It was nearly impossible to surprise Garnet.

Pearl could count the times she'd seen it happen on one hand, and most of those times had been during the war. None of them had been good surprises.

Pearl faulted herself for the most recent one, still blamed herself for betraying Garnet's trust when she knew how much fusion meant to her. The anger and shock on Garnet's face when she found out still haunted her.

They were okay now, getting along and learning how to communicate better. After some time, Pearl had found the strength to admit her feelings for the other gem, and Garnet had accepted them without reservation, offering Pearl her trust again just like she always had. And so they continued on, Garnet making space for Pearl beside her without thinking, Pearl holding onto Garnet's arm casually, and—when they were alone—exchanging warm kisses and the quiet comfort of having someone beside them as they lay awake. Pearl loved everything, and treasured every second of it.

But she still wished she could find a way to surprise Garnet and make her happy instead of hurt. She had honestly been amazed Garnet's future vision hadn't seen her mistake in the past; she hadn't thought it possible to evade it entirely.

It was possible though, she had discovered, and now that she had made amends she wondered if it would be possible to do it again. Come up with a nice surprise, even if it was something small, that would get her one of those open, honest smiles she so loved and maybe, if she played her cards right, the rare blush that could bloom on Garnet's face.

She wanted to try.

Her first plan was admittedly rather prone to failure.

Pearl had decided to take care of Garnet's chores for her, doing her own share of the chart before moving on to the cleaning Garnet had been assigned this week, humming to herself as she dusted the shelves and swept the floors.

Which…wasn't all that out of the ordinary, she realized when Garnet came in from her mission, smiled, and kissed Pearl's cheek with a gentle "thank you."

She wasn't sure why she'd expected it to work in the first place, but it felt nice to do something for Garnet anyway, so she didn't mind too much.

Next time she'd manage a real surprise.

"Hi, Pearl! Whatcha thinking about?" Steven plopped down next to her on the sofa.

"I'm trying to plan a surprise for Garnet," she replied.

Steven's eyes lit up. "What kind of surprise? Can I help?" he asked excitedly.

"Well," Pearl began, reluctant to tell him no, "I haven't decided what it'll be yet."

"I could help you brainstorm!" Steven volunteered. "Peridot too!"

Peridot, who had just opened the door and wasn't even halfway inside yet, looked at the two of them suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"We're going to surprise Garnet," he answered. "Wanna help?"

"Is that possible?" she asked skeptically, closing the door and walking over to join them. "I would think that her precognition would negate the intended effect of any 'surprises'."

"Her what?"

"Her future vision," Pearl supplied. "And yes, it does make it rather difficult." In fact, she was pretty sure that the more people she got involved, the more likely it would be that Garnet would find out, but she didn't really have the heart to call it off now that Steven was so excited about the prospect.

"I don't really see the point then," Peridot said flatly.

"The point was that I wanted to do something nice for her," Pearl replied. "We've been rather busy lately, and I think she'd welcome something more relaxing. You're not obligated to help, Peridot."

"No," she decided quickly, "I will. If this is how you show appreciation here, then it only seems fair that I contribute as well."

Which was how Pearl ended up with two helpers—three, when Peridot dragged Amethyst into their "secret surprise team" too—who took over planning a whole surprise day that mostly consisted of a picnic, lots of balloons and decorations, and a hastily prepared play, complete with musical numbers. Steven had also gone out of his way to make a fancy invitation for Garnet, which he presented the morning of the surprise with a proud smile.

Garnet thanked him and feigned surprise quite well, though Pearl was sure she had long since figured out what they were planning. Neither Peridot nor Steven were particularly good liars, and they'd also suspiciously disappeared several times for planning sessions.

It was still a fun outing though, and Pearl and Garnet both enjoyed spending the day with everyone. They'd ended it by themselves with stargazing, spreading the picnic blanket out on the grass and cuddling up together in the cool night air.

"Was it alright?" Pearl asked. "I thought you might appreciate a break—and I wasn't going to do anything quite so elaborate, but they wanted to help."

"It was great," Garnet reassured her, hand caressing Pearl's shoulder. "Thank you."

She melted into her touch, winding her arms around Garnet securely. They lay there in silence for a few moments.

"I really did need a distraction," Garnet murmured. "I keep trying to figure out what's coming, but…"

"Your future vision doesn't work like that," Pearl finished quietly.

"Maybe Sapphire's—"

"Sapphire's isn't perfect either." She tilted her head up to look at Garnet. "It's okay. You don't need to unfuse for something like that unless you really want to. We're going do the best that we can regardless."

"Yeah," she agreed, lips curving upwards, "that part I know."

"Tell me if there's anything you need?"

"Just this," Garnet replied softly, arm tightening around Pearl.

"Okay," she agreed, dipping her head to kiss Garnet's shoulder. "I love you."

"Love you too," she whispered. "Thanks."

It was a few days before Pearl considered attempting another surprise. She had gone out to pick up a few things for her latest project and remembered, as she was passing the grocery store, that Garnet had a certain fondness for sweets. What better opportunity to surprise her with a small treat?

She purchased the ingredients she'd need for a batch of cookies—proper ingredients, not the premade dough that Steven snuck into the basket sometimes—and paid for them with the money she had left over. It took her perhaps five minutes total; she didn't like to linger around the excess amount of food.

Back at the house, she checked that Garnet was out and quickly began preparing everything in a large bowl. She was nearly finished and ready to scoop out the dough when she realized the cookie sheets weren't in their usual spot. Frustrated, Pearl began searching through all the cabinets in hopes someone had just put them away in the wrong place.

"Oh, where is it?" she muttered.

"Right here," a voice said behind her, and she whirled around to see Garnet holding one out. "Steven borrowed it," she explained.

"I thought you were out on a mission!" Pearl said accusatorily.

"I was, but I got home early since you went out of your way to make me cookies."

"I haven't even made them yet," she complained, tugging the pan out of Garnet's hands.

"Want some help?"

Pearl pursed her lips and then let out a small puff of laughter. "You wanted the cookie dough, didn't you?"

"Future vision has its benefits," Garnet answered vaguely, swiping her finger along the edge of the bowl and sticking the dough in her mouth.

"That's unsanitary," Pearl chided her, shoving the cookie scoop into her hand. "Wait until we're done."

"Sorry," she said, bemused smile on her lips as she started scooping out some dough and placing it onto the sheet. "You did a good job."

"Say that after you've had the final product," Pearl protested.

"I will."

Her face flushed a faint blue and she decided that she'd have to up her game if she really wanted to do something special and unexpected.

Pearl's next move was to try and surprise Garnet with a spontaneous date, except it ended up not being spontaneous at all—having to be rescheduled around a couple of urgent missions—and Garnet hadn't even been all that surprised upon first mention anyway. But when they had time, Pearl pulled her away for some alone time and they took a walk on the beach as the sun was just beginning to set.

They walked along the edge of the water, Pearl twirling her fingers dexterously in the air as she manipulated the sand to move in gentle waves and patterns around them. She watched carefully, searching out a glimpse of debris the sea might have left. Long ago, during the early days of their time together, she and Garnet would explore the planet, Pearl becoming the fusion's unofficial tour guide around Earth—though, admittedly, she hadn't known all that much about the planet back then. Garnet, freshly fused and still the endearing blue-and-pink mess she had been when they first met, had been entranced by how alive the planet felt compared to Homeworld. She collected shells along the shore once while Pearl watched, occasionally helping by uncovering some of the hidden ones.

Garnet hadn't intended to keep her little collection—they were in the middle of a rebellion, and the only personal items they had time for were weapons—but Pearl had watched her lay them out in a row on the sand, hand lingering over an connected pair of shells, somehow unbroken. I'll keep it for you, she had said.

Garnet had protested at first, saying she didn't need to, that it wasn't her job to carry other gems' things around anymore, but Pearl insisted. She'd kept the little shells safe inside her gem until the rebellion was over and the war was finished and they could breathe easy for a little while. It felt odd, giving up something she'd kept for hundreds of years, but when she gave it to Garnet—seconds after she reformed, healing from the damage of the final battle—and saw her smile for the first time in months, it was worth it.

Now, walking along together, Pearl wished she could unearth another, could create another tiny perfect memory between them. She'd grown to love what the sea deposited at their doorstep herself over the years. She liked that broken, fragile, useless things could tumble through the water and wash up on the sand years later, suddenly considered valuable even in their imperfections. Sea glass—frosty, multicolored, abandoned pieces that Earth smoothed down—was her favorite, and she went out and found a new piece whenever she was weary or upset or lonely, placing a new color in amongst her neatly arranged collection. It helped, somehow.

The beach seemed rather bare today in its offerings, and Pearl frowned a little as they continued on, her fingers loosening in Garnet's.

"Pearl," she said, and Pearl could hear her smile before she saw it. "You don't have to get me anything."

"I'd like to," she replied, cheeks flaring blue.

Garnet brought Pearl's hand to her lips and kissed it. "A little to your left."

"What?" Pearl asked distractedly, before realizing what she meant. "Oh." She flicked her hand sideways, disturbing the sand to her left. Sure enough, a small flash of color appeared, and she watched as Garnet moved to pick it up.

"Rare find," she said with a grin, holding up the small turquoise sea glass between her pointer finger and thumb. "Though you have some already."

"Not quite that shade," she countered, letting the sand drift back into its natural patterns.

"It's your color," Garnet added lightly, holding it up against Pearl's shoulder. It very nearly blended in with her clothes. "You should keep it," she continued, before Pearl could say anything.

"But I was trying to find something for you," Pearl protested, but she let Garnet take her hand and press the smooth glass into the center of her palm, curling Pearl's slender fingers around it.

"Thanks," Garnet said warmly, sliding her hand up Pearl's arm, "but I already have my someone."

Pearl blushed deeply, her fingers tight around the sea glass. "Really, Garnet, I think you've been watching too much television with Steven, coming up with lines like that."

"Maybe," she laughed, holding out her hand. "Walk with me?"

She slipped her gift into her gem carefully, taking Garnet's hand with her left and following her down the beach. Her right hand came up to hold Garnet's arm as they walked, and she leaned her head against her shoulder.

Not a surprise, but she didn't really mind.

Compliments should be perfect, Pearl decided. You can't expect compliments.

It was such a simple idea that it felt like cheating.

Unfortunately, things were always harder in practice than in theory. At first, Pearl had just decided to start with the basics. A nice, easy compliment to start off the day. She'd been trying to work out the best one for an hour that morning and still hadn't quite decided when the temple door activated.

"Good morning! You look beautiful today," she blurted out as Garnet's door to the temple slid open.

"Aww, thanks, P," Amethyst replied with a grin as she stepped into the house. "I woke up like this."

"You—Amethyst!" she screeched, flustered as she realized she hadn't even managed to compliment the right gem. "Why were you in Garnet's room?"

"I was just saying hi," she said with a shrug. "Don't worry, I'm not out to steal your girlfriend."

"That's not why I was asking!" Pearl huffed, crossing her arms and striding back over to the sofa to sit down as the door opened again.

"She's trying to surprise me," Garnet said, settling against the wall comfortably.

"You knew?"

"Didn't want to make it too easy for you," she replied, sliding her visor down to wink at Pearl.

"Well—Well, fine," Pearl declared. "I was just testing the waters this time!"

"Yeah, that's why you were eyeing up the door and acting weird all this week," Amethyst said with a smirk. "I knew you sent me out first on purpose, G." She held up a hand for a high five, and Garnet slapped it, amusement playing across her face.

"Master of comedy."

Pearl was determined now. If Garnet was expecting a surprise, she had to do something entirely unexpected. It was a difficult task, mostly because Garnet knew her too well and anything that might surprise her probably wouldn't be nearly as romantic as she'd been aiming for. But, finally, she found an idea she thought could work.

She wanted to dance for Garnet. It wasn't anything new, but at the same time it was. Pearl danced all the time—it was part of her natural movements, incorporated into her fighting style and every other aspect of her life. She danced on her own, and she danced with the Crystal Gems, but it had been a long time since she danced for anyone. Even with Rose, she'd felt most comfortable if she wasn't performing, but interacting. Dancing for another gem had felt much too close to her former status on Homeworld for her to feel safe doing it. She'd danced for Rose only once, just after Steven was born, alone with her grief, and that was a blur to her now. She'd been crying through every pirouette, each fraction of her movements a tribute to the gem who had helped her become something more than she was ever intended to be, who had left her with memories of war and rebellion and love and the other final remnants of their inspired little revolution. Dancing for Rose, her absent audience, she was able to make peace with what had happened, find some tenuous strength, and move on for Steven's sake.

She treasured that fuzzy memory, but she wanted a newer one, a happier one. She wanted to share herself with Garnet, openly and honestly. She wanted to disperse some of the weighty feelings that still clung to them sometimes, because they hadn't danced again since Pearl's mistake even though they'd talked through everything and Garnet had forgiven her. Pearl wanted to do this, dance without any expectation that Garnet would reciprocate, show her she was more important than Pearl knew how to express in words. She knew Garnet was still hesitant to fuse with her and she didn't blame her in the least, wouldn't dream of trying to persuade her to do so before she was ready, but she didn't want to keep seeing that brief, indecisive flicker of hurt on her face.

Pearl, aiming to be as discreet as possible about her new plan, only practiced once before she performed. Garnet would likely get curious if she vanished into her room for long periods of time, so she ran through the routine over and over in her head until it felt cohesive and she was satisfied.

Garnet looked pleased when Pearl popped into the living room, already standing as she requested that Garnet join her in her room. "Another surprise date?" she asked as Pearl looped her arm through hers.

"Yes," Pearl said, nervous smile playing on her lips. This was a good idea, wasn't it? She hoped Garnet would like it.

"You know, I don't mind you being predictable," Garnet added as they entered the temple.

"Shush," Pearl told her good-naturedly. "Sit down for a moment; I need to prepare."

She obliged the request, sitting down at the edge of one of the towers and dismissing her visor with one hand as she watched Pearl slip away.

Pearl ducked out of sight, taking the turquoise sea glass from her gem and rubbing her fingers over the smooth surface to soothe her nerves. She took a deep breath to steady herself and put it away again, concentrating for a moment and shapeshifting new clothes as she'd planned. Then she made her way back to Garnet.

The fusion's eyes widened slightly as Pearl appeared in front of her. Her outfit had gone the same pretty turquoise blue entirely, and she had let a small skirt form and fall in waves to her knees, star becoming a pattern of paler constellations scattered all down the dress. She looked like the beach in summer—her skin was pale sun-bleached sand and her dress was the calm ocean tides and her hair was a touch of pink warmth.

"I'd like to dance for you," Pearl said softly, taking her hands and looking up at her with a question in her eyes.

"Dance?" she echoed, taken aback. Pearl never really danced for anyone else unless it was a mutual experience, never let that remnant of her old life seep into her new. So this was special, she knew, and she honestly hadn't expected it. "If you're sure," she said with a reassuring smile as she saw worry creep into Pearl's expression.

Pearl nodded, squeezing her hands. "I'm sure." She led Garnet to the exact center of her room. "Stand here."

Garnet nodded, the delighted warmth in her eyes showing that she knew how important this was and that—somehow—she hadn't seen it coming.

Pearl smiled, pleased, and walked a few paces away from Garnet before settling into her starting position and closing her eyes. Her arms floated up delicately from her sides and she pointed her toes as she spun into her first rotation. It was easy, after the first few seconds, for her to lose herself in the choreography, and she kept her eyes closed as she performed, the image of Garnet in her mind just as clear as if they'd been open.

She began with precise, light steps, regimented and careful. Just a Pearl. The next, she was leaping into the air, moving between the pillars and skirting the edges without any fear of falling. The renegade. Then she moved back to the center, spinning fast and then slowing to an easy pace. Earth. Here, she danced closer to Garnet, floating around her without quite touching and playfully dragging her fingertips through the water. Steven. She pirouetted away once more, slipping into a more fractured, uneasy beat. Homeworld. She pulled her hands in close to her chest, fingers brushing her palms before she swept her arms out to imitate the way Garnet danced, moving fluidly. Then Amethyst next, fingers touching her chest, swaying her hips in a way that never failed to feel a little strange, even with all the dance practice they'd put towards forming Opal lately. Then Steven, hand ghosting over her stomach as she added elements from his undecided just-have-fun way of dancing. And Peridot, touching just to the side of her own gem and going more on intuition than knowledge of how their newest member might dance, half enthusiastic attentiveness to detail and half I'm still learning. Finally, Pearl slipped into her own preferred style of dance, circling Garnet with a contented smile, fingertips brushing over her shoulders for the briefest moment before she brought her hands up to rest near her own gem as she came back around, light filtering out of it in a small projection of Ruby and Sapphire dancing together, with that little twirl they always finished—or started—with, forming Garnet, who was in turn surrounded by the rest of the Crystal Gems. The tiny depiction of Pearl swept Garnet into a hug as the projection faded, and Pearl held her pose for a few long seconds before she relaxed, eyes opening slowly.

"Pearl," Garnet breathed, lifting a hand to cup Pearl's face as her own glowed with warmth and admiration. "That was beautiful."

Her cheeks flared blue. "Was it?" she asked, barely managing to keep her voice even in her excitement.

"The perfect surprise." Garnet pulled Pearl in closer, lavishing her face in kisses—her cheeks, her nose, her mouth, and finally her gem. "You win."

Pearl laughed breathily, throwing her arms around Garnet's neck. "I win," she repeated happily. She leaned up to claim Garnet's lips again earnestly, letting herself be lifted up a little in her steady arms. "I love you."

"I love you too, Pearl."

She ran her hands over Garnet's flushed cheeks in delight, letting herself get swept up in a smile that felt like a hundred victories. She knew it would be a long time before she'd manage to pull off a surprise like this again, but it didn't matter. She had done it, and Garnet was happy, and she couldn't have wished for anything more.