Update (11/26/21): Minor sentence changes and grammatical errors were fixed. Changes to a conversation.
Update v.2 (05/28/23): So like...I don't remember what was fixed lol BUT I did edit this chapter again on this day. Sorry! My birthday was about two weeks ago and my brain still hasn't gotten back to full functioning.
WARNING ⚠️ Honestly, this chapter is lowkey a filler. It's kind of short, and nothing like...interesting happens until the middle-ish/end, so feel free to skip (or read all the way through if you love me lol).
P.S. – The upper right corner of the picture is how Jasper is playing with Storm in this chapter. Enjoy!
You sighed, looking at the dashboard in your car for the time. 3:13 PM. You turned your head slightly to look at the gem beside you, smacking her thigh as hard as you could. "Ow! What the fuck was that for?!" Jasper screamed as you shut the car off.
"I told you not to make a mess in my car, and look what you did!"
"You're overreacting."
"I'm overreacting?! You better clean up this mess, Jasper," you said sternly, pointing at the crumbs, fries, and fast food bags on your car floor and in Jasper's lap. You had stopped by a burger place after Jasper began complaining about being hungry again. Not that you really cared, you were hungry too. You opened your door, looking around the beach for a moment. No one was on the sand as far as you could see. Good. You closed the door behind you, going to the trunk to take out the suitcase. It was heavier than it was before since Jasper's clothes were now in there as well. You slammed the trunk down, wincing, hoping you didn't make enough noise to alert the Crystal Gems, even if they were down on the other side of the beach. You walked around to the passenger side, giggling as Jasper grumbled about having to clean up her mess. "I swear you're a child. Over five thousand years old my ass."
"You're just asking to get punched in the face."
"Please do it. I dare you," you said laughing, observing Jasper to make sure she got every single crumb.
"Maybe if I hit hard enough, I could make you look decent," the gem replied, chuckling as she shut the car door with her hip. You kicked her in the back of her knees, frowning when her legs didn't buckle. You walked back around the car again, this time Jasper following behind you. You set the suitcase down in front of the door, noticing a box farther over on your porch, just under the window.
"Jasper, grab that box for me please."
"What's in it?" she asked, walking over to it and nudging it with her foot. You shrugged, sticking your house key into the lock and turning it. You pushed the door open after twisting the knob, picking the suitcase back up, and stepping over the threshold with it. You turned and leaned out the door to see Jasper sliding her hand under the box, hoisting it onto her shoulder.
"Ooh, good job!" Jasper rolled her eyes at you as you giggled, shutting the door behind her once she was completely inside the house. You locked the door again, walking over to put your keys on the hook in the wall. Jasper tossed the greasy food bags into the trash, setting the box down on the kitchen island. You began searching in your kitchen drawers for a boxcutter, exhaling loudly when you didn't find one. As a last resort, you grabbed the chef's knife from your knife block, running the tip of it along the middle of the box where the tape sealed it shut.
"You actually look a little bit intimidating holding that thing," Jasper commented sarcastically from the couch as she turned the TV on. You rolled your eyes, pulling at the cardboard flaps to open the box. Inside the box were the books you ordered last week. You were surprised that they managed to get to you so quickly. You pulled out each of the books, running your fingers gently over the hardback covers and the spines. You placed them all back in neatly, picking the box up and putting it on the floor by your beanbag. I'll bring them to the bookstore in the morning. "So? What was inside?" Jasper asked from the couch, her attention still on the TV.
"The books I ordered last week." The gem nodded in response, stretching her arms out over the back of the sofa. You hummed to yourself, grabbing your suitcase and dragging it up the stairs. You took out everything that belonged to you, putting things in their designated areas. You then walked with the suitcase into the second room in your cozy little home, absentmindedly shutting the door behind you. You put the few outfits Jasper had into the closet, folding her pajamas and underclothes and placing them neatly in the dresser in front of the bed. You headed back into your own room, tucking your now-empty suitcase away in your closet. You shuffled to your bed after pulling your shoes off, taking your phone out of your purse. You scrolled to your mother's contact, clicking it to call her.
"Hello?"
"We're home safe, Ma."
"Oh, good! Did you girls eat anything?"
"Yeah, we did. I stopped by a burger joint since Jasper was complaining," you answered with a chuckle. Your mom laughed on the other end, sighing after.
"Girl's gotta eat. But I'm happy you two got home safe. What are you doing now?"
"I'm probably going to head down to Steven's to get Storm in a little while."
"Steven is that adorable little boy that lives down the beach from you, right?" You giggled, nodding as if your mom could see you.
"Yeah."
"Oh, okay. But who's Storm?"
"This kitten that Jasper found on Friday. We decided to keep her."
"Aww! You have to send me pictures of her!" You giggled again, falling back onto your bed.
"Yeah, I'll try and remember. But I'll talk to you later though, Mom. Love you."
"Love you too. Tell Jasper I said 'hey' and kiss her for me!"
"I am not kissing her," you said with a chuckle, blushing slightly.
"You better," your mom said in a joking manner. You laughed, telling your mother bye before hanging up the phone. You sighed, tossing your phone to the other side of your bed before standing up, and going to your closet to put a pair of slides on. You trotted down the stairs, gaining Jasper's attention.
"Hey, I'm gonna go and get Storm. Go and check out your room if you haven't already when you destroyed my house," you said with a smirk. Jasper chuckled, turning her head back to the TV. "Also...," you started, your cheeks tinted, "My mom said hey, and she told me to give you this." You quickly pecked Jasper's cheek, jogging out of the house before you could see her reaction. Once you were a little way down the beach, you sighed, playing with the ends of your (h/c) hair. Can't believe I really just did that...I've been doing a lot of unbelievable things lately, to be honest. You chuckled to yourself, looking up from your feet to see Steven's house in the distance. You walked up the steps, knocking lightly on the screen door. Amethyst opened it, chewing on something that looked like a paper plate. You laughed, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm here for Storm."
"Who?" Amethyst asked, swallowing down the rest of the plate.
"My kitten, Amy."
"Ohh," she said grabbing your arm. "Yeah, she's in Steven's room." You followed her into the house, letting the door bang closed behind you.
"(Y/n)!" You giggled, holding your arms out as the young gem ran into them. "You're back!"
"I am! Where's Storm?" As if the kitten knew her name she meowed, hopping off of Steven's bed and down the stairs. She stopped at your ankles, purring as she rubbed her body against you.
"She knows who her Mama is," Amethyst said laughing, nudging your arm. You laughed, picking the small animal up.
"Oh! Don't forget her bed, litterbox, bowls, and toys," Steven said excitedly, grabbing everything at once and carrying them back down the stairs.
"Oh Steven, be careful please," you said, shifting the kitten to the crook of your right arm.
"No, I'm okay! But you can't carry all this by yourself, so I'll come with you." You nodded, quickly pushing the screen door open for Steven and holding it, watching as he walked awkwardly out.
"I'll come with," Amethyst said, taking some of the items from Steven's arms. You began to sweat slightly, petting Storm's head. You could tell that she noticed your sudden change in spirit because she looked up at you, meowing quietly. Fuck...I hope Jasper got up. You walked quickly in front of them, getting to your front door first. You peeked into the living room, seeing that the gem wasn't in there. You exhaled slowly, quickly setting Storm on the floor, watching as she ran up the stairs, the bell on her collar jingling quietly. You turned briskly, taking things from Amethyst's hands.
"Thanks, Amy," you said with a nervous smile as you blocked the doorway so that she wouldn't try and come inside.
"Are you okay, (y/n)?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm great Amethyst. Why do you ask?"
"You look kind of pale," the gem remarked, raising an eyebrow at you.
"No, no, I'm great," you replied, taking the rest of the items from Steven and placing them on the floor by the door. Steven seemed to realize why you were so nervous as he nodded at you quietly.
"Hey, uh, Amethyst? We should get back to the temple. I'm sure (y/n) has things to take care of since she just got back." Amethyst shrugged, locking her hands behind her head as she began to walk back down the beach again.
"Whatever, man." You exhaled again, sliding down your door and sitting on the wood of your porch.
"Did you take Jasper with you to Empire City?" Steven asked once Amethyst was out of view.
"Yeah...I did. I think the experience had an effect on her." Steven looked at you, an eyebrow raised. "She was...different. My mom loved her. She's changed, Steven. Really," you said, a light blush on your face. Steven placed his hand on your shoulder, squeezing softly.
"If anyone can change her, it'll be you." You smiled softly at him, ruffling his hair. Steven giggled, walking down off your porch. "I'll see you later (y/n)!" You waved the young half-gem off, sighing softly as you watched him disappear down the beach as Amethyst did. You walked back into the house, shutting and locking the door behind you. I don't think I'll be heading out again today. You kicked your slides off, walking up the stairs.
"Storm?" You pushed the door open to your room, looking around on your floor, under your bed, and in your bathroom. "Jasper, have you seen—," you cut yourself off as you walked into Jasper's new room, seeing her laying on the floor, the kitten in front of her. She was wiggling her finger above Storm's head, pulling it away every time the kitten would jump up and try and swat the digit. You giggled, leaning against the doorframe as the grey kitten fell onto her back, reaching up with her front paws still trying to catch Jasper's finger. You smiled as you watched them play for a moment, Jasper finally looking up to see you.
"How long have you been standing there?" the gem asked, her face slightly scarlet.
"A good minute," you said chuckling, walking into the room. You kneeled down to Jasper's level, laying on your stomach like she was. Storm had finally caught Jasper's index finger, wrapping her paws around it and biting. Jasper chuckled, rubbing the kitten's stomach. She meowed loudly, her tail flicking. "I think she might be ticklish," you said laughing, rubbing her ear gently.
"Cats can be ticklish?" Jasper asked, placing her hand under her chin. Storm rolled over on her stomach, looking between the two of you.
"Yeah. I read it somewhere once. But what made you come up here?" Jasper shrugged.
"You told me to check the room out, so I did. Plus, I was curious about that machine over there." You looked in the direction Jasper was pointing, getting up off of the floor.
"This is a computer, or a PC to be technical. You can play games on it, surf the web, create documents...a lot of different things. I can show you if you want," you said, pulling the rolling chair out to sit in it. You turned the PC on and logged into it. You then opened the internet browser, typing in a website quickly.
"What are you doing?" Jasper asked, leaning against the back of the chair.
"I'm going to go ahead and order those shoes I wanted for you and in your correct sizing. On Friday, I'll try and take the other ones back after I get off work, and then I also have to take Storm to the vet..."
"Vet?"
"Yeah, an animal doctor." Jasper hummed in response, her weight leaving the back of your chair. You put an order in for several pairs of shoes for Jasper, clicking out of the tab and opening a new one. "Okay, Jasper. The worldwide web is at your fingertips here! All you have to do is type in what you want to know, click enter, and the internet will do the rest," you explained, getting out of the chair. The gem nodded walking over to the PC. "But! I don't think you'll fit in that chair," you said laughing. Jasper examined the chair for a moment, nodding slowly.
"Yeah...yeah, probably not."
"I could bring the beanbag up here. I think you're tall enough to reach the desk while sitting that low. And if not, I'll just lower it for you." Jasper nodded again, sitting on the edge of her bed. Storm sat by her feet, looking up at the gem. You smiled, going down the stairs quickly to grab your beanbag. You brought it back upstairs with you, replacing it with your rolling chair which you rolled over to the corner of the room. Jasper sat down on the beanbag and you lowered the desk a little to accommodate the height at which she was sitting. "I'll leave you to it then." You began walking out of the room, hearing Storm's bell jingle behind you. The grey tabby kitten followed you back down the stairs while you rearranged her things. You put the small basket full of cat toys in the place where your beanbag used to rest. You then put her litter box, water bowl, and food bowl by the patio door, a good distance away from each other. "Are you hungry, Storm? Or did Steven already feed you?" you asked the small creature, scratching her under her chin. She purred happily and you chuckled, standing to your feet again. Not much to do but relax until bedtime. You sighed, going to sit on the couch and watch TV, leaving Storm to her own devices.
*time skip brought to you by little Storm*
Jasper's POV
After (y/n) had left out of the room, I sat on the bean bag for a moment, pondering what I should search for first. I ended up deciding on the word 'daydream' since I had heard (y/n) say it once before, but I never got around to asking her about it. A series of pleasant thoughts that distract one's attention from reality...hm. I moved the small handheld device I saw her using earlier, which made a pointer move on the screen. I decided to search for that next. I ended up getting three different answers, so I clicked out of that and sat back, thinking of what to search next. I chuckled to myself, quickly tapping the buttons to form my next question: 'What is a kink'. I pressed the enter button, scrolling down a little. I clicked on the first thing that I saw. The PC took me to an entirely different page, and I began reading, my eyes widening more and more the farther down I read. Some of the words I didn't know, so I made a mental note to look them up later. "So that's what kinks are," I mumbled to myself, my face slightly hot. Huh... I continued my search, looking up words I didn't know from the article I just read. Some of the words had many different things I could read, and even watch to understand better.
While in the middle of a video, I was watching where a man was explaining human anatomy, I heard a soft knock on the door. I turned, seeing (y/n) come in. "Just came to check on you," she said, sitting on the edge of my bed. "What're you watching?"
"A video on human anatomy. Male, human anatomy to be technical." She raised an eyebrow, walking around me to sit in the rolling chair. She pulled it up next to me, resting her elbows on the arms of it.
"And...what exactly made you search for something like this?"
"Well, I searched the word 'kink' since you wouldn't tell me," I said, the irritation clear in my voice. She chuckled, covering her mouth lightly.
"Oh really? And what does it mean?"
"It's a sexual act, more a less. Something that can be seen as taboo, or weird to others if they aren't...into it." She nodded, humming in agreement. "So—after I read about that, I searched other words I didn't know out of what I read, and the most recent thing I searched led me to this video."
"Which was?"
"Sex." She hummed again, clearing her throat.
"That—that word has more than one meaning. But it looks like you got the most basic one."
"And that is?"
"Gender. Well...not like gender. People use the words interchangeably, but they don't mean the same thing. Sex is the biological aspect of a human. Which is why you're watching a video on male anatomy right now. While gender is on a spectrum. It's more like how our brains are wired. How we feel." I nodded, turning to face the screen again. "Anything you learn about human anatomy so far, Jasper?" (y/n) said chuckling.
"Yeah. Male and female humans are pretty much the same on the inside. There are only a few differences. On the outside though...it's nowhere near the same usually. That's supposedly how to tell the difference between male and female."
"I'm actually surprised you didn't notice that before," she said giggling as she spun around in the chair.
"I mean, to really tell, you'd have to be naked. But that's a sensitive topic with you humans," I replied chuckling, clicking out of the video.
"It's not a sensitive topic. It's just...inappropriate to be out in public without something on. You don't want everyone seeing your private areas." I shrugged, stretching after.
"Us gems don't have that issue."
"What do you mean?" she asked, ceasing her spinning.
"We don't have genitalia. Or that's what he called it on the video anyway."
"Hold on, hold on...so—gems are 'genderless'," she said, throwing up air quotes.
"Yeah, basically. If that's how humans tell the difference between male and female, then gems aren't either one. I mean, when speaking about others we often use 'she', 'her', 'they', or 'them'."
"Hm...that's actually interesting. But wait." I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, don't get mad at me, but I have a question that might be kind of stupid."
"Lay it on me."
"Rose Quartz was—or is Steven's mom..."
"I don't agree, but I'm following you," I said with a sigh.
"And gems technically are 'genderless'," she repeated, using air quotes again. "Meaning they don't have dicks or pussies."
"What?" I asked, turning to her.
"Oh, my bad. Those are just other names for male and female genitalia. But anyway—if gems don't have genitalia, then...how did she have Steven?"
"Most likely shape-shifted to accommodate her partner. She probably studied the anatomy of humans as well so that she could conceive." (Y/n) looked at me with her mouth slightly open, the glint of the moonlight shining in her (e/c) eyes. "What?"
"First of all, that's fucking cool. Second, when did you learn about conception?"
"When I looked up what the word 'born' meant. And in a way...gems are born too, don't you think?" (Y/n) smiled softly at me, laughing quietly.
"Yeah...the Earth is your mother. Just like all of the other living things on it." I rolled my eyes, slightly blushing. "So tell me...how you can hate the planet that created you, Jasper?" I looked back over at her, my amber eyes meeting hers. The glow of my gem rested on her face like it did the night before and I blushed harder, covering it.
"I—it doesn't matter. Don't you have to do something in the morning?" I said angrily, dismissively turning my head. I heard her sigh, but I didn't turn to look at her. I kept my eyes on the wall as I heard her get up and push the chair back to where it was before.
"Yeah...I have to go to work. But I won't let you bottle up those strong emotions of yours forever, Jasper. I'm still determined to see the real you, and I'm not giving up until I do so." I scoffed, crossing my arms.
"Gems are basically immortal like you said. So there's no use. I'll outlive you before you ever get anything else out of me."
"I guess I'll just have to work at it until the day I die." I turned to look at her, watching as she walked towards the door. She opened it, standing in the doorway a moment before turning her head to look over her shoulder at me. Her (h/c) hair framed her (s/c-t) face, slightly covering those gorgeous (e/c) eyes. "I won't give up on you. Goodnight, Captain." (Y/n) closed the door behind her, the sound of her footsteps retreating down the hallway muffled by the walls. I exhaled slowly, falling back against the beanbag. My hand still covered my gem, and I bit down on my palm, drawing blood. What are you letting this human do to you, Jasper?