An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: Take Me Home Tonight
Description: A rough night out leads Pearl and Amethyst to confront their unspoken feelings for each other.
It was Friday night and Amethyst had managed to drag Pearl out for the evening. The club scene didn't suit her style, but Amethyst was insistent that she'd have a good time. If by "good time" she meant Pearl would spend the evening drinking alone while watching her friend out on the dance floor, then she was definitely having one.
Amethyst was an amazing dancer, and Pearl wouldn't have minded watching her out on the floor, except for the fact that every time she looked over, there was someone with their hands all over her friend. Hah, friend. Pearl wished that she was brave enough to tell Amethyst how she felt. How much she loved spending time with her. How she wished that she was the one gyrating against her body. Well, maybe that wasn't Pearl's activity of choice, but she definitely wouldn't mind the closeness.
Pearl considers another drink. She knows she shouldn't. She's way past her limit, but she doesn't care. She's having a terrible time, and not even the alcohol is enough to make her forget how miserable the situation is. Even though Amethyst brought her here, she'd left Pearl almost as soon as they'd walked in the door.
Of course, she'd checked on her a few times, when she grabbed another drink for herself, yelling over the music, "Are you having fun?" with a wide grin on her face. Every time Pearl had given a false smile and a shrug, but by the time she replied Amethyst was already back in the arms of someone else.
Pearl stumbled off to the bathroom. Once settled, she rubbed her face with her hands, trying to clear her head and ease the growing dizziness. She could hear the pounding of the music through the walls. Why did she ever agree to come out? She thought about what Amethyst must be up to. Running her hands up and down some stranger, pressing their lips together, grabbing each other in inappropriate places…
She should just go home. There was no reason for her to be here. Amethyst is wild, unpredictable, and there's no reason Pearl should have a crush on her. But she did, and she was jealous. She was jealous every time Amethyst went out to the club by herself, but at least she doesn't normally have to see it. Pearl couldn't stand it, knowing that Amethyst was probably going to go home with some other woman and leave Pearl to walk back alone anyway. She might as well leave now.
Pearl exited the bathroom and gave one last glance towards the dance floor before heading out. She and Amethyst had walked together from Amethyst's place, which was only a mile or so away. Neither of them wanted to bother with sobering up to drive such a short distance. So Pearl started out on the short journey back.
It was late in the year, and rather cold. But Pearl was too full of alcohol to notice at first. It was only when she'd been walking for some time that she felt the nip in the air, and suddenly remembered she'd left her jacket at the club. She cursed to herself, hoping that she'd be able to pick it up later, assuming no one stole it.
Pearl was in a modest black shirt with lacy sleeves, along with a white flared skirt with black rose designs on it, and tights underneath. On her feet were simple black flats, completing an outfit that wasn't appropriate for the weather at all. The jacket had kept the chill out on the way there, but now she was without it.
And then, Pearl realized that at some point she'd gotten turned around and no longer had any idea where she was going. She couldn't even recall how long she'd been walking. The alcohol churning in her stomach was finally settling into her system, and she was rapidly becoming more intoxicated. Much more so than she was when she'd initially left.
Well, at least the club was back the way she'd come from. Wasn't it? Hadn't she taken a turn somewhere? She really didn't want to ruin Amethyst's night, but it was cold and dark and she was lost. Pearl reached for her phone, then recalled it was in the same jacket she'd accidentally left behind. Not good.
Pearl suddenly heard steps behind her. Turning, she saw a drunken group of boys ambling behind her. They were far enough behind that she wasn't in any danger yet, and she hoped they wouldn't travel in the same direction for long. Still, she tried to quicken her pace, but the cold made her muscles stiff and she still had no idea where she was going. Someone whistled behind her, but Pearl did her best to ignore the noise.
If she tried to lose the group behind her by turning down another street or alleyway, she knew she'd end up even more lost and even further from home. But if she didn't, something worse could happen. If only she could come across some other business that was open, a bar or a late night restaurant or a gas station, anywhere with other people and maybe a phone she could use to call Amethyst.
"Hey bay-be!" A voice behind Pearl startled her, and she looked back to see that the group had somehow bridged half the gap between them. She glanced around for anyone else, but the street was silent and empty. Not even anyone driving around at this late hour. Pearl gulped and decided that the best course of action for now was to get away. She broke into a run, eyes still searching for any kind of landmark that she could recognize, fuzzy brain still trying to figure out which way she'd originally come from.
"Slow down!" Pearl was abruptly pulled back when someone grabbed her shirt. She tripped, somehow managing to not fall over herself, and stumbled into a wall, turning around quickly so she see her assailant. There were three of them, one off to either side and one in front of her. It had probably been the one with the smug look on his face, the one currently in front of her.
"What do you want?" Pearl crossed her arms over her chest and glared. She hoped she looked intimidating, but next to the three taller, bulkier men, her defensive stance and attitude probably wasn't having much of an affect.
"Which one of us do you think is the most attractive?" The one in front of her pointed to his buddies on either side.
"Not interested." Pearl responded curtly.
"Come on. Don't be a tease. If you tell us, you can come home with the lucky guy. Or maybe you'd be the lucky one." He gave a sloppy grin, putting a hand on the wall next to Pearl's head, blocking her in on one side.
"No thank you!" Pearl said, firmer this time.
"Maybe this will change your mind." He leaned in quickly, trying to catch her in a surprise kiss, but Pearl was quicker, throwing up a hand between them and doing her best to push away the face of this stranger.
"Stop it!" she yelled, praying there would be somebody nearby that could hear her. "Leave me alone!"
The others in the group jeered, yelling something about "sass" and "feisty." Angrily, the stranger grabbed at the offending hand, squeezing Pearl's wrist roughly in the process.
"OW!" Unable to free her right hand, she used her left to press against the man's chest, trying desperately to keep space between them.
The stranger's other hand moved from the wall to her side, sliding up and down from her chest to her hip. "Don't be like that. You'll have a good time. See, you're already all over me." He indicated the hand against his chest, then pressed against Pearl with the lower half of his body.
"Get away from me!" she cried out again, turning away her hand and scrambling to try to escape.
"HEY!" A new voice rang out from somewhere nearby. "Get your skeezy fucking hands off her!" Before Pearl knew what was happening, the weight was lifted from against her body and the stranger stumbled back, holding his jaw. There, standing with fists clenched rage in her eyes, was Amethyst.
"Anybody else want a knuckle sandwich? Because I'm serving them right here, right now!" The group stared at her for a moment, looking between the newly arrived person and their now injured friend.
He rubbed a hand across his face before he spit on the ground, no doubt trying to get the taste of blood from his mouth. "FUCKIN' BITCH!" He yelled, before turning away to head off with the rest of his friends. Apparently the drunken group didn't have the nerve to mess with someone who had appeared out of nowhere and almost knocked the head off one of their companions. "WHORE!" He called over his shoulder with a last glare at Pearl.
Pearl was still up against the wall, taking in shaky breaths as she watched the strangers leave. Her eyes were wide and she stared after them, still afraid that they might turn around and try to come back. Everything that had just happened flashed back in her mind, playing over and over.
It wasn't until Amethyst spoke that she broke out of her trance. "Pearl?" she ventured.
She finally looked at Amethyst and without warning threw her arms around the shorter woman, holding onto her like she was a lifeline. "A-A-A-A-Amethyst!" Pearl managed through sobs. "I'm s-s-s-s-so glad to see y-y-you!" She was shaking uncontrollably, partially from the cold and partially from fear, combined with the adrenaline resulting from the ordeal she'd just been through. "I got l-l-l-l-lost and I was s-s-s-scare-"
"Shit P, you're freezing!" Amethyst felt her arms. "Come on, you gotta take my jacket and I gotta get you home." She managed to pry Pearl off long enough to give her another layer of clothing, but she was still hysterical. The walk home wasn't far, so Amethyst scooped Pearl up in her arms while Pearl held onto her shirt in a vice-like grip.
By the time they reached home, Pearl had calmed down enough that she was only sniffling and hiccuping. Her sobs had quieted. Amethyst managed to set her on the couch and bundle the still shivering girl with three blankets. "I'm going to make some tea, okay?" she stated. Pearl could only nod in acknowledgement.
While Amethyst was in the kitchen, Pearl realized that her outfit was not very comfortable and decided that it needed to come off. The tights and the band on the skirt had gotten too tight, and the lace on the arms of her shirt was itchy. Feeling that such a course of action was appropriate was probably due to her still being overly drunk. First the tights, then the skirt, and finally her shirt. She wrapped herself up in the blankets her friend had provided, laying her head on the arm of the couch and focusing on trying to stop jittering.
Once tea was ready, the two sat on the sofa together and sipped in silence. Amethyst had a lot of questions. What was Pearl thinking? What had she been doing out alone? Where was her jacket? Why didn't she answer her phone? Why hadn't she let Amethyst know she was leaving?
But she could tell that now was not the time for questions, nor the time to be accusatory. Pearl was safe. They were both safe. And Pearl looked very tired and still very shaken.
When her cup was empty, Pearl crawled over to Amethyst and settled in her lap. She curled up against her, in much the same position she had taken when Amethyst had carried her home. She rested her head on Amethyst's shoulder, snuggling against her. It felt like the most comfortable place in the world right at this moment.
Amethyst was surprised by the gesture, but it was not unwelcome. She wrapped one arm around Pearl to support her, and with the other she idly ran her fingers through Pearl's hair. After awhile, her breathing grew shallow and her body relaxed, until the only movement was the rise and fall of her chest. Amethyst had thought Pearl was asleep, and had started to doze herself, until she heard the other girl speak.
"Amethyst?" Pearl managed to coherently say the name despite her drowsiness.
"Yeah?" she answered back.
"I love you." The words were mumbled and Pearl was buried into her neck, but Amethyst heard her clear as day.
She must have been dreaming. Amethyst thought. Dreams made people do and say funny things. Things they didn't always mean. And Pearl had never told her she loved her before. She'd never indicated that she might possibly have the slightest bit of more-than-friendship feelings for her. Maybe Amethyst was the one that was dreaming. Because Pearl reciprocating her secret crush could really only happen in her imagination. Yep. She'd imagined it, that was all.
Which probably meant it was time for the both of them to get into a proper bed. Amethyst held Pearl in her arms and somehow managed to stand without dropping her or falling over and amazingly didn't even wake her friend. She tucked her in to the queen sized bed they'd shared for so many sleepovers, and as she laid down and started to drift off to sleep, she whispered, "I love you too."
