15 for gem/pearl?
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15. An underwater kiss, Gem/Pearl, 1295 words
Gem could forgive a lot of weird things. It was the nature of the server to remind her at every opportunity that normal was relative. It was normal for Zedaph to dedicate his time to pursuits unfathomable to his fellow hermits. It was normal for hermits to be as shaped by their bases as their bases are by them, like Tango in the Deep Frost Citadel last season. It was normal for Joe to be a puppet- a very new normal, but nonetheless nobody had batted a lash at it after the first five minutes, because of course Joe would be a puppet.
Gem reckoned she knew enough about this fisherwoman schtick by now to know that her catches going missing as she reeled them in was... less than normal.
It was the same, every time. She'd cast her hook, watch her bobber, and reel the moment she felt something, anything, pull her line taut with enough force to be more than a passing wave. She caught the junk just fine, a growing pile filling the space behind her, but whenever a proper bite came along, there'd be a quick tug on her line like the fish was fighting back, and then, the hook would come up empty.
After that happened for the fifth or sixth time, Gem flopped back on the dock with a groan. She didn't even need the fish! She had barrels full, but now she was annoyed on principle. She earned those catches fair and square.
"I thought I was the favorite!" Gem reprimanded in no particular direction as she sat back up. The ocean would hear her no matter where she was. "Getting bored playing keep-away with Grian's mending book, so now you've gotta take my fish? Look at me! Fish is my thing!" She wasn't about to let the ocean take it from her, either.
One more time, she tried. Kneeling at the very edge of the dock, she cast her line without its sinkers, purposely shallow. She needed a fish she could keep an eye on, no matter the size. When she got a bite, she reeled it in slowly, and just as it breached the water-
A scaly hand reached out and nabbed it off the hook.
Gem gasped, tossing her rod aside to grip the edge of the dock and peer under it. "I saw that! Where is it?!" Only the water's ripples answered her, a blur of distorted motion below that was gone before she could catch a proper glimpse.
There was a beat of silence. Gem sighed in exasperation, pressing her forehead to the weathered wood of the dock.
"I'll forgive you callin' me an it," A voice from behind Gem said, "'cause you look like you're havin' a rough go."
She knew that voice. Gem lifted her head fast enough that she almost tumbled off the dock's edge. Pearl was in the water, one arm propped on the dock to keep herself above it. She grinned, all teeth, and offered a lazy wave with her free hand- a hand that was still holding the fish she'd pulled from Gem's hook. "Thanks for the meal, by the way. This is way easier than hunting 'em myself!"
The fish wasn't large. Pearl tilted her head back, held the fish by its tail, and dropped it unceremoniously into her mouth. Suddenly Gem cared a lot less about her missing catch.
"You're welcome," Gem answered, fully distracted by the state of Pearl's body. She hadn't seen Pearl since the season's introduction, only hearing through the grapevine that she was based near Tango and Etho, but she's pretty sure the fish tail is new. "I should thank you, honestly, I've got more fish than I have space. Hey, speaking of fish, how long have you been one?"
Pearl's eyes shined, letting go of the dock to swim a circle, giving Gem a good view of her tail at work. "Pretty cool, right?" Her scales glittered a shade of maroon that flashed closer to purple in the sun, with accents of green around her chest, face, and down her arms. "I've still got my land legs, of course- oh, oh! And I can be backwards!"
"Backwards?" Gem tilted her head, intrigued, "You mean-?"
"You heard me," Pearl giggled, "Fish top and human bottom! Makes it harder to swim, but it makes for a great prank. Nailed Cleo with it earlier today," She sounded proud.
"That's amazing," Gem said, grinning with mischief, "Get Doc next."
Pearl cackled, "I'll see what I can do."
In time, Gem returned to fishing. Pearl stuck around to chat and catch up, and demonstrated that she was more than capable of fishing for herself. Gem lost a lot of bait to the distraction, watching Pearl's lithe silhouette dart through the water faster than the fish could escape her, but she can't say she minded.
"Here's the part that I don't get," Gem began, reeling in a hefty salmon that Pearl had chased onto her hook, "You were only wearing that salmon helmet for a little bit! How'd your code take to it so fast? Beef's been walking around in a salmonskin suit, and he's not a fish! Grian's practically drinking the ocean! And being a Mer would be so on-brand for me!"
"Oooh," Pearl teased, following Gem to the water's edge to watch her ice her latest catch. She sniffed, "Do I smell a little hint of jealousy, Gem?"
"No," Gem replied wryly, "You smell a lot. I mean, look at you! You're big and fast and pretty, and think of how useful it'd be for building below sea level!" There were ways around it, of course. Conduits, potions, and the like, but it couldn't be the same. "I'd love to experience the underwater world the way you can."
"Do you want to?" Pearl asked suddenly, drifting back to the end of the dock.
Gem quirked a brow, closing the barrel and brushing scales from her hands as she followed, "I mean, of course I do, I just said-?" Pearl was gone. Gem leaned over the edge of the dock, looking for her.
A familiar hand shot up, grabbed a fistful of Gem's tunic, and pulled her into the water.
Gem had been in this water a thousand times before. Feet dangling off the dock, wading waist-deep to untangle equipment, swimming around to maintain the hull of her anchored tugboat, but it felt so much deeper when she didn't intend to be there. Briefly, she panicked, a flurry of bubbles that did more to disorient her. She wondered if she remembered to reset her spawn at her own home.
Familiar hands were holding her arms, holding her upright, and Gem opened her eyes against the salty sting to find Pearl's, mischievous and delighted. 'Relax,' Gem saw her mouth, 'I've gotcha.'
Familiar lips pressed to Gem's, and the gasp that followed was involuntary. The water burned, and Gem tried to cough, to move, but Pearl held her tight until, all at once, the discomfort went away.
Pearl pulled back. Gem watched her, confused by the kiss and the sensation of drowning that no longer felt like drowning. As if in answer, Pearl took Gem's hand and brought it to her own neck.
Gills fluttered under Gem's fingers.
"It won't last long," Pearl said, and Gem could hear her as easily as if they were above water. Pearl offered Gem her arm, "How's about I take you on a tour of that coral reef we saw on day one?"
"You better," Gem answered, holding Pearl's arm, "You owe me for that jumpscare."
Pearl's eyes wrinkled happily, "I bet I can make it up to you."
Laughing underwater was a strange feeling, but Gem could get used to it.
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Hello I saw some of your stuff about elven duo please drop everything you have/want to say on me if you want :D
No I'll actually read through it, the dynamic is very fun :]
i will i fucking will.
they are so qpr to me. gem is dating pearl while scar is aroace. theyre a queerplatonic couple and they love each other and scar has to listen to gem freak out about pearl /aff. hed tease her for her crush all the time before gem and pearl started dating.
i think theyd be very silly. theyd pull pranks. theyd prank grian and mumbo together. grian would pull mumbo with him to retaliate and theyd have a silly prank war.
they also have hair nights where they wash each others hair, brush it and just take care of it. they also braid each others hair while talking shit in a /lh way about the other hermits.
theyre also both very murderous. they hunt the other hermits for sport. hotguy and cuteguy but gem is cuteguy. cutegirl. idk. something. shes cute okay sdkjfhskd. or shes a completely new character. i need to watch her more-
theyre also t4t definitely. trans scar and trans gem.
they give each other cheek kisses. and also kisses in the hair for good luck when theyve finished a braid!
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