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"You have to understand… I- I'm doing this because… I love you. I know we haven't been together for too long, but still… You mean so much to me." The spinel gem's voice was low and calm. But, it did nothing to calm the dread and growing panic that flooded through you.

Rain tapped softly against the windows of the beachside cabin that the Crystal Gems had built. Roxy and her family were out in town, helping wayward gems adjust to their new life on Earth. It wasn't really the best weather for such an activity, and part of you wished they would have just stayed home. Another part of you wished you had gone with them.

The tap of rain against the window panels and encroaching rumble of thunder didn't drown out the music that played on the radio, however. It was something soft and slow - no lyrics, just the swaying melody of the instruments' tunes.

Dirk blocked your path to the exit as he slowly approached, giving slightly exaggerated steps as he made his way towards you - a leftover of his former purpose, thousands of years ago. You noted how tall he was, with him having risen to his full, intimidating height.

"Dirk, you're scaring me…" You said, backing away slowly to the portal directly behind you.

"Don't be afraid, please," Dirk whispered. You could hear the strained pain in his voice. "Please… I'm doing this out of love. You have to understand that."

"Dirk-"

"I just… I can't bear the thought of you leaving me, of being abandoned. I- I can't! Not again."

You felt something inside you clench in sympathy at Dirk's plight… But, this wasn't healthy - trying to force you into a permanent fusion just to make sure you could never be apart from him… It wasn't right.

You bit your lip, looking to be in thought… Before turning and darting towards the portal as fast your feet could carry you, stretching your arms as if to reach out and-!

You felt a hand grab at your uniform, pulling you backwards. Dirk's cartoonishly long arms had shot out after you, and he retracted them just as quickly, slamming back against his chest. You let out a groan, too pained to fight or get your bearings before the pink gem wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against his body - almost suffocatingly close.

You let a grumble of pain, looking up just in time to watch as Dirk pressed a kiss to your forehead. A whine escaped your throat as you attempted to wriggle free of Dirk's grip, but to no avail.

"Dirk, please, you don't have to do this..." You pleaded with him.

You felt the other gem nuzzle against you. "I'm sorry… But I have another choice."

You felt as he slowly began rocking you to and fro, before eventually slowly spinning you in time with the music that swelled through the cabin. You tried to struggle free, but Dirk's arms were iron tight, trapping you against him as he forced you to dance along.

A low rumble bubbled up from Dirk as he hummed along to the tune, possibly in a poor attempt to calm your nerves.

"Dirk, please," You began to cry. You didn't want this!

However, your begging went ignored, and, if anything, just made him turn faster, spinning about the room as the background melody seemed to swallow up your senses whole - Lost to the nausea of the dizzying dance and the thrumming music.

The world around you glowed brighter, and you spotted as Dirk's heart-shaped gen began to glow a bright white.

In a panic, you kicked and squirmed and tried to wriggle free. You began to cry, tears falling from your eyes as the world became far too bright to focus on. "Dirk, please, STOP!"

And the world went white...

…

You blinked open your eyes. Your eyes…? Something… Something felt… Wrong. You blinked once, twice. Again. You squinted, and only then did it sink in what was off. Instead of your regular amount, you had… Four.

Four eyes.

Feeling panic rise in your chest, you shot up to a sitting position, wrapping your… Extra, long arms around your chest. You fought back a gulp, moving your arms away. Your multiple eyes widened as you spot an upside down heart-shaped gem taking up residence in your midsection.

Your mouth hung open as your body began to shake.

"Nn…" A sound croaked out of your throat.

You had wanted to say "no", but something had stopped you.

Dirk. Him.

He… You felt it. His influence on your mind, your now shared mind. 

Your breathing picks up, but - was it even really yours anymore? Was it his? Both of yours? After all, you… You weren't really you anymore. You were him and you, and something that both was and wasn't. Something new.

New and scary and something you didn't want. You didn't want this!

NO!

You felt the new body that you and Dirk formed begin to split apart at the seams, and a cry of pain forced its way out of your splitting throat. The world begin to go white as your body, your fusion's body, began to destabilize.

And just as quickly, you snapped back into place. Stable and in one piece once more. 

You felt something come over, like a curtain of bliss and reassurance and calm, muffling your panic and will to fight back. A shiver ran up your back as your arms wrapped around yourself comfortingly.

"Shhh, everything is okay," You, who wasn't you and yet was, said softly against your own accord. How odd, you comforting yourself. But you knew that it was Dirk speaking, or the part of you, your fusion, that Dirk was now a part of. "You'll see. This is for the best. I did this for us, so that we'll always be together."

Always.

Forever.

Your body fought back the whimper that built up in your throat, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill from your eyes.

One of your multiple arms lifted a hand to your lips, giving it a shaky kiss.

You sat on coarse sand that covered the beach, staring out into the horizon as the sky changed to bubblegum pink with the setting of the sun, being swallowed up by the sea.

Dirk sat beside you, legs crossed and one hand clutching yours. You gave him reassuring stroke of your thumb to the side of his hand, soothing the gem.

You and Dirk had only recently began dating, but you two already felt so close… Dirk's affection towards you probably helping quite a bit with that. Though the gem was often stoic and reserved, he was incredibly clingy - in an endearing way, of course! You… Knew of Dirk's past, not in its entirety, but enough - his name used to Spinel, but he had changed it after moving to Earth (new planet, new life, new him, and all that), he had been abandoned and left alone for thousands of years by an old friend of his and had attacked Roxy (a half human half gem friend of yours) thinking she was her. 

So, you understood Dirk's clinginess, his want to always be touching you in some way to make sure you were still there, his worry whenever you went out of his sight… He was still recovering, and anyone would have abandonment issues after that. 

Just thinking about it filled you with dread - thousands of years, all alone, waiting for someone who had no intention to come back - it chilled you to the core, while at the same time sparked a fiery anger inside you, at Pink Diamond, the one who abandoned Dirk in the first place.

Though, at the same time, you supposed that if none of this had happened, you would have never met Dirk. You and he had only been together for a short while, certainly, but he made you so happy. You built each other up and brought out the best in each other… You made peace with the thought that maybe… What happened to Dirk might have happened for a reason. Something akin to fate. Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking on your part.

Your gaze focused on your boyfriend, the way shadows cascaded across gis form, the glint of fading sunlight across his shades. He seemed… Oddly stiff. A trick of the light, perhaps, but still… Dirk was always stiff, as though he was always restraining himself, but this seemed different. Different in a small, unnoticeable way - at least, it would be to others.

But, you knew enough about Dirk to tell the difference by now.

"Penny for your thoughts?" You asked, giving the gem's hand a squeeze.

"Mmph." Dirk made a soft sound and shrugged, trying to look away into the middle distance. He looks gorgeous in the light of the sunset.

"C'mon, please?" You gave his hand another squeeze. "You know you can tell me anything. And remember what Roxy said? It's better to talk about how you feel than to keep it inside."

Dirk's lips pulled into a tight line, brows furrowing in thought, before sighing. He nodded, hanging his head slightly.

He sighed, before eventually speaking. "I've been… Researching human mates- er, couples," He corrected himself. "I've noticed a…. Concerning trend."

You furrowed your brows, quirking your head. "How so?"

You watched as Dirk's jaw clenched, his whole form tensing up. "So many couples… Just leave each other inevitably. It's statistically likely that most couples will separate at some point…" Dirk began to shake, baring his teeth.

Your eyes widened, leaning back slightly. "Dirk?"

"Why…?" The gem hissed, moving forward, seeming much bigger and more intimidating than he had only seconds before. "How could they just part like that, after everything they've been through? And for the most ridiculous reasons?"

You shrunk back, feeling oddly dwarfed by the pink gem. "I… I guess sometimes, relationships can be fleeting…? It's sad, but that's just how it is sometimes..."

Dirk's lips pulled into a tight frown, seemingly restraining himself. "Is that how it will be with us? Will you inevitably leave me? Just-... Just like-"

"No, of course not!" You reply immediately. "I never intended that!... I'm really happy with you, Dirk, and I don't want to let that go…"

You could hear as another growl built up in Dirk's throat. He reached forward, gripping your forearms - but his grip was gentle. It always was. He could never hurt you. He never wanted to hurt anyone again after…

You let out a squeak as Dirk pushed his weight onto you, your back landing onto the sand as the pink gem pressed his body against your own. The Spinel gem took your wrists in his hands, pinning them above your head.

"Still," Dirk said huskily, "I can't let you go, I can't even allow a chance of that happening. I… I want to fuse with you so badly, even if it's not possible. I need to make sure you're always with me, that you'll never ever leave me-"

"Dirk...?" You whimpered, cutting off the gem's possessive rambling.

Dirk looked down on you. You could see his eyes behind his shades, drinking you in. He suddenly launched forward, capturing your lips in a hungry kiss. He moaned softly as he tasted your lips on his own.