Rose

Pearlmethyst One-Shot Post (After)-"Jailbreak"

Pearl sat at the kitchen counter, lost in her thoughts. She was thinking about the day before. The Homeworld gems had captured the Crystal gems and a cold feeling rested in the pit of her stomach. They had only gotten away by the skin of their teeth. If it wasn't for Lapis and Steven they could have very well been killed.

Pearl shuddered at the thought. She was scared and for good reason. They hadn't really won yesterday. Yesterday, was only the start of a long battle between the Homeworld and them. Pearl put her head in her hands. She thought back to the battle that she fought with Rose Quartz. So many gems lost their lives in that battle and only Garnet and Pearl had survived.

Without Rose, could they survive?

"Pearl?" Amethyst said, standing beside the skinny gem. Pearl removed her head from her pale hands and looked at Amethyst.

"Yes?" Pearl asked as she felt something on her cheek. She brought her hand up to touch her cheek and there was tears. She hadn't realized she was crying. It just seemed so ordinary for her to cry when she thought of Rose.

"Are you okay?" Amethyst questioned, worry on her face. Pearl wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.

"Yes. I'm fine, Amethyst," Pearl lied through her teeth.

"Pearl..." Amethyst said but she didn't push any further. There was an awkward silence before Amethyst put her hands behind her head and smiled.

"Do ya wanna hang out?" Amethyst asked, with fake confidence. Pearl raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" Pearl questioned.

"You know. Like just hang out, We could watch a movie or whatever," Amethyst said. Pearl looked at the purple gem. In all the thousands of years she had known Amethyst, never once had they "hanged out". Pearl felt the cold in her stomach increase and another thought of Rose creeped into her mind. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts anymore.

"... A movie could be fun," Pearl said, with a small smile. A stray tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Amethyst saw it but choose not to mention it.

"I'll make popcorn and we can use Steven's blanket," Amethyst said, with a bright smile. Pearl nodded as the purple gem started to rummage through the kitchen. Amethyst found the popcorn bags and began to take off the clear wrapping.

Amethyst, who was very short, climbed up onto the kitchen counter. She reached out her hand for the microwave that was built into the top cabinets. She had to stretch but she hit the button and placed the greasy popcorn bag into the microwave. Amethyst shut the microwave door and turned it on. As it hummed to life, Pearl smiled at the strange sight.

The popcorn started to pop in the bag and the smell of salt and butter filled the air.

"You can pick out the movie," Amethyst said, as she watched the popcorn bag jump. Pearl nodded getting up from the kitchen stool and made her way into Steven's downstairs closet. Inside where many board games, stuffed animals, and movies.

Pearl flipped through the DVDs. Zombie Wife. Under the Knife Season One. Ninja Slayer II. The Untold Stories of Stories. Rolio and Juba. Galaxy Fighters. All of the movies were Steven's so most of them were childish movies. She hadn't seen any movie that looked good to her. They all looked superficial and unrealistic.

"Amethyst. What would you like to watch?" Pearl asked, crouching in front of the closet. Amethyst took the steaming bag of popcorn from the microwave and started to pour it into a large bowl. She glanced over at Pearl, placing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"We could watch Attack on Vimpillas?" Amethyst suggested, with a mouthful of food. Pearl turned her head in disgust. She controlled herself from nagging at Amethyst about how impolite it was to speak with food in ones mouth.

"No. Wait!" Amethyst said, clearly as she swallowed the popcorn. She jumped off the counter and rushed towards the temple door. Her gem glowed purple and she entered her room. The door glued behind her.

Pearl stood up and walked to the kitchen emptying out the rest of the popcorn bag in the bowl. Amethyst came out a while later with a cardboard box full of VHS tapes.

She set them down on the living room floor. Pearl bent over and started looking through the VHS tapes. She picked up one and read its written title. The VHS felt heavy in her hand as she froze. The familiar flowery scent came from the box and the handwriting was all too familiar.

"These are Rose's…" Pearl said, feeling her legs go weak.

"Ya. These were her favorites.. I thought you'd like them better then Steven's collection," Amethyst said, grabbing the side of her arm. She averted her eyes from Pearl and went into the kitchen. She grabbed the popcorn bowl and started to head up the stairs to Steven's room.

Once up the stairs, she removed Steven's blanket and sat on the floor at the end of Steven's bed. Amethyst's eyes looked down at Pearl. Pearl stood shaking as she traced her fingers over Rose's hand written titles. Amethyst frowned as Pearl let out a few stray tears.

Pearl tried regaining her composure and rummaged in the box, grabbing a random movie. She walked up the steps and handed the movie to Amethyst. Pearl sat down on the wooden floor and brought the blanket over her thin legs. Amethyst took the movie and placed it in the VHS player. She pressed the red play button and the movie came to life.

Amethyst sat next to Pearl and Pearl wiped her red eyes. Amethyst inched closer to the tall gem. She placed the popcorn bowl in her lap and gestured towards Pearl.

"..I know you don't like to eat but do you want some?" Amethyst asked, sincerely.

"No. But thank you, Amethyst," Pearl said, pulling her legs to her chest. Amethyst nodded, placing the bowl in her lap. The movie started but neither of them paid much attention to the movie. Amethyst felt guilty for not knowing how to make Pearl feel better and Pearl was lost in her thoughts again.

The movie was almost halfway over.

"We knew," Amethyst whispered, staring into the popcorn bowl.

"Huh?" Pearl said, snapped out of her daze.

"We knew five thousand years ago that you and Rose were lovers," Amethyst said, fiddling with the blanket's edge. Pearl froze and brought her legs tighter to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Amethyst, please. I don't want to talk about it," Pearl said, pretending to watch the movie.

"Why?" Amethyst asked, her hands gripping the side of the bowl a little tighter. Pearl became irritated.

"Because it's none of your business, Amethyst," Pearl said, watching the movie with a glare. She refused to look towards Amethyst.

"How can you do that?" Amethyst said, bitterly.

"We're suppose to be a team but you always shut me out. You think I'm just some kid that wouldn't understand. I get it. You don't want to talk about Rose because it hurts but I'm just trying to help," Amethyst said, loudly.

"What would you understand? You had nothing like what I had with Rose," Pearl said, flustered.

"You're right. I wouldn't understand but you could at least talk to me.. Do you know how many times I've seen you cry over her…," Amethyst said, as she felt her hair fall over her eyes. Pearl's glare softened as she saw stray tears fall down Amethyst's cheeks.

"I care about you, Pearl," Amethyst said, as she wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand. Pearl looked at the short gem and wiped a few tears from Amethyst's face.

"...I loved her more then anything. She was my entire world and anything I ever did was for her. Five thousands years ago when Rose wanted to rebel against the Homeworld, I eagerly followed her. The war we fought was both long and difficult. Gems died and we nearly were defeated but Rose in the last moments used her shield to save me, Sapphire, and Ruby. All the other gems in Rose's army were lost. A few Homeworld gems escaped but we had won. Earth was safe.."

" A while later we had went to the Kindergarten. That's when Rose found you and also ended our relationship. After the war, Rose was destroyed. She obviously didn't let you, Ruby, or Sapphire know this but she was broken..."

" Around a hundred years after the war, Rose had told me that she couldn't continue to be my lover. She had told me that it was unfair to you and Garnet and that she still cared for me very much but it was a different kind of love,"

"She had asked me if I was upset with her. I wasn't. I felt lost though..She had asked me if I would leave the crystal gems too. But I could never leave her side. I sustained my life through Rose. I followed her obediently with content with just being someone she cared about. When she fell in love with Greg, I kept a smile for her. When she told me that she would give up her physical form to make Steven, I smiled for her but I felt in shambles," Pearl explained.

She had paused very rarely for fear that she would have burst into tears. As she finished her story she closed her eyes remembering how Rose's soft kisses felt on her gem. Tears started to slide down on her cheeks.

Amethyst looked up at Pearl and she hugged her. Her arms wrapped protectively around Pearl's skinny waist and Amethyst buried her face in Pearl's chest. Pearl ran her pale fingers into Amethyst's white hair and pulled her closer. They stayed in their embrace for a long time and they cried together. The silence was oddly comforting.

Pearl looked down at Amethyst seeing the purple gem's face smothered in her shirt. She felt something strange as though for the first time in a while her heart didn't feel as heavy. Pearl's physical heart skipped a terrifying beat as Pearl realized that in that moment she wanted to kiss Amethyst. Pearl froze thinking of Rose.

Rose had moved on but could she? Pearl squeezed her eyes shut and ran her arms tighter around Amethyst's side.

"Amethyst?" Pearl said with a shaky voice. Amethyst looked up at the pointy-nosed gem. Pearl placed a hand on Amethyst's cheek and looked into Amethyst's dark eyes.

"Can I kiss you?" Pearl said feebly but she rubbed her thumb on Amethyst's cheeks to reassure her. Amethyst eyes widened slightly and but she nodded. Pearl bent down letting her thin lips touch Amethyst's full ones. She kissed lightly at first but Amethyst inched her lips forward deepening the kiss.

Pearl froze but melted into the kiss. The feeling of Amethyst's lips on her own was strange and new. They were much different than Rose's were. Amethyst lips were full and tasted of salt from the popcorn. Amethyst's cheeks were rounder and seemed to fit better in her hand then Rose's had.

Pearl felt her shoulders relax and realized that she had just thought of Rose without crying. She let her eyes flutter open and she looked at Amethyst's shut eyes. Her face was so tranquil and serene. Pearl pulled away slowly and Amethyst opened her eyes looking into Pearl's.

The two stared into each others eyes. Pearl ran her thumb over Amethyst's cheek.

"I care for you too, Amethyst. I want to protect you as well," Pearl said and Amethyst smiled curling her fingers in Pearl's apricot hair.

The two sat together comforted in one another's presence as Rose's picture hanged framed above the door with a smile on her face as she watched over the two protectively.

- The End -

Author's Note: I want to write a Rupphire (Ruby x Sapphire) fanfiction next. So be on the look oit for that -N.S