Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe. It belongs to Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the Crewniverse. They're cool.
A/N Just some Pearlnet stuff. Human College AU. Prompt from Tumblr.
You fainted. On top of me. if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes.
Garnet had been having an off morning. first she overslept, scrambled to make eggs before she had to leave for school, burning them, running down the dorm hallway, being halfway to class then realizing she forgot her bag, only to run back to get it, and ended up late anyway. Jasper teased her about her eyes again in between first and second hour, and she got there late too, because she had to clean off the mud. She sighed, as her teacher lectured them on the importance of trees. lunch just couldn't come fast enough, could it.
When lunch finally did arrive, she decided to shake things up a bit. Instead of going to the school café like she usually did, she walked down the road to a nearby cyber café. Her friend Peridot ran the place, so she stopped by every once in a while. Usually after school though.
"Hey Purple! How's college been treating you?" Peridot asked. Peri was 18 and in her last year of High School, but she took online programs at night to maintain her café in the day. She was planning to skip college and run it full time once she graduated, so she rubbed it in Garnet's face a lot.
"Same as the other 278.5 times you asked." Said Garnet.
Peridot smiled. "I still think you shouldn't count the time you cut me off."
"That's the .5" Garnet replied.
Garnet was 19 and in her second year of college, on the brink of turning 20. She was a Lesbian, it seemed to run in the family what with her two moms, Ruby and Sapphire, but she had yet to find a girlfriend. Peridot called her purple because one of her eyes was blue and the other was red, and purple was her favorite color.
"Hey, Purple," Said Peridot. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but there's this girl, she's in here pretty often, and I think she's here for you, you know, hoping to run into you." Peri was a lesbian too, so she looked out for Garnet.
"Hmmm." Said Garnet.
"Rough day? Usually you'd be interested in that sort of thing." Asked Peridot.
"Ehh, just one of those days, y'know." Garnet said.
"Yeah. And that girl I mentioned was in here last night. She didn't look too hot, honestly. And I don't mean she wasn't cute 'cause dang, she's cute, but she looked pretty sick to me. But, if routine follows true, she should be here in about two minutes."
Garnet sighed. "Yeah, that'd be cool."
Peridot looked concernedly at her friend. "Here Purple, I got more of your favorite cake. I'll get you a piece, on the house. You look like you need some cheering up." She slid a piece of angel food cake over to Garnet.
Garnet gave a weak smile. "Thanks Pear."
Peridot scowled. "You know I hate it when you call me Pear."
Garnet laughed. "The day you stop calling me Purple, I'll stop calling you Pear.'
Peridot sighed and looked up. "Oh hey, here she comes now."
Garnet looked up from her cake, to see a pale girl. She was tall and thin, with short pinkish orange hair, styled back in a point, and blue eyes. But something was off. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and her face was flushed.
Peridot said in a low tone, "So whaddaya think? She cute or what?" When she got no response, she looked over to Garnet, who was squinting at her intensely. "Jeez Purple! Don't check her out that closely or she'll notice!"
Garnet looked at Peridot. "Peridot, I think she's running a fever."
Peridot looked over at the girl. "Huh? Oh Crap I think your right!" She hopped off her stool and moved it over to the girl, she was too short to see over the counter otherwise, and climbed back up.
"Hey Pearl, you okay? You don't look too good." Pearl. Thought Garnet. That's a pretty name.
Pearl slowly turned towards Peridot. "Y-yeah Peri. I'm good. Just tired. I was up until around 4:30 doing homework."
"WHAT!?" yelled Peridot. "Pearl, I told you to go to bed early! You looked sick last night, and I didn't want you like this!"
" 'M fine. Oh look, It's that other girl. I'm gonna go talk to her." She hopped off her stool, and walked over to Garnet, who stood up.
Jeez, she must be really sick if she's got the guts to talk to Garnet now. Thought Peridot.
"Hello, so I hear your name is Pearl." said Garnet
"Yes, I, go to, the college near here, and I um... I go to the college near here."
"You already said that." said Garnet.
"oh..." Said Pearl, and she started mumbling incoherently. She started swaying ominously, and fell forward, only to be caught by Garnet.
"Pear, she's unconscious." said Garnet.
Peridot came running over. "Dang, she's really stubborn! There's no one else here but us, I'll bet I can close up early today, I'll take her to my place and look after her. I've got a spare bedroom. You go back to school. Call me when your classes end, and you can come over if you want."
Garnet shook her head. "I'm ditching today. I can't just walk away from this, I need to help. Besides, I don't think you can carry her." She said, smiling.
Peridot sighed. "Probably not. Okay, come on."
(Line Break)
"Pear, it beeped." Garnet called.
"So pull it out and read the number! Jeez, how do you survive flu season?!" Peridot yelled back.
"I'm very, very, lucky." Said Garnet.
"I'll say." Peridot said, walking in the room. "So? What's the number say?"
"104.7 F" Said Garnet.
"OH GOD." said Peridot
"I'm guessing that's not good." Said Garnet.
Peridot seemed on the brink of tears. " She's 2.3 degrees away from dying! I told the stupid girl to go to bed early! We need to get her to the hospital, NOW!"
Garnet took action immediately, picking Pearl up and running to the car, with Peridot close behind. Peridot climbed into the front, while Garnet climbed into the back right, laying Pearl's head in her lap, and her body and legs across the other two seats.
When they were almost to the hospital, Pearl opened her eyes and looked up at Garnet. "What, why'm I-"
"Shh," Said Garnet. "Don't speak. You're running a very high fever, and we're almost to the hospital."
At that moment, the car slammed to a stop in the hospital parking lot, and Garnet picked Pearl back up, and ran into the doors, Peridot close behind.
"Reception, how may I help you?" Asked a blue haired girl. Garnet recognized her as Peridot's girlfriend Lapis Lazuli.
"Lapis! Pearl's running a high fever, she needs immediate care! Can you put us on priority?" Peridot asked.
"I can do better for you, Peri, I can get you into a room! Cover for me please Sadie, we've got an emergency!" Said Lapis.
"You got it!" Said the blonde girl, presumably Sadie.
They sped down one hallway, then another. "In here! I'll get you a doctor, put her down on the bed, I'll be back in a minute." Lapis said, sprinting back down the hall.
Garnet put Pearl down on the bed, and covered her up. She sat down in the chair next to the bed, and grabbed onto Pearl's hand. Pearl had fallen back into a state of unconsciousness.
"I'm here!" Called a voice. A tall woman walked into the room. "I'm Dr. Maheshwarren, Lapis said someone in here was almost dead? She's usually exaggerating a bit, but she seemed pretty serious."
Peridot stepped forwards. "She's not. I'm Peridot, this is Garnet, and the sick one is Pearl. Last time we checked, her temperature was 104.7 F!"
"Goodness, I'd better get to work!"
(Line break)
After careful examination, Dr. Maheshwarren decided that she needed constant attention for the night, which Garnet volunteered for. "Check her temperature every hour, on the dot, press the call button immediately if it goes up, keep this ice bag on her head, there's a second in the freezer for when you need to refill this one. Got all that?"
"Yes ma'am." Said Garnet, saluting.
(Line Break)
It was 3:45 AM, Garnet was tired, but determined to stay awake through the whole night. Peridot had offered to take shifts with her, but Garnet refused, so she was sleeping in an armchair next to the window. Garnet looked at Pearl. Even in her fevered state, she was lovely. I'd like to get to know her. Garnet thought.
Her phone beeped quietly, stirring her from her thoughts. 4:00. She put the thermometer back in the sleeping girl's mouth, and waited three minutes. She removed it and looked at the temperature. 100.3 F Garnet thought, relieved. The girl had begun sweating heavily. Looks like her fever's breaking.
She sat, watching Pearl sleep, foe what seemed like hours. But it couldn't have been, or her phone would have gone off again.
Pearl stirred with a moan, then opened her eyes. "Oh, It's you." Said Pearl quietly. "Am I at the hospital now?" She asked.
"Yes." Said Garnet. "How do you feel?"
"Hot, sick, but much better than earlier." she replied. "What time is it?"
"Nearly five in the morning. I'll have to take your temperature again in a few minutes." Said Garnet.
Just as she said it, her phone started beeping again.
"And there it is. Open up." Said Garnet, holding up the thermometer. Pearl obliged, blushing, and Garnet stuck the thermometer in her mouth, waited three minutes, and pulled it out. "99.2 F. Good, your fever's going down. You should try to go back to sleep."
"Right. See you in the morning." Said Pearl. She laid back down on the bed, and closed her eyes. Soon her chest was rising and falling, in the calm of sleep once more.
(Line Break)
Garnet ran into the cyber café. "Ready to go Pear?" She asked
"Yep!" Said Peridot. "I was just about to close up."
It had been three days since Pearl was hospitalized. On the second day, her fever was gone, but it spiked back up to 101.1 F the day after, so she had to be kept a while longer.
When they made it to the hospital, Peridot said hi to Lapis, and they walked down the all too familiar route to Pearl's room.
Peridot threw the door open. "Hey Pearl! How're you feeling?"
Pearl was reading in her bed. "Good. My fever's gone down, and they say if it stays that way until tomorrow night, I can go home."
"I brought you your homework." said Garnet.
"Oh, thanks," Pearl said, looking relieved. Pearl was already 20 and exactly 52 days older than Garnet. She and Garnet shared a lot of classes, but Garnet had just missed her. She was a lesbian (Like everyone else in this story.) and a neat freak, which made it difficult for her sharing a room with Amethyst, the biggest slob in the school. She also had the best grades in the school.
"Pearl, I have a suprise for you." Said Garnet, smiling.
"Oh really? And what is it?
"I've been talking to headmistress Rose, and she agreed to let me switch dorms with Amethyst. That way you don't have to put up with her messes, I'm pretty organized, and I don't have to put up with Jasper's bullying!" Although that wasn't all the reason. Garnet was developing a bit of a crush on the girl.
Pearl gasped "Really?! Thank you Garnet!"
"Yep, and, I've seen your grades on all this homework, so could you tutor me?" Garnet asked.
"Of course! This'll be fun!" Pearl said, her face brightening even more. "Now I can't wait to be released!"
A/N Sorry, I really had to write this story because it's just too cute. Special thanks to LAPIS FTW for giving me advice!
