Unprecedented, I know. I apologize to my usual readers who expect my normal IchiRuki stories, but recently I've fallen down the tumblr hole known as Lapidot! Not sure how it happened, but it did. I love Steven Universe, and after the episode Barn Mates I knew I had a new ship!
Lapidot has actually helped me get over the fact that IchiRuki was revealed to be non-canon, so I actually feel a bit of gratitude towards it. So, to help show my thanks I decided to write this quick little fluff piece!
I'll explain where the concept came from in the ending A/N, so as to not keep you from reading the story. Hope you enjoy this!
Rated: T for mild language.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Steven Universe or any of its characters that are portrayed in this story. They belong to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network respectively. Nor do I own the Mario franchise, which belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official release(s).
"Princess Peach
Won't you listen to my speech?
I don't have any stars of invincibility
But you're the brightest star in the sky tonight for me
I'm your Luigi…"
–Luigi's Ballad, Starbomb
C'mon, you can do this!
Peridot stood stock-still behind a very fascinating brown Banyan tree, staring into its bark with so much ferocity that it was a surprise it wasn't starting to fissure. Thank God she knew a lot about agriculture (on top of many subjects she had stored away in her big blonde head), otherwise she wouldn't be able to distract herself with how brittle the bark was and how that helped determined the tree's age.
This tree had definitely seen some shi-
You need to focus!
She had come out of her cozy summer home in an attempt to accomplish a very important mission on this warm, sunny day. She had dressed in her most appropriate attire: blue overalls, a green undershirt, and light green bowtie. She had tried to wear her matching green hat, but due to the pointiness of her hair it took way too much effort to get it to stay on. Leaving it behind, Peridot went sprinting through town in search of her mission objective.
That objective? To confess her feelings for Princess Lapis Lazuli.
She had searched the whole town with complete confidence in herself, every word and reaction and possible outcome outlaying itself in her mind's eye. She was so sure of herself that she didn't stop and think about rejection…
…until she actually found Lapis by the ocean side talking with Steven.
All of her confidence seeped right out of her at the sight of Beach City's beautiful princess sitting next to its young hero. Wearing her formal blue dress and matching slippers, Princess Lapis Lazuli laughed heartily alongside Steven Universe, the pink overall-wearing (of course he was wearing the same thing as Peridot!) hero who had saved the princess from the clutches of that evil witch, Jasper.
All of the thoughts that had been pushed aside all morning came crashing down on Peridot. Of course she's going to reject you! Why would she want to be with some tech nerd when she could have the great hero Steven? Look at her! She never laughs like that when you two are together.
Thus began the half-hour long staring contest with the Banyan tree which could be nearing its hundredth year of existence.
Peridot was far enough away so as to not be easily noticed by the lively duo on the waterside, but close enough where whenever the two shared a laugh she could hear it – increasing the influx of negative thoughts. The only reason she hadn't run back home to her room full of electronic devices was her stubbornness. She had woken up this morning with a fiery determination to at least confess her feelings to the Princess. To go home and to have wasted the energy would torment her for the next month.
You clod! You can do this! What's the worst that can happen? She rejects you?
But that was the worst that could happen. Peridot always heard people say rejection wasn't all that bad, and she had fooled herself into believing those deceitful clods. Of course it was all that bad! What was she to do if/when the princess turns down her affections? Crawl back into her hole and hope that these feelings just go away?
Maybe I should just go home, she finally conceded, her shoulders dropping. A month of anguish was better than a year of misery.
Peridot turned to walk away, trying to be as quiet as possible to not be noticed, but her efforts were for naught as her foot got caught under a raised root. She nearly went falling to the ground, but quickly caught herself and braced her arms against the closest tree – a brother Banyan – to stop her impending fall. With her heart jack-hammering in her chest, she pleaded with whatever deity out there that she hadn't been noticed.
"Peridot!"
Crap.
Turning towards the sound of the voice, Peridot was met with Steven waving his arms in the air at her, signaling for her to come over. Immediately her eyes veered off slightly to see Lapis twisting her body around in the sand to look at her, a quizzical look in her ocean blue eyes.
A large blush spread over her pale skin, changing it from a slightly sickly green to a pale pink. She tried to cover up her embarrassment by raising her arm to return Steven's greeting.
"Come join us!" Steven yelled exuberantly, exuding his normal levels of excitement. Normally Peridot envied Steven for his boundless amounts of energy and optimism, but in this moment she wished he was just as repressed as the rest of the world was.
"O-Okay," Peridot stammered, trying her best to ignore the stare Lapis was giving her. Was she mad that Peridot showed up and ruined her alone time with her savior? Was she annoyed that Peridot was around in the first place? It was sometimes hard for Peridot to discern what was going on behind those beautiful eyes of Lapis's.
She stiffly made her way over to the duo, her lips pressed tightly together and her eyes as wide as they can go. She realized she must look like a frog, as many of the people of town like to call her sometimes thanks to her always wearing green, but she couldn't help it. She felt like she walking straight into her doom.
She wondered offhandedly if this was how Steven felt when he stormed Jasper's castle to rescue the princess.
Sitting in the sand by Steven, Peridot looked out over the ocean, watching the sun's rays reflect off of the calm waters. It helped to abate her raging anxiety a bit, watching the familiar waves gently sway back and forth. Although she wasn't much of a swimmer, Peridot always enjoyed sea gazing when her mind was in turmoil.
"So," Steven began, trying to open the floor for conversation. "What's been up with you, Peri?"
It took a second for Peridot to realize he had spoken directly to her, and when she did her blush returned tenfold.
"Nothing much," she replied, trying to sound like she wasn't freaking out over the fact the love of her life was sitting only a body away from her. "J-Just wanted to… come get some sun!" she said a little too loudly, proud to have found an excuse.
A big, goofy grin spread across Steven's face. "I told you the sun would help with your complexion! And you said all it does is cause skin cancer."
Peridot wanted to groan, remembering the conversation she and Steven had shared last week over Peridot's frustration over her constant sickly complexion. Steven had been confused by her sudden worry over her appearance, but had suggested she try sunbathing nonetheless. She had played it off as general concern for her own health, when in reality she wanted to look more physically appealing for a certain blue haired princess…
"Right, well…" Peridot tried to think of something to say. Usually with Steven it was easy to talk, because he was easily excited over nearly every subject – even if he didn't fully understand it – but just this once she couldn't think of a single thing to say. She knew Lapis was listening to them, despite her silence. She was probably judging her right this very moment for her social ineptitude.
Breaking Peridot from her negative reverie was the sound of Steven's cellphone ringing. All three heads turned to the device as it sang its native language, Steven pulling it free from his overall's breast pocket to check the caller ID.
"Oh no! I forgot Connie and I were supposed to meet up at the donut shop!" Steven suddenly shouted in distress, shooting to his feet and clutching his thick black hair. "I'm sorry guys, I gotta run!" he said, waving to Peridot and Lapis before sprinting towards town, answering his phone to apologize to his best friend for his tardiness.
Peridot watched him run away, silence falling like a brick from a cliff on top of her as she realized what this meant.
She was alone. With Lapis.
Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap!
If before she wanted to die, now she wanted to be completely obliterated by lasers and have her ashes dusted away by the janitor.
"Oh, Steven," Lapis snort-laughed, finally speaking up after her long sabbatical of silence.
The sound of Princess Lapis's unique laughter brought Peridot's heartbeat from a three to a four on a one-to-five scale.
"Heh heh, yeah that Steven," Peridot said, trying to hide her internal panic and doing a horrible job at it.
Silence took over once again. Peridot fought with herself. This was her chance! She was finally alone with Lapis, so she should use the opportunity to do what she had ventured out of her house for. Yet she couldn't bring herself to even breathe too loudly.
"You know, I owe Steven a lot," Lapis said suddenly, catching Peridot's attention. She brushed some of her short, blue hair out of her face, her long bangs dancing over the tanned skin of her cheek gently. Peridot found herself entranced.
"He saved my life," Lapis continued. "I thought I was going to die in that castle after Jasper locked me up. In fact, I was certain of it. But he came bursting in, sword and shield in hand, Jasper lying defeated on the ground, and I was saved. I honestly don't know how to repay him."
Peridot listened to every word, noticing the way Lapis spoke so wistfully. Not for the first time that hour did Peridot think of the futility of her position by Lapis's side.
"He's a great guy…" Peridot commented, hugging her legs to her chest.
"That's quite the understatement," Lapis said, smiling to herself.
It only made sense, Peridot thought. Of course the princess would fall for the hero; the knight in shining armor. Every story told had that ending to it. Steven had said many times to Peridot that she was like his partner, always by his side when he needed her. It wasn't until now that Peridot realized that by partner he meant 'sidekick,' and the cold, hard truth was that the princess never fell for the sidekick.
Ever.
Lapis seemed to notice Peridot's shift in mood, as she scooted over and said, "Peridot? You okay?"
"Princess Lapis," Peridot blurted, lifting her head. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she took in a shaky breath to hold them back and continued, "I-I need to tell you something, so please… listen to my speech…
"I don't have a sword and shield, nor do I have the proper training to wield such things. My only real power is to fix broken trucks and surf the web for dumb things like facts about trees and weird cat videos. I don't know if I could save you from evil castles but… I would certainly die trying."
"Peridot…" Lapis gasped, stunned.
"You… you're precious to me, Princess Lapis," she continued. "I've admired you from afar for as long as I've known you. The whole town has, I know, but I especially so, and not just because you're our royal Princess. You're truly amazing; from how elegant you handle yourself to the honest way you interact with every single person you meet. You don't hide behind your status, and you're so humble I just…"
Peridot sighed, not daring to look at the expression on Lapis's face, knowing damn well that if she did she would clam up forever and never speak a word again.
"What I'm trying to say is," she regressed, "I like you, Princess Lapis. I-I have for a long time. When you were kidnapped I tried to build a battle-bot to save you, but ended up just blowing up the barn outside of town. I was so distraught, but then Steven brought you back and I was so relieved. I couldn't hide from these feelings anymore. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I just had to let you know or else I was going to spontaneously combust. So… there."
Peridot let loose the breath she had taken in before and fell back into the sand, not caring that it was going to probably be in her hair for the next week. She felt drained from her long-winded confession, but she also felt lighter, as if the whole world was finally off her shoulders. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see Lapis's reaction just yet. Whatever was to come, good or bad, at least she had this single moment of peace to enjoy before it hit.
"You know," Lapis's soft voice reached her ears, and against her will Peridot opened her eyes to look over at the blue haired princess as she spoke. "When I was in that dungeon, I thought about you."
Peridot's body shot upwards, now ramrod straight as she stared, wide-eyed, at her counterpart. "R-Really?"
Lapis shot her a brilliant grin, making Peridot blush harder than she ever has. "Of course," she replied. "I thought about everyone in town."
Peridot's shoulders slumped. "Oh."
"But," Lapis continued, as if she hadn't heard Peridot, "when I thought about you, I thought, 'I think I'll miss her the most.'"
Peridot perked up once more.
"I thought, 'I'll never get to talk to Peridot again if I die here. I'll never get to hear her nasally voice, her obnoxious laughter, or listen about whatever techie thing she has going on in the moment again. I'll never get to see those yellowish-green eyes, that triangle bush of blonde hair, ever again. I'll never see her again.' That was the moment I caved, and shed my first tear since being taken."
Peridot was speechless, moisture building up in the corners of her eyes. Did she just… was she…?
"When I came back I heard about the barn, and I knew instantly that it had been you. I thought, 'Peridot was up to her usual antics again,' and I couldn't help but smile. I smiled brighter than when Steven came into that dungeon, because I knew… I could see you again.
"What I'm trying to say, Peridot," Lapis reached over with her hand, cupping Peridot's cheek and using her thumb to wipe away the forming tear, "is that, even if you aren't like Steven Universe, I like you too."
Peridot's heart gave one, hard, loud beat that spread throughout her body and tingled in the tips of her fingers; time seemingly stopping as Lapis's words reached her ears. The moisture in her eyes intensified into thick tears that fell from her eyes and onto Lapis's hand. She reached up, placing her hand over the one that cupped her cheek as she tried to form the words racing through her mind.
"Princess-"
"Enough with the 'princess' crap," she said, grinning. "It's just Lapis."
Peridot felt like her diaphragm had shrunk, her breath caught deep in her throat. "Lapis," she said breathlessly. "I don't know what to say."
"Good," Lapis said, leaning her head against Peridot's shoulder. "Don't say anything. Just enjoy the moment."
Peridot felt her chest swell with joy, the realization of what was happening finally dawning on her. She wrapped her arm around Lapis, pulling her close so she could smell the coconut sunscreen Lapis had soaked into her skin.
Stars formed in Peridot's eyes as she stared out over the ocean once again, happiness overwhelming her as she cuddled with the girl of her dreams.
Just this once, she thought, the sidekick did get the princess.
I've always loved LuigixDaisy, don't get me wrong; it's canon after all; but I always enjoyed entertaining the thought that maybe Luigi could get Princess Peach in the end. Poor Luigi always gets the shaft, and I relate to that so much that Luigi is my favorite Mario brother.
This idea actually stemmed from the song Luigi's Ballad by Starbomb, in particular that intro I displayed above the story. That has always been my favorite part of the song, since it's so sincere and heartfelt for a song about wanting to have sex with the Princess lol. (Seriously, don't listen to it unless you're ready for some heavy cursing and innuendos. It's NSFW AF, but so damn hilarious!)
After my discovery of Lapidot, I listened to the song on Pandora and it just clicked in my head: "Peridot as Luigi confessing her feelings to Lapis as Princess Peach!" I've had a lot of writer's block lately, so I jumped at the chance to write out this piece before I lost it. Took me a total of three hours, so I hope it didn't come out crappy haha.
Anyway, this note has gone on too long. I hope you guys enjoyed this piece! Hopefully I can write some more Lapidot in the future!
-Mikie AKA Insanity!
P.S. I want to point out that the story is very, VERY loosely based on that song, pretty much only the beginning verse. I don't want people to think I was placing Steven in the vulgar seat of the Mario of the song. He's, as always, a chill bro who is cooler than all of us combined.