Work Text:
Gem is glad to have Impulse, Skizz and Tango around. At last she can spend time with them in person, without the bustle of a convention surrounding them. It's mostly stress-free as they are chilling on some couches in the living room of the spacious house they rented for the day. She's a bit separate from the rest of them, all alone on her couch off to the side. It means she's not in the middle of their chaos. And that's good because it's definitely chaos.
The three men are passionately following the football game on the TV. Imp and Skizz are sharing a couch and Tango dragged an armchair to be right next to them. But they're barely sitting down as they are yelling at the game. Imp and Skizz spend most of the time jokingly slapping at each other over bad predictions and teasing insults. Tango definitely also gets in some shoves that make Skizz complain that he's too old for this.
Gem can't help but feel a bit excluded. Don't get her wrong! She loves her friends and doesn't mind that they are so friendly with each other. She wants that as well, but not in the way those three are doing it. They're calibrated a bit differently, is the best way she can describe it.
Gem brushes the feeling away. No time for negative thoughts when this is meant to be a relaxing vacation. Gem stretches and rolls over a bit so that she's lying on her side. Thankfully she's short enough that she can comfortably fit on the couch like this. She gets out her phone and distracts herself from the chaos next to her.
When Pearl walks into the room, Gem's whole face lights up. Of course it does, Pearl is always fun to spend time with. More fun than being envious of the Arizonan dads yelling at the TV a few steps over. Gem still can't quite believe that she gets to talk to Pearl in person.
Gem sits up halfway to make some space on the couch and shouts, "Pearl," to get her attention. Hopefully Pearl will come over and give her something better to do than mindlessly scrolling Instagram on her phone. Pearl usually captures Gem's attention quite well.
Pearl spots Gem immediately and walks over, sitting down in the space that Gem freed up. Pearl spreads out her long legs with a satisfied sigh and sinks into the couch cushions. She's smiling and Gem knows she's mirroring that smile. Pearl is sitting next to her! No longer far away on the other side of the world! And she's clearly just as at ease as Gem feels, happy to be spending time around her.
Pearl's lap is right there and Gem doesn't wanna sit up properly. So she doesn't. Instead, she lies down again, with her head in Pearl's lap.
Pearl tenses in surprise and then laughs quietly, "Hey Gem."
Gem can never resist that laugh and now she swears she felt it vibrate through her body. Pearl is not just in the same room as Gem, Gem is literally lying half on top of her. Gem's thoughts threaten to drift off and she almost forgets that she should answer Pearl. But she catches herself before it gets awkward. "Hi Pearl."
Their habitual greeting is the start to some relaxed small talk. Soon, Gem stops the conversation by claiming to be tired and closes her eyes.
Pearl chuckles quietly at that, but doesn't point out that surely Gem won't be sleeping with the TV and the Arizonan dads arguing about football in the background.
Gem is pretty sure that Pearl is on her phone after that, doing something to keep her busy now that they're not actively talking. Gem dozes off, listening to Imp and Skizz explain their fantasy football league to Tango.
She's dozing until she feels a hand in her hair. Pearl is playing with it. Her long fingers tangle a few strands, then untangle them. Pearl probably doesn't even know that she's doing it. It feels like the kind of thing that idle hands do when you're distracted.
It's a nice touch. One that Gem can enjoy despite the way it pulled her from where she was almost falling asleep. It's been a while since someone just played with her hair. And Pearl is doing it like it's no big deal.
Then Pearl's hand wanders to the edges of Gem's face. A finger traces her ear and then upwards to her eyebrows. There is no way Pearl is just doing this while she's distracted by her phone. The touch is light, so light that it almost tickles. Gem can't help the smile that rises on her face. It seems to spur Pearl on and she gets more daring. The touch wanders down to her cheek and then her chin.
Pearl's finger comes to rest on Gem's lips. Oh. That makes every thought in Gem's head turn from friends just hanging out to something else. To Pearl's lips on hers. To Pearl's long fingers grasping her chin. To Pearl's beautiful voice in her ear.
Gem is sure that she's blushing. But she doesn't dare to move, to interrupt this moment. Maybe Pearl thinks she fell asleep.
But Gem's curiosity gets the better of her. She opens her eyes and tilts her head to try to look up at Pearl. The moment she moves, Pearl's hand flies away from her face. Shit.
Pearl is definitely also blushing, that's obvious now that Gem's looking at her. Pearl's looking down at her, but her eyes aren't meeting Gem's own. They dart around quickly, never settling anywhere for even a second.
Gem wants to say something. Wants to reassure Pearl that she didn't cross any boundaries, that it is fine. That it was nice. But she doesn't know what to say, her own anxiety rising in her chest, constricting her rib cage. Pearl clearly didn't mean for her to be awake.
After another tense moment, Gem does what feels intuitive. She grabs Pearl's hand from where it was awkwardly half-floating in the air. She tucks it against her chest and tangles their fingers. And then she closes her eyes again, relaxes into Pearl's lap again.
Gem mumbles, "It's fine, Pearl."
She isn't sure that Pearl even heard her for a moment. She was pretty quiet compared to the background noise in the room.
But then she feels Pearl relax under her and her other hand settles in her hair. It just sits there, not moving. Gem squeezes Pearl's hand that's still tucked against her chest. She tries to communicate what she can't say with words, not yet. What Pearl clearly can't bring herself to say either.
Pearl seems to understand. Gem has never been more glad that they're here in person, where they can communicate with body language. How could she not, when Pearl's hand is making gentle circles in her hair, lulling her to sleep.