Hey guys! New chapter is up finally! Ao3 here! Gem egg hell warning, as if this fic needs it, and oviposition this chapter!
It felt like an eternity that they sat there after Steven and Amethyst left, holding each other like they were anchors to the reality that, yes, they were going to have gemlings. They were going to have baby gems, all of their own, as long as their geodes were fine and hatched. Ruby couldn’t believe it, ready to hold her little ones- or at least hold their geodes. It would still be a while before they hatched, and that was an if. Just because they had the possibility to didn’t mean that they would. She pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling the little orbs under the skin. A spur of pain dug into her side and she gasped against Sapphire, because it was more than the digs it had been before. This was intense, and she knew it instantly as the start of a long process. At least this time, they had hope.
“Ruby? Ruby, what’s wrong?” She shifted, feeling an uncomfortable stickiness in her shorts that clung to her movements, and a shaky exhale escaped her. Gross. She had forgotten that sickening detail of laying, but wasn’t concerned about that at the moment. She was too elated to worry, knowing that they would hatch when the time came. There would- hopefully- not be any geodes that they had to bubble or dispose of because nothing had came from their results.
“Temple, Sapphire,” she huffed, and Sapphire pulled back, before nodding. She felt herself being lifted into the other’s arms, and carried carefully to the temple. There was no rush, as they had hours before the geodes would be forcing their way into the world, but she still didn’t want the others to catch her. Especially not Steven. She couldn’t imagine dealing with the questions he was sure to ask, regarding the entire situation. It was already bad enough as it was, let alone adding in anything about labour.
“I’ve got you,” Sapphire sighed, soft and sweet enough to reassure her. It resonated in her bones, calming her to the core, as her lover always managed to do with such ease. She knew then that everything would be okay. Their little ones would be welcomed into the world, because they were going to make it. They had to. She couldn’t imagine having to bubble these as well, not after Peridot’s five geodes had hatched with so much trauma to her while she was carrying; part of her was amazed that they had, before another dig stabbed into her side. Oh, that was much quicker than normal.
The door to the temple opened, letting them inside as Sapphire carefully carried her in. She set her down and sat down beside her, wrapping her arms around her. Cool hands moved to her taut stomach, massaging the tight skin, and she was grateful for the attention, as her lovely singer had a way of relaxing her and making the process that much easier with just a simple touch. It was amazing, in a strange way, to think about how easily she did manage to relax her, when all she ever really had to do was lay a hand on her stomach, or say a plain sentence, and she’d be decompressed to the very essence of her being.
“How long?” At the cool words, she nuzzled into her lover and sighed, her own hand moving to rest atop the gloved one perched so carefully on her stomach. Another dig, another shift of the geodes as they ripped the membrane containing them, and she couldn’t hold back the wince that managed to tear through her, like their darling geodes were tearing through what kept them from clashing into one another.
“Not long, I don’t think. They’re coming a lot faster than normal,” she groaned, and the cool hand kneaded the skin gently, as if she could simply push the ache from her with her fingers and help extract the little ones instead of the normally painful method she had to go through so damn often that it tore at her heart. However, it made the pain easier to go through with knowing that these, their little geodes, had a chance this time.
“Alright. You can do it, I know you can. You’ve done this before, but these… They have a chance, and I know it.” She nodded, and turned to press a kiss to Sapphire’s lips for a fleeting moment, wanting to enjoy the other gem’s presence. Another dig, and she let out a sharp exhale as the gloved hand moved, tugging at her shorts. “Come on now. Phase them off. You’re going to have to eventually, and I think it’s going to be sooner than later with how fast it seems like they’re coming.”
“It’s irregular,” she grumbled, but her shorts faded away in the next instance, leaving her bare from the hem of her shirt down. A sticky fluid coated her thighs and she exhaled, leaning back as Sapphire moved from her side.
“I know, I know. Just think, after this we’ll have geodes.” There was a pause, then Sapphire smiled a wonderfully bright smile that made her entire being feel warm, but not hot like she was losing control over her influence of heat. She was using her future vision, wasn’t she? “Seven healthy geodes. Two blues, a wonderful red, an amazing little purple geode, and pinks. Three of them. Oh, Ruby, they take so wonderfully after you, I can’t wait for you to see them.”
A dig that was more painful, but she fought to put a smile on her face as the tears started bubbling up. She couldn’t wait to see them either, to see her wonderful geodes and see them shine, when none of her other ones ever had, not for a single moment in their moments of hopefulness. Pinks sounded odd, along with the purple, but when she thought it over, it made sense. Sapphires were different colours, and it seemed plausible that some of their little ones would be lighter rubies, or pink sapphires. The purple, however, sounded more like a garnet, like what they would be after this was over.
Or would they be? She wanted to fuse, and be with her love again as a whole instead of two parts, but would it be better for their little ones if they stayed apart? She couldn’t imagine raising them solely one way or another, but knew that their scents had to be on the geodes as both parts of a whole and as separates if they were going to mix together. Ruby didn’t have the luxury of future vision alone, and couldn’t see how the gemlings would react to having them fuse, but hoped that it would be okay. It seemed like it would be all trial and error, and making up for mistakes, but she wasn’t sure if it would be worth it to mess up while raising such precious lives.
The next dig was sharper, painful to a much greater extent- as if a knife had been driven right into her abdomen next to her little ones, and a cry escaped her. It wasn’t too loud, thankfully, but Sapphire didn’t seem to acknowledge it, besides resting a cool hand on her stomach. She glanced down, seeing that her gloves were gone and the other was still smiling, although very faintly, so to ease her worries and fears.
“It’ll be alright. I’m right here. I can see the first one, a beautiful hot pink little one. Just push for me, alright? She’ll be out soon, just push for me.” She took a deep breath and let it out slow, and with the next painful stab that rang through her body, she pushed as Sapphire had told her to do. She couldn’t wait to see them and hold their geodes, because she just had to see the bright shine for herself. She couldn’t wait. She wanted to see them shine in the light, collecting it in, and letting their parents know that yes, they were making physical forms, and would be ready to enter the world when the time came.
Ruby was too excited to even care when the next painful wave hit her, aside from crying out, knowing that it was worth it and that they’d have their own little ones to hold. They were going to make it, she was sure of it. They had to. There was no way she could deal with having to bubble more geodes, ones that they had such high hopes for. She couldn’t do it, they had to hatch. The next wave came, and went with another push, before the stabbing in her stomach seemed to be relieved for only a moment. In the next, Sapphire held up a hot pink geode, so wonderful and perfect, that she starts earnestly sobbing. The light trails of tears were suddenly harsh rivers, because it was shining and bright, not dull and worthless. A strong little geode, a wonderful and perfect little geode, that a choked sob escaped her at the next stab, because they wouldn’t have to bubble them, and put them away to be remembered and regretted, because they had a chance. They had a fucking chance this time. Finally, their little ones could make it. Would make it.