"Lapis! You're really here!"
Nervous eyes fixated on the gem that she missed the most, the gobsmacked face of Peridot, who looked like she had seen a ghost.
Lapis didn't blame her.
"Hey," she said simply, too many emotions to process flooding her system in an instant; and it took everything in her not to let them out. She winced at how disinterested she sounded, but she hoped Peridot could see that she really did care.
She wanted to hug her, to kiss her, to hold her - but it was a battlefield, and they had much to sort through. She couldn't.
Steven rushed to fill the space between her arms, She had missed him too, and she felt bad for just...leaving him like that, on the moon.
She felt so at home here. She didn't feel empty, she felt so indescribably happy that it took her breath away.
And for the first time, she wanted to fight for it.
It was… so painful to watch Peridot poof.
The confidence, going up against a DIAMOND to prove herself -
And then falling. Falling from glory, watching her get electrocuted, it struck a deep and almost primal chord within Lapis that she didn't even know Gems had.
She was unbelievingly angry, and so faultingly deep in love that she just...
Threw herself into the fight without any regards to her safety. Which was a stupid reaction, but even in hindsight, she doesn't think she could've stopped it.
Stars, was I that stupid? Completely shutting off her emotions and saying a quick "hey"?
She had to stay focused. Retreating into her gem was never something she enjoyed, especially after the 5,000 years of being trapped without a form.
Spikes? A new hairstyle? Pants?
A...star?
She considered it. Either on her shoulders or replacing the pattern on the front of her dress, or maybe on the side, split in two. She could have them line the bottom of her dress, the cloth surrounding her gem could be shaped into one -
She ultimately decided to sit on it. She had much to sort out, anyway.
Lapis was back.
She wanted to hug her back on that beach, eyes gentle, an involuntary smile pulling at her lips - and the most of the weight she felt lifted off her tiny shoulders.
And she saw how much the blue gem had changed, standing up for them, wanting to be apart of the Crystal Gems - it made Peridot proud.
It made her love her more.
It was a start, and Peridot had never been happier for new beginnings.
Speaking of new beginnings, where was she gonna put her star?
She was hesitant to reform.
Although it filled her with unease and deep dissatisfaction, a part of her wanted to stay in her gem, to think things over and be close to what some called "prepared".
They needed to talk.
They couldn't go back to what they were, not after everything.
She wouldn't let herself. She wouldn't let Peridot.
But she felt like she didn't have the right words to say, either being completely jumbled and gargled or just not there to begin with.
The light of her gem as it raised up high in the air illuminated the front room completely, as it was nearing dusk, and Steven came rushing into the room along with the other gems.
"Lapis?" Steven said, stars in his eyes and a beaming smile stretched across his face.
But she could only see Peridot, smiling at her softly, arms at her sides, hands twitching.
She looked hesitant, so Lapis opened her arms.
"Nice look," She smiled, "It fits you."
Her heart jumped out of her chest when their bodies met, squeezing as tightly as the other and both felt the unmistakable feeling of home.
She heard the gem speak into her neck, "You too, Laz."
The blue gem embraced her tighter.
"Peridot?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm...sorry."
"I know."
"We can't go back, y'know? Not after that. Not after how much I took."
There was quiet for a while, until she broke the silence again, "I take so much."
"I was fine -"
"You weren't! It was unbalanced, Peri!"
"Is...i-is it still?" she said with a weak voice.
"It won't be," she whispered, "We will be fully onboard with whatever comes next. A team."
Lapis held out her hand, and the small gem took it.
"Team?"
"Team."
Peridot was all for new beginnings.