Work Text:
Key
[g/p] = body part where gem is placed (gem placement)
[h/c] = hair color
[y/q] = the type of Quartz you are (it's also your name. Duh.)
[s/c] = skin color
[e/c] = eye color
Some of these might not be used.
~*~
You were light years away from Homeworld when your ship decided to malfunction. You had been on your way to a planet called "Earth", where you heard a resistance against the Diamonds had started up. And with the army so focused on Rose Quartz and her band of rogues, you had taken the chance to slip away in a tiny cruiser.
Your plan was to get as far away from Homeworld as possible and make a life of your own, but, judging by the way your pod was screaming at you and producing a bright red light, the plan had failed.
All you could do was wait and brace yourself for impact.
The weed covered ground rushed up to meet you, and then- you saw nothing.
~*~
Your return to consciousness was slow, and not at all like the sudden poof of sights and sounds that bombard you after reforming. Your limbs tingle in a strange way and the area around your [g/p] pulses uncomfortably.
You sit up with a groan, tangled [h/c] hair spilling over your eyes. You aggressively force the strands away from your face with a huff, pushing yourself out of the wrecked pilot seat.
You stumble to the exit of the ship, reorienting yourself as you get exposed to the unexpected air on this, a plant covered rock in the middle of space.
You blink in brief confusion before glancing around and noticing very familiar architecture.
"Great," you mutter under your bteath, "a minnie colony."
You sneer down at a grayish, washed out vine as it attempts to curl around your ankle.
"And a very neglected one at that." You huff, drawing up your leg and bringing it firmly back down on the weed, grinding it into the stone.
You revel briefly in the tiny murder you committed before fully focusing on your surroundings.
A small breeze ruffles your hair; it carries a faint scent of roses. The endless expanse of space stretches before you, only a few feet away.
And then you hear it. The sound of humming.
You turn slowly, eyebrows creased. In the distance you see an overgrown warp pad, and next to it... Was that... a gem?
You crouch, trying ineffectively to hide behind a piece of metal that had torn from your ship. Your large form was decidedly not made for stealth missions.
You stare at the gem, wondering if she had seen you. You were prepared for any confrontation.
But the gem didn't move. She continued to hum a tune you'd never heard before.
Eventually, you decide that she hadn't spotted you, and you move forward cautiously.
Closer and closer, until-
The gem gasped, finally moving. She spun around suddenly, a grin on her face.
"Pink?! Is that-" she freezes, her expression immediately dropping. "...you. Oh." She visibly deflates, shoulders hunching. "Sorry," she mumbles, "Thought you were someone else."
"Uh." You respond eloquently. You were taken aback by the gem's appearance. She was definitely not a proper guard gem. Far from it, really. She was a Spinel.
A companion gem at best, and a court jester at worst.
What on Homeworld was one doing way out here, away from everyone?
The Spinel's pink color was faded, vaguely heart shaped hair was gathered haphazardly on either side of her head. She looked miserable.
"Uh," you say once more, "Are you... okay?"
The Spinel blinks up at you. Her eyes speak thousands of years of pain. That wasn't right.
"I'm good." She turns around again, resuming her earlier position. Hands clasped in front of her, feet parallel to each other. A statue in her own right.
It's silent for a moment, until she asks, "What's your name?"
She doesn't look at you, but curiosity practically bleeds from her.
"[Y/Q]," you say.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Spinel."
"I know," you breathe.
The silence continues as you and her stand there.
"So..." You begin, "What are you doing out here, exactly?"
"Playing a game," she answers quickly.
You frown. "A game? What kind of game?"
"A waiting game."
You snort. You don't mean to, but you do.
"What?" Spinel asks indignantly.
"How long exactly is this 'waiting game'?"
Spinel finally looks at you again with those sad eyes. "Um... I don't... know?"
She phrases it like a question.
"Pretty stupid game, then."
Now the smaller gem's eyes flare with anger. "Excuse me?"
"How long have you been playing?"
"I don't know! A while, I guess." Her hand unclasp so she can cross her arms.
You raise an eyebrow. Suddenly, she can't meet your gaze.
"Th... Three thousand... years," she whispers.
You scoff. "If you ask me, it sounds like whoever you were playing with stopped a looong time ago."
"Well it's a good thing I didn't ask you, huh?" She turns away from you again.
You don't talk to each other for a while after that.
~*~
Spinel was an intriguing character, you admitted to yourself one day cycle.
She was quiet and subdued, a lot different than how she was supposed to be. Spinels were supposed to be loud and bouncy and fun, but it was like she had been drained of all that.
She had talked a bit more about what happened three thousand years ago. Apparently her "best friend" had up and left her under the pretense of a game. And of course Spinel, being a Spinel, didn't question a thing.
She was happy because her friend was happy.
It's devastatingly tragic, the way she wholeheartedly believes her friend will return. You stopped trying to tell her otherwise after that first conversation.
A large part of you wants to protect her. Shield her when the time comes and she gives up hope. In the mean time, you work on repairing your ship.
~*~
Two thousand years have passed.
You and Spinel are inseparable. You bond over stories and songs, and you've even been able to coax her away from the spot she was told to stand in all those years ago. At least for short periods of time. She still refuses to leave, and it makes you sad for her.
That being said, she's a lot happier. She smiles more, laughs more, and she hugs you with those incredibly stretchy arms of hers.
Sometimes she lets you lead her to the ship, so you can sit inside and brush out her adorable little heart-shaped buns.
You and her are happy on this, sad and overgrown little space rock, and even her revealing that her best friend was Pink Diamond wasn't enough to break their small bubble of peace.
~*~
Another thousand years pass and you and her get startled out of a game of chase when the warp pad lights up.
Immediately, she's over by the lump of crystal, staring up at it with so much anticipation that it hurts to look at her. And it hurts to know that, if it is Pink Diamond, Spinel would leave you in a heartbeat.
But it's not Pink. It's not a gem at all. It's a broadcast from some kind of flesh colored gemanoid that claims to be Pink Diamond's son. And he claims that Pink Diamond herself was...
You look down at Spinel and catch her just as her knees give out. You kneel next to her gently gathering her in your arms as she breaks down and starts to sob.
You know what she must be feeling. Betrayal, sorrow, grief.
And you know it'll be a long time before she feels like herself again. But as she burrows her face into your chest, you feel pure, unadulterated affection fill you to the brim.
The road to recovery for her would be a long one, yes, but as long as you're there to protect her, to give her strength, you know she'll find a way to love again.