(Y/n)'s POV
Six days had passed since you and Jasper's...escapade. You were sitting out on the patio with a mug of coffee in hand, already dressed and ready for work. It was only eight twenty-four so you were waiting the time out with a little relaxation. You sighed contently, leaning back against one hand as you closed your eyes, a smile on your face. "Enjoying yourself?" You opened one of your (e/c) eyes, looking up at the quartz who stood behind you. You nodded, chuckling quietly as she took a seat next to you.
"You're going out again today", you asked, sipping your coffee as you glanced over the gem's body. She nodded, turning to look at you briefly. Jasper gently turned your head to the side, examining your neck.
"I really did a number on you right there", she mused, smirking. You laughed, swatting her hand away.
"You're one smug bastard, you know that?" She chuckled, kissing the top of your hand.
"You love it. Besides, if you really wanted to hide it, you would. You're acting like you don't have makeup", the gem stated, standing to her feet. Your mouth fell slightly open, a blush evident on your face as you frowned at her.
"Y-You don't know what you're talking about!" Jasper smirked again, bending down at the waist with her hands on her hips as she looked at you.
"It seems to me like you want other people to know who you belong to." Your blush increased and you shoved her shoulder as she let out a boisterous laugh, holding her stomach.
"I don't belong to anyone", you said with a pout, drinking more of your coffee to try and hide your face with the mug. "I'm not an object, Jasper."
"You're right. You aren't an object. But you still belong to me", she said, grabbing your chin. "Unless you want me to prove it to you again?" You groaned, putting your mug down and crossing your arms.
"You're insufferable."
"Aww, you don't mean that, Shortcake", the quartz said, pulling you up from the patio deck. She pulled you against her body as you continued to frown, holding you close.
"Whatever...how many soldiers do you plan on recruiting today", you asked curiously, looking up at her.
"Not really looking for a number...I'm more focused on size. I haven't been to the Great North yet, so I was thinking of going there to look."
"Why are you focused on size in particular though", you asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting your head.
"Well my army won't be much use to me if all of them are small. I want a few that are at least my normal size or bigger", Jasper explained.
"So...it is true that you really aren't this height?"
"Yeah. I had at least little consideration towards your home when I first met you. I didn't want to trash the place up too bad if I was going to be staying there", Jasper said with a chuckle.
"Can...I see", you asked hesitantly, your blush resurfacing on your (s/c-t) cheeks.
"You want to see my full height", the gem said with a light laugh. You nodded, bouncing in place. "Do you not remember from 'you know when'?"
"I mean, yeah, but it was only for a second! And besides, you were squatting down after you handed me Storm so I didn't really see, see, ya know?" Jasper sighed, standing back away from you.
"Okay, only for a second. And then I have to go, shortcake." You nodded again, smiling brightly as the quartz was surrounded by light. You squinted your (e/c) eyes closed for a second, blinking once the sound of Jasper shapeshifting ended. You looked up at her, your mouth slightly agape. She chuckled, putting her index finger under your chin to close it. "Happy now?" You walked up to her, realizing your head only came up to a little above her hip. Before you had at least reached her chest, only having to crane your neck slightly to make eye contact, but now, that wasn't even an option. You giggled, standing on your tippy toes and hugging her waist.
"There's so much more of you to love now", you said, your voice kind of muffled as you pressed your face into her stomach.
"I-I told you not to say that", Jasper whined, a scarlet blush across her cheeks as she crossed her arms.
"Oops", you said with a light laugh, smiling up at her. She grunted, looking away from you. "Okay, you can go now. But give me a kiss first!" The quartz soldier rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face as she picked you up, setting your body in the crook of her arm. "I feel like a child", you pouted, wrapping your arms around her neck.
"That's because you are, Shortcake. I'm over five thousand years old, remember", she said, kissing your cheek.
"That means you're a pedophile", you said laughing, pressing your lips to hers for a brief moment. The gem hummed, closing her amber eyes. The feeling of her lips upturning into a smirk against your mouth made you laugh, so you pulled away. "I'll see you later", you said softly, kissing her gem. She smiled, putting you back down before shapeshifting into a bird and taking off. You sighed, going over to your mug on the patio again. The coffee inside had gone cold, so you decided to just pour it out. When you went back inside you glanced at the clock, seeing that it was eight fifty-one. "Shit", you mumbled, quickly rinsing out your cup and putting it into the sink. You jogged upstairs, grabbing your bag and slipping your feet into some shoes. "Storm! Come on, baby", you hollered, pouring the cat's food into one of her bowls, putting water in the other. Once you saw her come out of your room, you bolted to the door, opening it. "See you later, love you", you said, blowing a kiss to the feline. She meowed in response, and you chuckled, closing and locking the door before making your way down the boardwalk.
Jasper's POV
Jasper, you are a genius, I thought as I flew over the snowy grounds of The Great North. I wouldn't have made it here as fast if I walked. Transforming back into my original form, I landed on my feet with a hard thud. I walked around for a while, the sound of the snow crunching under my boots loudly. (Y/n) would love something like this, I thought with a blush as I continued to walk, squeezing between some trees. The snow fell onto my shoulders making me frown as I brushed it off. My amber eyes flicked across my white surroundings, the wind hollowing gently in my ears and swaying my hair. I stood completely still, listening carefully for the sound of movement. I waited for a moment before slowly kneeling down on my hands and knees, placing my ear to the ground. I closed my eyes, listening intently. They snapped open when I felt slight rumbling under my fingertips, the sound of a distant roaring making me grin. I stood to my feet again, walking in the direction I had heard the noise. "Let's hope it's not just some animal", I grunted, stomping through the snow and up the slight incline of a hill. Making it to the top of that rise was the best thing that had ever happened to me in that moment. A huge orange corrupted gem stood below me, sniffing and growling at something on the ground. It had white hair that was as wavy and as untamed as mine, but it was missing its eyes, which were replaced by three horns. "A quartz...", I mumbled to myself as I caught a glimpse of its gem. "Of course. I should have known that they would be bigger than the other gems", I said, chuckling deeply to myself as I grinned at the corruption. Whatever it was focused on in the snow was going to make things a lot easier for me. It won't even see me coming. I slowly slid down the hill, careful not to startle the creature. I chuckled again as I approached it, prepared to attack but a stick snapping decided to ruin the moment. The monster immediately snapped its head towards me, growling. Its breath created clouds of steam that billowed up into the air as it backed away from me. I continued to approach it, my hands at my sides. The monster roared loudly, standing up on its hind legs to try and attack me. I smacked it away, earning a whimper from it. It howled loudly again as I approached it, making me laugh loudly. "Just relax", I said slowly, "I'll make it quick. You're going to be a wonderful asset to my army", I stated, chuckling. The gem 'looked' at me, cocking its head to the side. "I'm guessing the word 'army' caught your ear. You must have been a soldier in the war...like me." I touched the creature's gem gently, the small sound of it tinking under my claws filling the air. "Now hold still", I said, raising my arm back to poof the large being. Before I could do so though, I was tackled by something. My body tumbled in the soft snow, breaking my fall just a little. The force of the hit still hurt pretty bad, but I wasn't about to let that keep me down. My amber eyes opened to see who my attacker was, only for my form to be taken over with hysterical laughter. Yet another quartz stood on my chest, keeping me pinned to the ground as it seemed to inspect me. This one was blue with pink spots, its hair matching both mine and the other corrupted gem's. It was only about a shade lighter, but other than that the two looked almost identical. They were huge I had to admit, their bodies casting a shadow over mine. The blue corrupted gem roared in my face, making me chuckle again. "Were you trying to intimidate me? Because it isn't going to work", I said slyly, clinching my hands into fists. "Because right now...I'm the predator and you're the prey", I shouted, shoving the gem off of me. It lost its balance pretty easily, its back hitting the ground with a loud thud. While that one was down, I went after the other. Its tail was between its legs as it looked between me and its companion, whimpering and growling. The blue one must be the more dominant of the two. "Time to take you...out!" I landed a forceful kick to the gem's body, walking over to it. I punched it, causing it to slide across the snow farther away from me. I chuckled, grabbing its tail before it could run away, slamming it on the ground beside me. The monster groaned, laying on its back limply. I climbed on top of its body, standing on its stomach. I grinned down at it, jumping high into the air and then back down, my feet landing in the snow. The gem had quickly rolled to the side before I could do any real damage to it. I grinned, watching as the two ran away at an unbelievable speed, howling and growling at each other as if they were talking. "You're gonna regret making me look for you..."
*time skip brought to you by 'Gem Hunt'*
It had begun to snow pretty hard, and I still hadn't found the other monster. The orange one was pretty easy to catch since it ran right into me. Our fight destroyed some trees in the area, but other than that the job was quick. I scoffed, looking around in the snow for tracks. I groaned when I didn't see any but my own which were getting covered up quickly by the fast falling snow. Then I heard a roar. My head snapped in that direction and I grinned, making my way towards the sound. They sound as if they're in distress, I thought with a chuckle. Maybe they've realized that they can't get away from me. I began to run when I heard the gem begin to roar and growl even more, skidding to a halt when I realized that I would have fell off of the cliff I was standing on. The corrupted gem clawed and scratched at the cliffside that was blocking its way, making me laugh quietly. I covered my mouth to keep the sound from escaping as I squatted down in the snow, hiding my position from the small figures I saw standing in front of the monster. One of them I immediately identified as Rose, and the other was a young girl who's brown skin matched Kehlani's. She had huge goggles on her face and a pink sword strapped to her back. I gasped quietly, recognizing the sword. It was the same one Rose had used to shatter my Diamond. I gritted my teeth together, gripping the snow underneath me in anger. She cares so little about what she did that she just handed that sword off for someone else to use?! I growled, trying to keep as calm as possible so that I wouldn't reveal my location. It wasn't like they would notice anyway, they had their own problems. A loud voice was coming from the device in Rose's hand which alerted the monster, causing it to turn to them quickly. It began to approach them at a steady pace, making me chuckle. I was on edge from the anticipation to see what the creature would do to them. It growled at them as Rose approached it slowly, attempting to talk to it. The human girl beside her slowly tried unsheathing the sword, but before she could the corrupted gem reared back on its hind legs, smashing down on them with its front paws. I chuckled, about to make my entrance to capture the beast, but apparently Rose had covered herself and her friend in a bubble, blocking the monster's attack. The gem roared, pouncing on the bubble over and over again until it popped, separating the two. Oh I love this gem... The monster approached Rose first, looming over her as it growled, obviously prepared to attack. The human girl then threw snow at it, catching its attention again. I rolled my eyes and groaned quietly, slumping against the ground. Almost had her! "Over here", she yelled, visibly shaking as the corrupted gem approached her. She backed up more and more, obviously scared for her life. I felt just a little bad for her, due to the fact that she was human. I didn't want her to get hurt by this gem, but she put herself in that situation. I don't think (y/n) would forgive me if I let a human die. She probably knows her if the girl is hanging around Rose. My eyes widened in surprise as the girl ran head on at the gem, holding the large sword with both hands. "Well maybe she can handle herself", I mumbled to myself. She slid under the gem's body, capturing the device I saw Rose holding earlier.
"Pearl! We found the monster!"
"So that would explain the squawking", I said lightly, chuckling as I slowly backed up away from the edge of the cliff. I grinned, running forward and taking my knees in my hands as I dashed straight for the creature's side. I tackled it head on, the monster shrieking in pain. I stood on it as it laid on its back in the snow. I clinched my fists, my arms flexing as I smiled widely at the gem. I raised my left arm punching the gem in the face. I continued to pummel it, grunting as I did so. I then jumped off of it, grabbing one of its hind legs and flipping it over my head, slamming its body into the snow. I then walked up its body again, my amber eyes closed in triumph because I knew I had won. I grabbed its gem, twisting it hard as the monster screamed in agony. I yanked on it hard, the sound of it poofing filling the air along with clouds of steam. I held the blue gem in my left hand tightly, the orange one in my other. You guys really are going to be wonderful assets to my army, I thought, smiling widely.
"Jasper...", I heard Rose's muffled voice say as I admired the gems in my hands.
"Those footprints...the monsters were running from her", the human girl said in realization.
"Connie, where is the — Jasper!" I frowned at the pearl who had shrieked my name, glancing up at the group. I then chuckled deeply, holding the two gems in my hands up.
"Hey, Rose...look what I got." She had a nervous look on her face as she kept the bubble intact, the pearl holding her fight or flight stance, her spear still pointed at me. Rose snapped a picture of me through the bubble, making me chuckle more as I turned to walk away. I was confident in the thought that they wouldn't follow me, or even dare to attack me. The wind began to pick up around me, my hair blowing aggressively to my left. I chuckled again, the sound of my feet crunching in the snow the only thing that could be heard. I can't wait to get home and tell (y/n).
(Y/n)'s POV
You stretched against your couch, planting your feet on top of the table as you petted Storm. You had just fed her not too long ago and now she was peacefully napping in your lap. You yawned quietly, switching the channel on the TV as someone knocked rapidly on your door. You raised an eyebrow, slowly putting the remote down on the coffee table to grab your phone. It was two fifty-one, so you weren't exactly sure who would be knocking on your door at this time. They knocked on your door quickly again and you sighed, gently sliding Storm from your lap to open it. "I'm coming, I'm coming", you mumbled as they knocked again. You swung the door open, your (e/c) eyes widening at the sight of Steven. "What's up kiddo", you asked as he dashed into your house. You closed the door behind you and leaned against it, looking over his shaken frame.
"I-I saw Jasper", he said, a wild look in his eyes.
"What", you asked, walking over to sit on the barstool next to him.
"Today Pearl, Connie, and I went on a mission to the Great North because Garnet said she sensed some corrupted gem activity there. We went to go and check it out, and we saw Jasper there and she had the gems of the monsters we were looking for", Steven said quickly, gripping his jeans. You gulped slightly, rubbing your thumb over the back of your hand as you clinched them together. Corrupted gems?
"Wh-What do you mean, Steven? What do you mean by corrupted gems?"
"Corrupted gems are kind of like wild animals. They...don't remember who they used to be. They don't even look the way they did before. It's like, they're minds are broken", he said softly, a sad look in his eyes.
"Do you know how they became corrupted", you asked slowly, looking up at him.
"Damage from the Diamonds. Or that's what Pearl says anyway." You nodded once, your eyebrows slightly furrowed. So Jasper is taking in corrupted gems for her army? "Do you have any idea why Jasper would be going after those gems? Garnet and Pearl can't seem to figure it out and it scares me."
"No, Steven", you lied, keeping your word to Jasper. "Are you sure that it was Jasper that you saw?" The young half-gem nodded, hopping off of the stool to stand in front of you.
"I'm telling you, (y/n), it was her! I-I took a picture and everything", he said quickly, pulling out his phone and showing you a picture of your Jasper holding two gems in her hands.
"Oh...", you said softly, taking the device from him. "I have no clue why she would be hunting down corrupted gems though, Steven. I can talk to her about it if it'll make you feel better", you said sweetly, furthering your lie. Steven smiled, hugging you before taking his phone back.
"Thank you..." You patted his back, ruffling his dark hair as you caught sight of Jasper out of the corner of your eye. She was on the patio in front of the screen door, about to come in but you shooed her away with your free hand. She snickered, making you press your lips together to hold your laugh as she sneaked away from the door. Steven let go of you, giving you another smile. You returned one, waving him off as he left your home. You let out a relieved sigh, sliding down the front door after closing and locking it. Jasper waltzed into the house chuckling, ducking into the door.
"Don't break my ceiling, dude", you said tiredly, running a hand down your face before pinching the bridge of your nose. The sound of Jasper shapeshifting reached your ears and you opened your eyes again to see her squatting down in front of you. You tackled her into a hug and she laughed, holding you tight as she stood up. The quartz soldier walked over to the couch, sitting down on it after waving Storm off. The kitten was now wide awake, her tail swishing slowly behind her as she perched on the arm of the sofa. "What were you thinking you ass", you growled, pulling on Jasper's ear.
"Ow! What", she asked irritatedly, pulling your hand from her ear.
"You let Steven take a picture of you", you hissed, crossing your arms. "How am I supposed to lie for you when he has hard evidence like that?!" The gem shrugged, a smug grin on her face. You rolled your eyes, resting your forehead on her shoulder. "Why do you have to be so reckless?"
"Calm down, shortcake. I won't let it happen again", she reassured, rubbing your back as she pulled you closer to her. You sighed, wrapping your arms around her neck, kissing her gem.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Because...I don't need anymore gems for my army", she said, kissing your neck. "I found not one...but two." You glanced down as Jasper pulled two gems from inside her uniform, showing them to you. They matched the ones you saw in the picture Steven showed you. You brushed your fingers across the orange one first, taking it gently in your hand. It was bigger than your palm, and it had weight to it too.
"This is a quartz", you said softly, your (e/c) eyes meeting Jasper's amber ones. "A Jasper. Biggs Jasper to be exact." The quartz raised her eyebrows gently, smirking at you.
"You know your gems, don't you?" You giggled, taking the blue gem from her other hand, running the pads of your fingers over its smooth surface.
"Yeah...I get it from my dad I guess. It was his hobby after all." Jasper hummed, kissing your cheek, making you smile softly.
"So what's this one then", the gem asked, pointing to the stone you had in your hand.
"Ocean Jasper. They're usually used for emotional healing. I wonder since she's a sentient being if her personality is like that", you said with a light chuckle. Jasper shrugged, taking the gem back from you and examining it.
"Who knows. She can't say much of anything now..."
"Yeah, I heard. Why didn't you let me know that the gems you were 'recruiting' for your army were corrupted?" The gem sighed heavily, running her fingers through her white hair.
"I didn't think it was all the important."
"Of course it's important, Jasper", you scoffed, throwing your hands up. "They aren't in their right minds or bodies and you're...taking them. Where do you put them for the time being? Because I know there are more that you've 'recruited'", you said with air quotes, crossing your arms again.
"That doesn't matter. I had a feeling you'd be upset about that part, which is kind of why I didn't tell you", the gem said with a huff, clearly annoyed.
"It does matter. These gems aren't themselves. They most likely don't even know what 'themselves' is, and you probably have the poor things caged up somewhere", you snapped, poking the gem in the chest. "I thought we were done hiding stuff from each other, Jasper", you said softly.
"And I thought you said you weren't going to try and stop me from building my army. So I guess we both lied", the quartz growled, standing up abruptly. You slid off of her lap, thumping the back of your head on the coffee table as you hit the carpeted floor.
"I'm not trying to stop you!" Jasper scoffed, her boots pounding against the hardwood floor as she walked through the kitchen.
"It doesn't sound that way to me."
"Where are you going", you asked as you quickly stood from the floor, following her.
"Out."
"Jasper —", you started, stopping the screen door from banging closed as she walked out of it, but it was too late. She had shapeshifted into a bird again, holding the two gems in her sharp talons as she took off to God knows where.