Lapis sung a few more songs (much to the other's delight), stealing peeks at her captured audience every now and then. Pearl was not a passive spectator, the blue gem discovered again and again. Indeed, she was vocal, ooh -ing and ahh -ing at suitable times, e.g. whenever the blue gem hit the high and low notes just right or when the other demonstrates the capacity of her formed lungs particularly in long vocalizations frequent in this particular artist's songs.

Lapis was very particular in picking this certain artist's songs, Pearl observed. This Regine Velasquez… the blue gem even turned to a section of the song dedicated to this artist and her songs. "She might be Lapis' favorite," the pale gem concluded.

Pearl was clapping her hands at the water gem's score (98 this time, the blue gem's average score) when Lapis turned to slump next to her on the couch, "Ahhhh that was fun…" the blue gem sighed, "Still choosing a song?" She asked, pointing at the closed songbook on Pearl's lap with her lips. She straightened up, twisting her body to face the other gem who was sitting on her side of the couch in a regal seiza. "You should sing. I want to hear you sing," She offered the other microphone to the pale gem, "Sing for me, Pearl."

Lapis expected embarrassed hesitance or a weak refusal or maybe even a confident affirmative with a challenging smirk. What she didn't expect was a tensed up Pearl and a sharp—

"No!"

"Pearl, wha—"

"You can't make me! Y-you… It is because I'm a pearl?!" Pearl wasn't looking at her but the water gem could see the distress in the usually proud gem.

Chill reached Lapis' core, realization flooded her with vengeance. "What?! No, no! Pearl, I—" She grabbed the other's thin shoulders— "Pearl, I'm sorry. It isn't like that…" Lapis searched for the pale gem's heavy eyes, hoping to convey her regret in her own, "I didn't want you to sing for me because you are a pearl… that I want you to serve me," Pearl stared at her at this, "I wanted to hear you sing for you… for you to also have fun…" The blue gem retreated to the far side of the couch, hugging her legs close, "I messed up. I'm sorry."

It was darker now; the only source of light was the karaoke glaring down on the both of them, lighting the bangs that provided the water gem cover from the taller of the two. The panning titles and corresponding numbers didn't register to Pearl but it was a much needed distraction, "I never sung for anybody," Pearl said softly, fiddling with the crackling plastic covering of the songbook, "ever since… ever since Rose disappeared." The pale gem exhaled deeply, extending her feet to the floors, meeting the wood with quiet tiptoes. She laughed nostalgically at a distant memory, "Rose… She said that I should sing for myself. Dance for myself. Live…" The silent for myself was left in the air, "I did. I do… It made her happy and I was happy," she intertwined her long fingers on her lap, "Her happiness was my everything and she made me feel like I was… everything."

Chilled wind entered the barn from the huge gaping hole beside the two gems, drawing attention to the stillness of the two.

Lapis peeked through her hair and watched as the other slowly relaxed her posture despite the extending her legs into points like second nature. In the soft light of the karaoke screen and even softer light from the rising moon behind the blue gem, Pearl was a sight to behold; the gem in her forehead diffusing the already soft lighting, illuminating her large eyes, her skin soft to the eyes and probably to the touch. She was made to be this soft and delicate, pretty and dolled-up. Lapis knew these thoroughly, but this particular pearl in front of her was beyond pretty above all now while she put into words and actions her deep affections for the late Rose Quartz.

Pearl heaved a unnecessary sigh, more for impulse than for respiration, and finally faced the other gem, "I apologize for lashing out on you, Lapis," she squeezed her linked hands tighter, "I know you are trying… I still am. It's hard to forget about Homeworld even after all of these years… I understand. I'm still learning." Pearl fiddled around with the microphones, lining them properly, side by side. "If you want… if you're willing," she grasped one of them, and offered the other to the water gem, "you can learn with me."

The said gem lowered her leg on the floor and took the offered microphone, warm from the other gem's handling. In addition to soft and beautiful, Pearl was also warm. It was probably another adaptation brought about by the Earth's environment yet Lapis found this soothing. The pale gem was so different from the other pearls she helped created back in the Homeworld. Back in the Homeworld, pearls like her, with gems unfortunately rolled around the wrong way by lapis lazulis would be destroyed by the same lapis lazulis who created them. Such was the fate of pearls, made-to-order to be perfect, to be pretty, and to serve; they didn't stand a chance against the water and gems that made them.

"But you did," Lapis thought thankfully and smiled tentatively at the one-of-a-kind pearl. The pale gem took this as a yes and pulled her legs closer to the couch, feet still at tiptoes, elevating the suddenly opened songbook on her lap.

"Oh! I understand this word," Pearl pointed out to Lapis, her cheeks tinged with teal, before tapping her finger to her pursed lips in rapt concentration. "Let's see… the corresponding numbers are… Two. Nine. Eigh—"

"Wait! W—what are you doing?"

"Choosing a song." Pearl said this with the air of "isn't it obvious?"

"Is this okay?" The blue gem grabbed her blue hair, confused, "Are you okay with this?" Her eyes wild, searching for any clues of her control over the taller gem. She didn't find any, Pearl's agency still on her own gem.

Pearl simply closed the songbook and punched in the numbers on the karaoke ("Dos! Nueve! Otso! Otso! Dos! Dos!"), and turned on her own microphone and spoke to it, "Yes, I'm okay with this," she extended her free hand to the gem on the couch, more confident unlike her previous attempt back in the beach, "I want to sing for me… I want to sing with you."

Lapis laughed in relief, this time, also successfully accepted the offered hand and jumped on her feet in thrill that turned to excitement at the drop of the first notes of the song, "Oh stars! I love this song!"

"Um… I don't know this song," the pale gem gasped, eyes widening with realization and panic. She did pick the song at random.

"It's okay. It's easy to learn," the water gem assured her, gently squeezing the gem's hand. "Follow my lead," she winked then turned to the screen as it showed the countdown 4… 3… 2… 1…

"Baby, let's cruise, away from here," Lapis crooned without looking at the words, eyes prompting Pearl to do the opposite.

"Don't be confused, the way is clear," Pearl sung, following the highlighting words on the screen and the blue gem's lead, uncertain at first but slowly gaining confidence.

"And if you want it you got it forever. This is not a one night stand," Lapis continued, her singing laced with joyful laughter. "Let the music take your mind," she swayed their still interlocked hands playfully, clueing in the other gem to follow through.

Pearl understood and sung boldly, "Ooh just release and you will find," Confident that she understood the rhythm and the slowly building melody of the song, the pale gem and Lapis sung in tandem:

"You're gonna fly away, glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruising together
The music is played for love,
Cruising is made for love
I love it when we're cruising together"

Lapis wasn't lying when she said the song was easy to learn and even easier to sing. It was slow and repetitive in a comforting way, not unlike the gentle waves of a calm sea. The repeating lyrics also helped and Pearl soon found herself not needing the words on the screen and instead invested on the other gem. She gazed at the blue gem as she crooned another, "You're gonna fly away, glad you're goin' my way."

The other turned deep blue at this and answered, "I love it when we're cruising together." Slowly, she closed the space between them and put their linked hands at the back of Pearl's neck, leading the other in an unhurried sway to the beat of their singing. The other let her lead themselves along a small circle only the two of them can see, finding beauty in the purposeless steps. At the last notes and their last lines, Pearl extended their entwined hands above the smaller gem and twirled her for a dip as the song droned to a decrescendo— only to find herself falling on the said gem, thankfully to the not so distant floor.

"Augh… Note to self: Don't twirl with microphones with cords," Lapis winced but otherwise unhurt. Thanks to Pearl's quick thinking and even quicker hand at the back of her head.

The said gem was staring down at her, chest heaving from the sudden exertion, and cheeks darkening to a pleasing teal. She was close, less than an arm's reach when she hooked the length of her arm to protect both Lapis' gem and head. Lapis could easily reach her with her free ha—

Thundering trumpets filled the barn for the nth time that night but none was as unwelcomed as this one, "Uwah!" exclaimed the two, disentangling themselves from each other and from the cords of the microphones. The water gem even more so after finding herself securely wrapped with the thick cord. Pearl was first to gather her bearings and half-laughed half-helped the hogtied gem. "Sorry about that," the pale gem said, the mirth in her voice betraying the sincerity of her apology.

"No you're not," Lapis deadpanned.

"No I'm not," the other gem just agreed.

"Nerd," was the blue gem's reply, turning to the karaoke, "Oh woah! We got a hundred!" Lapis jumped in joy, grabbing the pale gem's hand and attention.

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Pearl screamed, mirroring the water gem's excitement, "A hundred! A perfect score! We got a perfect score! We were perfect!" She laughed as she hugged the smaller gem close, much to the both party's surprise.

Lapis was shocked at the sudden proximity but accepted the contact before the other could withdraw her arms, even encouraged them with an embrace of her own. Soon, the tension and exhilaration in both gems subsided, opting to savor the intimate nearness in the midst of the trumpets of the karaoke. Finally, the two gems separated yet become closer together. Lapis smile turned to a smirk, "Next time, drop the mic not your partner."

Pearl gave a start at the water gem's first words but lowered her lids to accompany a simper of her own, "I will drop what I can catch," she promised.

Ooops they didn't fuse. I hope you enjoyed this chap as much as I enjoyed writing it at 3 in the morning! Inspiration was a bitch but I love this wrong-timing bitch.

I reckon that you guys already know the song in this chapter but for those who don't (which is I must admit, amazing), the song is "Cruisin'" by Gwyneth Paltrow & Huey Lewis. You can enjoy it here: yt /watch?v=U_HaoZ73wWg