She scrambled down the rickety stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?! It's awfully dark out." Pearl stopped at the bottom of the staircase, feeling the silken white sand sink beneath her bare feet. Garnet paused and inclined her head to face Pearl. "No." she didn't reveal anything more. They strolled side by side in utter silence. The only sound to be heard was the comforting murmur of the gentle tide lapping against the shore. Pearl had gradually learned from Garnet that silence and tranquility were a virtue, not a burden. The quietness gave her a new opportunity to observe things that she would've never noticed otherwise. Without the serenity of the night, she would've never gotten to stop and appreciate the velvety purple sky. She wouldn't have thought twice about how gorgeous the deep blue ocean reflected the moon's light on the horizon. She especially wouldn't have considered how charming Garnet appeared as she sauntered along the shoreline. Her thick dark hair was being slightly tousled by the midnight breeze, making her seem even more captivating. Her confident stance radiated dignity. By simply looking at her, you could see everything that she strived to be. Yet there were so many aspects that she chose to conceal from the public eye..."is everything okay?" Garnet's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Oh! Y-yes I-I suppose." She replied nervously. Garnet flashed another one of her classic smirks. "You were staring." "I was?!" Pearl remarked, gazing at her with wide eyes. "Obviously." "I didn't mean to.. I'm sorry." She felt her face heating up and she looked away, staring at the ground bashfully. "There's no need to apologize." They walked in an uneasy quietness for a few more moments. "We're here." Garnet halted abruptly. She held her hand out in front of her body, letting her gem cast an eerie red glow throughout the area. Ruins lay everywhere, strewn across the beach in a chaotic mess. Several severed columns were spread in a disarrayed order along with an assortment of dismembered wires. It all seemed so out of place in the usual peaceful scenery of the night. "Do you remember this place?" Garnet questioned. "Peridot's former Communication Hub." Pearl studied the wreckage with a conflicted expression. "Do you have any idea why I brought you here?" "You don't have to say anything else. I know exactly why." She buried her face in her hands. "I still haven't been able to shake the feeling of guilt since that one day where I ruined everything. I didn't know that you still held anything against me... go ahead and punish me. Whatever it is, I deserve it. I just want you to know that I'm sorry..." she cut herself off and wiped a single tear away from her face. "Don't cry, Pearl. You've jumped to a conclusion too quickly. I don't hold any grudges against you. In fact, I've brought you here for a completely different reason than you might think." Garnet approached her, stroking her shoulder in a comforting manner."really?!" Pearl peered up at her with seemingly innocent pale eyes. " I've taken you here because this is the place where I figured out how I feel about you." Pearl furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" Garnet edged herself closer with subtle steps. "Whenever we fused on that day, I became enchanted by your elegance." She gingerly held out her hand as an unexpected invitation. Pearl understood immediately and accepted her offer with a sly grin. She placed her hand on top of hers. "I was enthralled by your outstanding performance and I realized that I felt something deep within myself... an emotion I had never experienced before." Their fingers interlocked as they began to step back and forth in a simple waltz. "I wondered why I had never noticed your beauty." Pearl stood on the tip of her toes and whirled around effortlessly, attempting to continue the dance while listening to Garnet's words. "On that day, I wanted to tell you that you weren't powerless. I longed to say that you had a powerful effect upon me. But I had to make the situation seem professional, so I acted as if I was upset by your actions." She dropped into Garnet's waiting arms with poise. Her light blue eyes pierced her soul with an acute ache. "If only I had known all this time... I wouldn't have gone through so much pain." Garnet regarded her with the same amount of agony in her eyes. "And It hurt me even more to see you suffer like that. Knowing that I was the cause of your distress made me ridden with guilt. I knew it had to happen, though. Otherwise we would have rushed into a dangerous partnership that would not have lasted. Giving our emotions time to develop was the key to my plan." She still lay in Garnet's arms, astonished by her words. "But how could you possibly have feelings towards me? You're already a fusion." "Over the years I have gradually began to develop thoughts and feelings of my own. Ruby and Sapphire don't control my every movement." Pearl swept her agile fingers across Garnet's face tantalizingly. "if that's the case... how do you really feel about me?" Garnet held her closer. Her hot breath sent shivers down her spine. "I don't want to tell you how I feel about you. I want you to experience how I feel." Pearl answered her desire by closing her eyes and draping her arms around Garnet's neck. their lips intermingled in a delicate kiss. Adrenaline rushed throughout her as she relished the taste of Garnet's mouth upon hers. Their bodies pressed together hungrily as if they had been deprived of each other's love for an eternity. Their lips parted reluctantly, leaving a lingering memory that wouldn't be forgotten. Garnet lowered her back on her feet. Pearl froze for a moment, gaping up at her with pure bewilderment. "I love you, Pearl." She heedlessly pulled Her into a rigid embrace. "I love you too." Garnet rested her chin on top of Pearl's head and released a contented sigh.
They remained locked in each other's grasp on that fateful night beneath the mysterious sky, the stars as their only witness.