Work Text:
You close your eyes, and the world goes dark.
A thousand years go by, or maybe just a few seconds. You open your eyes to a clear blue sky above you; you blink, try to clear some of the blurriness from your vision but can’t quite seem to focus. You flex your hand and feel soft, cool grass beneath your fingertips.
“Heeey! Have a good nap?”
You recognize Greg’s voice instantly. You smile and try to turn towards him but your body feels so heavy, like waking from a long, deep sleep. With some effort, you finally manage to loll your head to the side to find Greg watching you, his cheek propped in his hand.
You giggle when he reaches down to ruffle your hair--his hand feels impossibly large and warm against your scalp. You try to playfully push him off but you find you don’t quite have control of your limbs, and instead end up gently smacking yourself in the face.
Above you, Greg chuckles and twists to reach inside a bag you didn’t notice before. He rummages around a moment before pulling out a tiny bright pink plastic bottle with a triumphant hum.
You watch as Greg twists off the cap and pulls out a small wand with a hole in the middle; the empty space glitters with something iridescent. He grins down at you. “Wanna see something cool?”
Your eyes go wide as Greg blows a barrage of bubbles in your face, laughing wildly with delight. The bubbles drift over your face, tickling your cheeks before pop-pop-popping, leaving a kiss of sticky-soapy residue behind.
Greg guffaws and dips the wand back into the tube, and you shut your eyes in anticipation for the next round.
You open your mouth to laugh again only to choke as water, warm and salty, rushes down your throat. Your eyes open, wide and wild, as you cough, bubbles floating up to the surface of the water above you.
Laughter, again, this time far away. You look up through the murky depths of the extraction pool and see the blurry forms of White, Blue, and Yellow towering over you.
They’re ignoring you. Again. Your nails bite into the palm of your hand, sharp, as you clench your fist. What’s so much more interesting, what’s so much more important than you ?
Why won’t they listen to you?
Why won’t they include you?
You push the balls of your feet against the bottom of the pool, propelling yourself to the top.
You surface alone, taking a big gasping breath. Cool air tickles your cheek; you shiver at the change in temperature and slink back down into the warm water of the bathtub.
You lift a hand out of the water and stare at the short, stubby arm stretched out in front of you; you rub your fingers together; they’re rough and wrinkly. Pruny , your mind provides. How funny!
There’s a click as the door to your right opens; Pearl pokes her head in.
“You’ve been in there a while, ready to get out yet?” She shields her eyes with her hand, giving you some privacy.
“Yes pleaaaase!” You call out in a sing-song voice--it sounds strange, almost like it’s not your own. You lift your arms up for her to come pick you up.
Pearl smiles and steps fully into the room, shutting the door behind her. She holds out a fluffy towel and bends to lift you, wrapping it around your middle.
Shnk.
You feel the sword sink into your center, right below your gem.
You gasp, wincing. You expected it to hurt--and it does, a dull burning sensation in the core of your being that leaves you winded--but it surprises you how good it feels, too. Almost like it's meant to be there. A perfect fit.
You wrench your eyes open to look at Pearl, to thank her, to kiss her, to just--see her.
She’s glaring at your gem, gaze hard as steel. You’ve never been on the receiving end of this look, usually reserved for enemy gems in the heat of battle, and it makes your heart skip a beat (when did you form a heart?).
She must feel you staring, because suddenly Pearl looks up and--all the harshness melts, her face-- your face--going tender with tears. Somehow that cuts worse than the blade.
Pearl pulls the sword from your middle in one swift motion and you feel your form dissipate, the particles of your light blowing away in the wind.