Keeping it Together spoilers ahead!
The moment they were back in the heart of the temple, they defused. The bubbles around them shimmered as they split, their forms landing on the ground as gracefully as if they were falling from a tree instead of simply separating into their respective parts. Two small thuds echoed throughout the room, and Ruby found herself shaking as tears quickly started pouring down her cheeks.
“Ruby?” she heard the other say softly, and she quivered. Her teeth gnashed together before she felt a cool hand touch her shoulder, and she shook that much harder.
“I’m sorry. I-I… I can’t,” she ground out, and she felt the other wrap her arms around her. Tears streaked faster than she would have liked, and she felt so weak and small, but that wasn’t the most pressing matter at the moment.
“It’s not our fault,” Sapphire mumbled softly, and she pushed away despite more atoms in her light body screaming at her not to than those screaming to. She stood, her fists clenched in anger, staring down the woman she loved so much that it hurt.
“It’s our punishment! Peridot led us there so we could see what Homeworld thinks of fusions, I know it!” It wasn’t right to direct her fury at Sapphire, but she took it all in with a calm face. At least, as far as Ruby could see, because she couldn’t see her beautiful eyes to know for sure.
“We couldn’t have known they would do that. Rose didn’t know that would happen, and neither did we. We both know that Peridot didn’t even know we’d be there, Ruby. Please, it’s not our fault.”
“All the friends we lost and couldn’t find… Forced together… Forced to fuse.. It’s… It’s not right,” she sputtered, her anger boiling up inside her. A scream of rage slipped free and she punched the wall nearest her, causing the temple to shake slightly. Sapphire stepped to the side before a large rock fell where she had been seconds before, and tears starting streaking the fighter’s cheeks again. “I-I… I’m sorry.”
“We couldn’t have known, Ruby. You’re not at fault for this.” She fell to her knees, putting a hand over her mouth to silence her sobs. Silently, her lover approached and kissed her forehead before her arms were around her again, and she felt so loved in her grip. “Breathe with me, hon. Okay?”
“O-okay,” she sputtered, and looked up at the blue gem, watching her smile. Together, they inhaled slowly, letting it out a few moments later. They repeated this until Ruby felt the tears dried on her cheeks, and Sapphire pulled her in close.
“Better?”
“Better,” she assured, and Sapphire hummed softly to calm her down. Sapphire’s singing was always able to calm the red gem down, and she felt so at ease with her. She started humming along, their voices melding together. They didn’t even need words, just each other’s presence and the tune they both carried. When her voice started to drift out, her lover would pick up the slack until she felt able to jump back in. Sapphire always knew how to make her relax and calm her down from her anger fits, and she couldn’t have loved her more at that moment.
Fuuuuuu…..