Striped Partner: A Jasper X Male Reader Novel

Chapter 11: Heart to Heart

The day after

You wake up on your bed inside the cabin.

Y/N: (What the hell? How'd I get here?)

You see Chloe sitting on the bed next to you.

Y/N: "Chloe..."

Chloe: "Y/N! *Jumps in to hug* You're okay!"

Y/N: "I guess... what happened?"

Chloe: "You collapsed outside of the house. I tried dragging you inside, but you were so hot it burned the palms of my hands. So I had to wait until Jasper reformed, and boy was she pissed."

Y/N: "I bet she was... Where is she anyway?"

You immediately hear an explosion in the workout room.

Chloe: "Take a guess. She's been in there for awhile."

Y/N: "*Sigh* I'll go check on her."

-

You walk into the workout room, seeing nothing but sand on the floor followed with a destroyed punching bag and Jasper breathing heavily. She really has gone through as much as you did, the difference was you were being almost too calm about it.

Y/N: "Hey Jas."

Just hearing your voice made Jasper stop what she was doing, she turned her head and looked right at you with tears in her eyes. You walked toward her, but you can feel the awkward tension. You know she doesn't like showing her emotions, but you want to at least calm her down.

You stood in front of her, waiting for her response, but she looked away.

Y/N: "C'mon. You can at least talk to me, right?"

Jasper: "I don't want to talk, I want to beat that fusion into the ground for humiliating me! All that training, and for what?! Nothing! I'm so weak."

Y/N: "*Sigh* You're not weak, we both aren't. We've just been dealt a bad hand, that's all."

Jasper: "You know I don't know what that means."

Y/N: "We got heavily disadvantaged. Garnet has a power that we don't have. I know you're mad, but, taking your anger out on the punching bag won't solve that. We just gotta keep on training, that's all."

Jasper: "Even if I do, I'm still weak. There's no point."

Y/N: "Fight me, then."

Jasper: "...What?"

Y/N: "Fight me."

Jasper: "You're joking, right?"

Y/N: "Nope. I want you to fight me."

Jasper: "You just woke up!"

Y/N: "Yeah? And I feel better than ever! Either you stay here and keep moping over a rigged fight, or you prove your strength and fight me!"

You step back and show off your fighting stance, hoping she would so the same. Instead, Jasper sighed then started to walk away.

Jasper: "This is stupid. No matter how many times I get stronger, they'll always win. Even when I tried my hardest, I'm always going to be weak. I'm sick of it."

She leaves the room while you stood there and looked at the damaged punching bag.

Y/N: "Good freakin' grief."

-

After looking around for Jasper, you finally find her skipping stones at the lake.

Y/N: "There you are, been looking all around for ya."

Jasper: "Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk."

Y/N: "Wanna fight me then?"

Jasper: "I don't want to fight either!"

Y/N: "Well then, what do you want?!"

She grabs you by the shoulder and starts to shake you.

Jasper: "I don't know! I don't know anymore!" She immediately falls to her knees and lowers her head. "I feel so lost, it's like I've never had a purpose to begin with. All I ever did was follow orders and kept my mouth shut, and look at me now, a soldier from a lost and forgotten war."

Y/N: "..."

Jasper: "*Sigh* Everything I ever did, I did for my Diamond. Now she's gone, and I'm still here, suffering. Sometimes, I wondered what she thought about me when I served her. If she wasn't shattered by that damn Rose Quartz, what would she think of me now?"

It gave you a second to realize that even though she seemed strong on the outside, she's in constant pain and torture. It sorta made you feel like you were two sides of the same coin, or rather, you were no different than her.

You've made up your mind and hugged her deeply.

Y/N: "Well, I think you're pretty great."

Jasper was surprised at first, but she hugged you back and started to cry on your shoulder. You petted her long beautiful hair as you were getting ready to cry too, but you stopped yourself. You held back your tears and smiled. You didn't want to cry, you wanted to be strong for Jasper. You stand up and lent out your hand.

Y/N: "C'mon, let's go back and clean up the sand."

Jasper: "*Sniffs* Okay..."

-

After getting back home and settled down, you and Jasper were sweeping the sand scattered in the training room. At least the majority of what was left in the punching bag had been in a pile already, but it didn't make the tidying up any easier. But nonetheless, an hours worth of a belated spring cleaning felt like minutes and the job was all done and dusted.

Y/N: "Wow, haven't seen the place this clean in awhile. Great job, Jas."

Jasper: "Whatever."

Y/N: "Come here." You reach in for a soft kiss. "You feel better now?"

Jasper: "A little bit, but I'm fine now. I shouldn't have lost myself over a rigged fight. But that was just a warm up! They better be ready for next time. Unlike any average gem soldier, Jaspers never give up! Jaspers keep going until we get what we want!"

Y/N: "Yeah, that's the Jasper I know."

You spend the rest of the day relaxing.

To be continued.