Fangirlboyman

As gunga stepped away from the table Greg took hold of one of the slices she’d set in front of him, groaning in satisfaction after the first bite as Pearl brought her steaming mug up beneath her nose breathing in the rising vapors.

“So you really don’t eat?  Like ever?” Pearl shook her head as she set her mug down.

“My body is actually just a construct of the energy within my Gem, unlike humans we don’t need to eat or rest to sustain ourselves. Greg nodded as he finished off his first piece and lifted another to his lips.  

“So what do you ya know, do?” Pearl raised an eyebrow as Greg seemed to inhale his second slice.  

“I told you back on the beach we protect humanity, we neutralize and contain the corrupted gem creatures when we locate them.”  Greg nodded licking the grease from his fingers.

“That’s what I’m saying you can only go off and fight those monster things when you find them, you don’t eat, you don’t sleep you don’t have a job so how do you ya know fill the hours in between.”   Greg leaned in closer hand fumbling for his third slice of pizza as he trained his eyes on her

“Oh.” Pearl blinked then nodded slowly.  “I’ve never really given it that much thought, usually if we’re not on a mission I’m sparring with Rose, or teaching Amethyst, other than that I’m usually just tidying up the temple.”  The third piece of pizza was gone by the end of her recitation, and Greg was resting his chin on one palm.  

“So you never relax?”  Pearl shrugged and took another deep inhalation of her tea.

“I told you, my body doesn’t need sleep.” Greg shook his head abandoning the final piece of pizza.

“It’s not about sleep, and it’s not about your body it’s about turning your brain off for a little while.”  Pearl set the now cool cup back down on the table.

“I don’t have one of those.” Greg rolled his eyes playfully, and smirked at her.  

“Look all I’m saying is that I can’t leave my van running twenty four seven and still expect it to be working at it’s best when I need it.  It’s the same way for people, and I’m betting it’s the same way with Gems. Don’t you ever just like go for a walk or sit out and look at the stars, you know just, be wherever you are?” Pearl lowered her eyes tracing one finger around the rim of her mug.

“I. . .we used to do things like that some times, Rose and I we would stroll through her gardens, or sneak away to this secret place of hers.”   Her eyes shot open as she looked up into his. “You can’t tell anyone about that, I can’t believe I just told YOU that.” She stopped a moment, studying his face, he looked pained and she couldn’t understand why.

“You and Rose huh?”   Picking a piece of sausage from his pizza and tossing it lazily onto the table, no longer able to meet her eyes.  She nodded in understanding.

“Yes, for as long as I can remember, at first I couldn’t believe someone as beautiful and wonderful as her was spending time with someone as generic as me, but when she looked at me I could tell she saw something more and I knew I wanted to make her happy, to be more for her.  Time went on though, and either I got better at noticing, or she got worse at hiding how she really felt.  She feels so guilty over me being stuck here for her, and even more guilty that…that she doesn’t feel the same way that I feel for her.  So she pretends to sometimes for me, I used to think that was enough but she never really looks at me the way I look at her…the way you look at me.” Raising her gaze to his again she found him staring, eyes like stars.

“I won’t pretend to understand all of that, but I do get the not being able to believe part.” His hand moved out to take hold of hers.  Blushing she clasped her other hand over his, never noticing the grease from the pizza.   They sat there like that for several long moments, Greg finally breaking the silence.  “Something’s bugging me though, you said you go to Rose’s gardens, and Rose’s secret place, don’t you have anywhere that’s special to you?” Pearl thought a moment then shook her head.

“Aside from my room in the temple I don’t suppose I do.”  Greg shook his head, motioning for Gunga to bring the check, then fished out several crumpled bills from his pocket to pay.  

“That’s too bad, everyone needs somewhere to get away and just be themselves” Counting out the money for the pizza, tea and Gunga’s tip Greg rose from the table, slipping his hand from Pearl’s he motioned for her to follow.  “If you don’t have one of your own, I can at least show you mine.” Pearl strode beside him, smirking as she looked over.

“Is it the van?” She asked smugly and his face colored.  “I’ve already seen the van.”

“It’s not JUST the van it’s what the van means.” She folded her arms in front of her chest incredulously, but followed him down to the beach where the van was still parked.  Greg slipped into the driver’s side, and Pearl did the same on the passenger side.  

“Alright, so enlighten me, what does the van represent?” Pearl asked leaning back in the seat, eyes roaming over the various knobs and buttons on the dash.

“Freedom” Greg said simply, waiting for Pearl to look up at him before continuing.  “I can go anywhere in this thing, I can BE anyone in a new place, I can be a comet streaking across the night sky, bright and hot for a moment then I’m gone again on to the next place dazzle more people over and over again until I’m a huge shining star in the sky.”  His voice rose as he spoke, fingers gripping the steering wheel white knuckled as he stared out over the ocean towards the star filled horizon. Pearl sat in silence for a long moment after he finished.

“Greg. . .why is it so important for you to get away, to be famous?” His concentration shattered he turned to her doubt in his eyes as he leaned back against the Van door. Sighing he spoke in a weary voice eyes cast down.

“I never did well in school, and I wasn’t athletic like at all.  I never felt good enough for anything. Then I discovered music, I taught myself to play an old guitar I got from a buddy’s older brother and wrote my first song, it was like magic.  I thought I’d finally found what I was supposed to do, but everyone always told me it was stupid, that it was impossible to make a living like that, that I was going through a phase or I was just distracting myself from getting a real education.  I quit community college and used the rest of the money I’d saved up for tuition to buy this beauty.”  Patting the Van’s dashboard.  “That’s why it’s so important Pearl, I just want to feel good enough for once.” Moist eyes lifted to find a matching pair staring back at him, a single tear rolling down her cheek.  Greg squeezed his eyes shut letting his own tears flow, when he opened his eyes again Pearl’s face was inches from his own, the tip of her nose pressing gently to his, hands lifting to take hold of his face.

Judgement free responses please if you do decide to say anything to me or just PM me about some of this stuff if you have decent answers for me and or are experienced. 

I’m actually really scared and nervous about the kind of responses I’m gonna get from this post. 

You’re right. They’re purple and red.

I don’t watch the show but aren’t they amorphous space rocks who don’t really have that concept

You’re right. They’re purple and red.

I don’t watch the show but aren’t they amorphous space rocks who don’t really have that concept