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Their closeness disturbed and amused everyone in the school. Lin Ling couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t often that gems of the same hardness were close but that wasn’t to mean it was completely unheard of. Granted the last time a case like that had happened, it was way before Lin Ling was even born, not to mention that the gems were carved from the same stone but the point still stands!
The closeness of him and Nice was only natural! The both of them were diamonds, of the same hardness and had both known the pain of losing their patrol partners to- Lin Ling cuts that thought short.
Even after all this time, Lin Ling still couldn’t think of Yue Qing without overwhelming grief. His first partner, and his first taste of failure as a young gem. It wasn’t his fault, logically he knew that they'd been too inexperienced and the enemy they’d faced was far above them in terms of skill. But maybe, just maybe, if he’d just been fast enough… it could have been her standing here today instead of him.
But thinking that would also be a disgrace to her memory, the Ametrine gem would have cracked her hand from smacking him while scowling.
‘Quit moping around and let’s do something productive, yeah? Your sulking isn’t doing anyone much favors.’ She would say, abrasive as always but well-meaning in her candor, Lin Ling had loved her dearly for it. Ah and there he goes again, getting lost in his thoughts.
Lin Ling blinks back to the present, straightening up as he is picked and prodded at for the finishing touches on his Annual Hibernation outfit. He refrains from shuffling too much, knowing he’d get a nasty side-eye for his fidgeting and maybe a prick of a needle. It’ll dent the needle more than him, but it would just make the seamstress angrier, so he’ll behave.
Lin Ling catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, the high collar fitted snugly around his neck with the sweeping neckline of the outer coat tucked securely into a tight waist belt, the fabric secured with tight knots and ribbons that trail behind him. It looked… pretty, he supposed. Lin Ling never was too fussed about his appearance unlike some of the other gems, but Hibernation outfits were one of the rare chances the seamstress gems could go all out, so it seemed rude to voice his true thoughts aloud.
Nice would have seen through him immediately though, which was why Lin Ling was half-glad the other gem wasn’t here, while mostly curious at the absence of the older gem. The other diamond would not have missed the chance to poke fun at Lin Ling’s discomfort and had even promised to attend the Hibernation outfit fitting together, which made his absence all the more pronounced.
Even the seamstress gems had lifted an eyebrow when Lin Ling arrived at his fitting appointment alone, fully expecting Nice to trail in after him. They even mentioned that Nice had come in earlier for his own fitting, which was strange because ever since they’d become partners, they did everything together.
The whole school knew that unless ordered away for one reason or another, Lin Ling and Nice came as a pair. They always have unless… something happened.
Lin Ling pushes away his racing thoughts, letting out a soft breath as the seamstress finally gives him the go ahead to move. He tests the fit, ensuring that the fabric holds and doesn’t tear before leaving hurriedly to look for Nice. He doesn’t need to look back to know the seamstress gems are shaking their heads in exasperation.
Hibernation would begin soon with a closing ceremony from the Headmaster, Shang De, and he wanted to be next to Nice when it happened. Lin Ling didn’t understand what was going on between them, but whenever Nice behaved strangely, it was almost always related to the Headmaster.
So it would be prudent that Nice spent the least amount of time interacting with him. But first, he had to locate the older diamond.
Nice wasn’t in his room, nor was he in any of the common areas shared by the other gems, so there was only one more place Lin Ling could check. Dressed in Hibernation clothes, there wasn’t a chance Nice would risk damaging them before the closing ceremony, so there was really only one other place he would go.
The inner courtyard was peaceful, right in the centre of the school and housing an old fountain that kept the water running clear and cool in the summer. Presently it’d been drained, all that remained were a smattering of dried leaves from the sparse foliage around them, signalling winter’s arrival.
Nice sat primly on the edge of the fountain, absently smoothing out a crease in his own ruffled skirts for Hibernation. His gaze was miles away, staring vacantly into the horizon while his hand ran mechanically to fix any perceived flaw. Lin Ling purses his lips, a soft click sounding at the action that gets Nice’s attention immediately.
Lin Ling watches as Nice turns to face him, the practiced smile already tugging on his lips before he realizes it's Lin Ling. It’s his partner. The brown diamond watches with curiosity as the mask slips from Nice’s face, a more lopsided smile replacing the fake one the diamond likes to pull across his face for the other gems in the school.
The imperfect smiles were reserved for Lin Ling, and for Nice’s lost partner, says the whispering voice in his head, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. The younger gem shakes his head to clear his thoughts, moving instead to Nice’s side where the older gem had beckoned him. He stops just before the older gem and frowns down at him, a hand coming up to rest on his waist.
“You weren’t at the fitting,” it comes out more biting than intended but Lin Ling could be forgiven for this sass; he’d fully expected Nice’s presence and was blindsided by his absence instead. The other diamond only shrugs in reply, which was so uncharacteristically unlike him that Lin Ling immediately drops the attitude, leaning down to lay a cautious hand on Nice’s gloved own.
“Are you okay…?” Lin Ling asks carefully as if Nice was made of quartz instead of sturdy diamond, although he would be forgiven for thinking that, given the fragile look of the older gem. Wrapped securely in intricate knots and folds, practically swaddled in dense snow white fabric, Nice looked like he could shatter into a million pieces at Lin Ling’s question.
The white diamond blinks rapidly, as if holding back tears when it was impossible; they didn’t have the ability or tools for it. His eyelashes catch the rays of the setting sun, sending rainbows flying across his meticulously powdered face. Lin Ling waits patiently for his answer, as he always does for Nice, settling down and leaning his cheek against Nice’s bare legs.
They clink together upon contact despite the protective powder, and Lin Ling waits, shifting into a more comfortable position as he idly counts down the hours before they have to go.
It takes approximately five minutes before Nice finally relents, a gloved hand brushing against the strand of white diamond on Lin Ling’s brown diamond hair absently.
“... They found more pieces of Wreck today,” Lin Ling tenses at the mention of Nice’s lost partner, inwardly cursing before chancing a glance up towards the older diamond. Nice either doesn’t notice, or ignores Lin Ling’s reaction entirely, continuing with a deadpan, factual delivery of the day’s events, a blank mask upon his face.
“It was strange, the Lunarians don’t attack much nearing winter due to the lack of sun,” Nice hums, passing gloved fingers through the strand of white diamond absently, as if he needed to occupy his hands with something before they did something else. Lin Ling tries not to think about it.
“It was almost as if they were mocking me, with how easy it was to take them down, Cyan brought them to me, thought I’d like to see them,” the gloved hand pauses, and Lin Ling holds his breath.
“They were right of course, but every shard they retrieve…” The older gem trails off, and Lin Ling understands, of course he does. He understood the feeling the most.
The short-lived relief and happiness at more pieces they’d retrieved, hard won through battle. And then the inevitable creeping guilt, the gnawing anger and crushing grief all crashing into them all at once. It was exactly how he felt whenever he was given more pieces of Yue Qing.
More physical reminders of where he fell short and how he wasn’t enough.
“... How many did we get? Any casualties?” Lin Ling asks, despite knowing that it’d never be enough, but maybe, if he held hope, if enough time had passed and they’d defeated enough Lunarians carrying weapons with shards of their friends and partners embedded in them… he doesn’t dare dwell on that thought. His inclusions creak ominously and he fears what would happen if he lingers on the thought any longer than he had.
“Luo took an arrow to the eye,” Nice says casually, but the faint tremor in his gloved fingers betrayed his true feelings on the matter. “He’s fine, Queen intervened at the last moment so they weren’t able to get him, I saw them getting fitted for the Hibernation outfits earlier, it really was an easy fight,”
The diamond hesitates before the next answer.
“... Six Charoite pieces were retrieved from the arrows, three were Citrine, and one piece of Lapis Lazuli from the spear tip,” So not Yue Qing, Lin Ling lets out a breath. Of disappointment or relief, he wasn’t sure. He leans further into Nice’s legs, bumping his forehead against the older gem’s thighs and accidentally smudging away some of the protective powder. The other diamond doesn’t budge or move away; Nice never rejects any form of contact from Lin Ling and vice versa.
They fall silent, simply because any platitudes or encouragement will ring empty in either of their ears, and they’ve already heard their fill from the other more hopeful gems of the school. The pair sit quietly in the comfortable silence, before Lin Ling pulls away first, offering his hand to Nice.
He mumbles about the closing ceremony, the handover of tasks they’ll have to give the Winter gems, the preparation work to get the hall ready for Hibernation and how they have to re-apply the powder because he smudged some of it off; all excuses for them to escape the stifling atmosphere just for a while. At least until Spring, they can table this conversation until it sags from the weight, time is on their side for this after all.
Nice takes his hand anyway, and follows him quietly, just like he did the first night Lin Ling found him walking into the ocean.
-
Together they assist in getting the great hall set up for Hibernation, tugging fabrics and cushions into place. Making sure the entire area is perfectly secure for any gems that might move around in their sleep like Little Johnny was prone to do. Lin Ling recalls one particularly hectic winter where the Orange Sapphire had accidentally cracked his neighbouring gem’s cheek with a stray foot.
He’d apparently slept right through it according to Nice, and he was inclined to believe his partner on matters like this.
Nice completes his tasks perfectly, sheets pulled taut and pristine while Lin Ling struggles a little to achieve even a fraction of perfection, the edges just barely behaving.
His efforts pulled some light teasing out of the sombre diamond though, so Lin Ling couldn’t count it as a complete failure. They chat about idle things, inconsequential things like what Lin Ling saw on his final patrol of the school with another gem, like the last golden vestiges of autumn blanketed by early frost or a lone dandelion, determined to grow despite the harsh winter landscape.
Nice had hung back that day, citing sleepiness from the lack of sunlight, eyes barely able to crack open in the morning when Lin Ling tried to wake him up. So he listens now, as attentively as his clouded mind could allow and Lin Ling appreciates his efforts. His own lethargy catches up to him by the time they’re done, a yawn escaping him.
They finish up in the great hall, stopping by the infirmary to pick up more protective powders. Nice doesn’t like anyone who isn’t Lin Ling touching him, the brown diamond secretly happy that he was an exception, so it fell onto the younger gem to re-apply where the powder had been smudged off. Unlike his efforts in the great hall, Lin Ling is meticulous in the application of the powder ensuring an even layer is applied so Nice looks perfect as usual.
Nice watches with faint amusement under iridescent lashes, head drooping slightly from sleepiness. Lin Ling tries not to let his older Senior’s beauty distract him from his task, which proves a futile effort when Nice’s finger hooks under his chin to tilt him up.
Shining amber inclusions meet dazzling diamond sparkling with mischief, and that is all the warning Lin Ling gets before Nice tugs him close to press their lips together. There is an audible clack when they meet, Lin Ling’s inclusions threatening to implode and crack from his face.
Their lips don’t crack; they were the same hardness after all so it would take a lot more force than this to break off even a chip of their lips. But Nice tests the boundaries by applying just a little more pressure, their lips simultaneously crackling with warning. Lin Ling lets out a soft noise, attempting to move away from the contact but Nice chases him relentlessly.
He is only thwarted in his attempt when Lin Ling hurriedly smacks Nice with his long sleeve, the material acting as a barrier so the other diamond could not continue whatever this was. Lin Ling scowls up at Nice, resisting the urge to kick the other diamond off from where he’s currently straddling him.
“What was that, if you wanted me to re-apply your face powder all you had to do was ask?” Lin Ling complains, attempting to smooth down the wrinkles of his Hibernation outfit and groaning when the ties come loose.
The seamstress gems were going to throw a fit, they might pin it so tight Lin Ling wouldn’t be able to move, the brown diamond shudders at the thought. It sounded horribly constricting and he wasn’t looking forward to the scolding and nagging that would come with it.
Nice laughs as if the whole situation had nothing to do with him, the unrepentant bastard. Lin Ling had read in a book once, while on archival duties after his… loss, that it was meant as an insult, he thinks it fitting.
He rolls his eyes before turning Nice towards him again, picking up the brush he’d dropped in surprise.
“Hold still, I need to make sure we at least don’t get scolded for smudging powder everywhere,” Lin Ling growls, irritation bubbling up as Nice only gives him a smug grin. Yep, bastard was a fitting title.
-
They make it just in time for the closing ceremony, after a thorough scolding and uncomfortable final fitting from the seamstress gems. If they’d noticed the dishevelled appearance and slightly uneven application of powder around the lips, they made no mention or reference to it. Good, Lin Ling didn’t think he could handle it if word got around that Nice was showing his affection the human way.
All the gems gathered to bid their Headmaster a good night; the Winter gems will have their own briefing once everyone else has settled in the great hall. Nice had settled into a weird mood, seeing Shang De always did that to him, and Lin Ling made sure to shield the older diamond from Shang De’s direct line of sight.
Like all the other gems, he does love and respect the Headmaster, but there was always an undercurrent of unease that lingered within Lin Ling in regards to Shang De. And his instincts hadn’t led him astray before so he will protect his partner in every way he could.
Thankfully, the ceremony was mercifully short with only a blanket address. Lin Ling makes sure to drag Nice away quickly once it was over, claiming that he’d like to get the spot furthest away from most of the other gems. Nice lets him, even though he does glance furtively behind him at their Headmaster, he ultimately turns back to Lin Ling, so the younger gem doesn’t comment as he drags the older diamond away.
Shang De won’t bid them goodnight until they’re all settled, so Lin Ling pulls Nice towards the spot furthest away from the entrance, towards the back of the great hall. They’ve always shared just one spot, the younger gems watch them with curiosity while older gems smile with knowing looks and exasperated shakes of the head. Let them, it helps Nice sleep well so Lin Ling was more than happy to do it.
Lin Ling fusses with the mattress for a bit ensuring there is ample space for both of them before gesturing for Nice to lie down. The both of them curled immediately into each other, uncaring of the clink and clatter of their limbs as they shifted to get into a comfortable position. Blocking out the winces and groans of the other gems, they find a satisfactory position with arms looped loosely around the other.
Lin Ling lets out a yawn, Nice’s answering chuckle sending reverberations through both of them as they pull each other as close as can be without actually touching.
Pulling them flush would make too much noise for the other gems but this much should be alright. It would help Nice in any case, who had trouble sleeping even on regular days to have Lin Ling close.
“See you in the Spring, Nice,” Lin Ling murmurs, his eyelids suddenly heavy with sleep and feeling secure in the older gem’s arms. There is a gentle clink where Lin Ling feels more than sees Nice’s lips on his head, a chastisement already on his tongue if not for the words Nice spoke in reply, words heavy with affection.
“Sleep well, my Lin Ling,” And with that, they fall asleep for the winter, tangled together as they always did.
When Spring arrives, they will have new duties, new patrols, and the tabled conversation may come up again, but time is on their side in this. They can take it slow as they’d like.