[A/N: hey gang, sorry to interrupt our weekly schedule, but I wanna tell yall that we got Fanart :DDD!!

Thank you Phoenix_Dimitrescu for giving me this wonderful piece of fanart, it really means alot to me and I'm very happy about this. So once again, thank you for this! <33!! Anyway back to our regular schedule!]

"Really?" Pearl pulled back, tilting her head. Pastel chuckled and nodded. "She usually pouts like this when she wants something." Pastel says quietly. "The thing is I don't know what yet..." Pastel mused before giggling quietly.

"Don't look now, but Aqua's staring." Pastel giggled, Pearl looked over to see Aqua staring at Pastel. Aqua immediately caught Pearl's eyes and quickly looked away, her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh! I've never really seen Ruby and Sapphire act like this." Pearl comments, putting her hand on her chin. "That's because we're not like them, are we, Aqua?" Pastel asked, leaning over to said Aquamarine.

Aqua huffed but shook her head. Pearl's eyebrows raised, she half expected Pastel to brush off that comment, but she actually responded, maybe they met at some point.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to get it, I'm sorry." Pearl chuckled to herself. "You don't expect us to get alot of things now do you." Aqua muttered, making Pastel hiss her name. "Uhm, well we best be retiring for the night. We'll see you around Pearl." Pastel quickly said, standing from her spot, making Aqua fly up to Pastel's height, and walking away to the barn.

----

It was early morning when Pearl walked into the barn to see Pastel, sitting on the ground, reading a book in one of her hands, she most likely found in the barn, and holding a begrudge Aqua in her lap in the other.

Pastel, seeing Aqua glaring at a corner, shrugged Aqua in her arm and poked her gem, making Aqua squeak and clutch Pastel's hand in both her own. "Lighten up, Aqua. Atleast tell me what you're mad about."

Aqua muttered something, that Pearl couldn't hear, but Pastel sure could. Pastel's eyes widened then narrowed into a cunning mischievous look.

"Is that all, Are you just jealous?" Pastel spoke in a baby voice, leaving the book abandoned on the ground to trap Aqua in her arms.

"You just miss me, that all?" Pastel cooed, touching Aqua's half-gem lightly, making the latter shiver at the touch.

Aqua pulled her half-gem away from the playful Pastel, muttering a small "stop..." in between her giggles.

"I won't stop 'til you say it! Come on just admit it, Aqua." Pastel laughed as she traced the broken off part of Aqua's half-gem, making Aqua squirm away whilst laughing.

Their banter continued until Aqua caved. "Fine! Fine! I missed you!" Aqua panted, pulling Pastels hands away from her half-gem with a sassy "now stop." Coming from her mouth as she did so. Pastel pulled away and sat up with a shrug and a "I'll take it." Before turning to Aqua.

"Do you want to fuse back now? You know we can't do this form forever." Pastel said, lowering her voice.

"Just a few more minutes..." Aqua seemed to plead, leaning her head on Pastel's chest. This was obviously a serious discussion, Pearl couldn't help but feel like she was intruding.

So Pear, cleared her throat alerting the two of her presence. Aqua shot up from Pastel's chest, her cheeks a blazing Navy blue, stuttering for a response, an excuse, anything.

"She's already saw us." Pastel said, guiding Aqua's head back to her chest, to which she visibly relaxed. "I guess you can see where Labradorite gets her caution from." Pastel paused and thought about the words she just spoke.

"Well both of us, but mostly Aqua." Pastel spoke, patting Aqua's head, making her sigh. "Aqua's exhausted." Pastel commented worriedly.

"Well, What about you?" Pearl asked, walking closer to the duo. Pastel looked up at Pearl then back at Aqua.

"I'm tired too, but Aqua has been putting most of her energy into worrying...it takes a toll on both of us. Aqua mostly" Pastel spoke, rubbing Aqua's head. "I'm glad, I can do something to calm her... I'm also glad Peridot can do something to calm Labradorite aswell." Pastel chuckled at her last statement.

Pearl smiled softly at the two, sitting down next to them. "Do you mind telling me what got you, uhm, forcely fused in the first place?" Pastel tensed at Pearl's question, before sighing.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me-" Pearl was cut off by Pastel. "No, no, it's alright, the start of our tale is nice, I guess you could say..the end of our tale, not so much..."

<~story time~>

"It was very long ago, the Crystal Gems didn't rebel just yet, when Aqua found herself getting a Pearl for her hard work."

"Aqua wasn't like the other Aquamarine's personality wise. She was usually calm, not as quick tempered as the others. To others, she wasn't usually narcissistic, only when she was angry. Though not many could make her angry, Aqua, being a high ranking gem, scared many into not talking with her unless talked too."

"However being an Aquamarine, Aqua was sent on fetch missions with two trusty Topaz whom she treated with respect. Every gem has a perfect. A perfect Spinel, a perfect Jasper. Aqua was the perfect Aquamarine. Every mission, hard or not, Aqua would come back in less time that any previous Aquamarine's that returned with bearly their gems along with the item the diamonds required. How she did it will forever be a mystery."

"Back to the story at hand!"

Aqua stood in a large room with two other people, a light blue Pearl, and a large shadowed figure, presumably Blue Diamond and her Pearl. "Aquamarine facet 5CT cut 4XA, your work is remarkable, and for that you deserve to be rewarded excellently."

Aqua, her head facing the ground, made a diamond salute with her hands. "Thank you, my Diamond." Aqua spoke as Blue Diamond gave something to her Pearl. The Blue Pearl walked over to Aqua and placed a Pearl in her hands.

Aqua felt stunned as she looked at the Pearl in her hands. This was not the reward she thought of. "T-thank you, My Diamond." Aqua bowed, waiting to be dismissed. "You are dismissed." Aqua nodded and quickly left.

Aqua closed the door to her quarters and placed the Pearl onto a desk. She sat on her chair and covered her face, written with anxiety. She didn't know how to take care of a Pearl!

The most she was expecting was, like, a promotion or something! Not a whole Pearl! Aqua's thoughts were cut off by the Pearl on her desk, glowing brightly.

Aqua panicked inside her thoughts as a shell formed outside the Pearl's gem. "Please identify yourself." The shell spoke.

"Aqua-" Aqua cut herself off, pondering if she should add her facet or cut, only for the shell to speak. "Greetings Aqua, please state customization options." Aqua facepalmed, of course it wouldn't stop for her.

"Can- can I see the options?" Aqua asked, cursing at herself for stuttering. A log pulled up with many options. Aqua swallowed at how many options there were.

Aqua covered her eyes and tapped one at random. "Option selected." Aqua opened her eyes as the Pearl formed.

Pastel formed infront of Aqua opening her eyes and smiling at Aqua. "Thank you for bringing me into the world, my Aqua." Pastel bowed with a smile. "You... don't have to do that." Aqua brushed off, sighing. Pastel tilted her head.

"Aqua didn't know how to 'use' a Pearl, Aqua would ask me to fetch something and then lead the way, without letting me do any of the work. It would've been amusing to see us. An Aquamarine doing all the work, never letting the Pearl do anything they're supposed to do."

"We were usually obliged to the diamonds rules. But there was one time or... many... it started like this"

Aqua and Pastel stood off to the side as the two Topaz's accompanied them fused together. "Such a fascinating trope, what do you think, Pastel?" Aqua asked, another quirk of hers, she would ask Pastel of her opinion. Most wouldn't see that with other gems and their Pearls.

"It does look quite fascinating, it's a shame we can't fuse." Pastel mused, her hands folded together by her chest. "Who says?" Aqua turned to Pastel, raising her eyebrow. Pastel's eyes grew wide as she looked at Aqua.

"P-pardon, my Aqua?" Pastel stuttered. "Who says? Is there a law on cross fusion?" Aqua asked, pulling Pastel away from the Topazs line of sight.

"I-I don't think so, my Aqua, But- but-"  Aqua hushed Pastel with her hand. "Come on, don't you wanna try it, at least once." Aqua spoke, taking Pastels hands in hers.

"If you don't like it, we won't do it ever again." Aqua said, guiding Pastel into a small spin. "And if we do?" Pastel spoke up.

"Only a Sapphire knows." Aqua said, looking off to the side, smiling softly whilst her gem glowed. "Uhm..." Pastel hummed, pulling Aqua into a bow, her gem glowing brightly.

Suddenly a bright light emitted from both the gems and they combined. Labradorite looked around, relishing the feeling of being fused. Suddenly their eyes caught something yellow in the distance and they unfused.

"Topaz!" Aqua and Pastel spoke in unison. "This- this isn't what it looks like!" Aqua tried to say before the fused Topaz just smiled and put her hand up. "Your secrets safe with me, Don't worry."

"Bless those Topazs for not telling the Diamonds. They will forever have mine and Aqua's respect."

"We fused more times than we could count, I think Aqua has an appropriate number, do you?"

"165."

"One hundred sixty-five times." 

"We were good at keeping Labradorite a secret until someone's Pearl caught us. The Pearl told her owner, then it found it's way to the diamonds..."

"Yellow Diamond was the one to shatter us..."