Hello everyone! PartyGod Douglas here with my contribution to Lapidot Week 2016. Since I'm am a crappy artist, all I have to give you is my words, but I hope with fanfic gives you all the Lapidot-y goodness you all deserve, because I had a lot of fun writing it!
Anyways, on to the story!
~We'll Do It Together~
Day One (16th): Earth! (learning about earth together)
"So, do you guys wanna be prisoners too?"
The question passed fluidly from Amethyst, who was currently shapeshifted as Jasper, asked the blue and green gem pair jestingly.
Peridot moves instinctually to Lapis' side, grabbing ahold of her arm to provide any comfort necessary staring down the still-transformed Amethyst after she asked her seemingly absent-minded question.
"Not really." Lapis replied indignantly her facial expression matching her distinctly displeased tone of voice.
"Alright."
Amethyst winks and delivers a playful finger gun.
"Just checkin'." Amethyst turns to follow the massive group of people heading for the Tiny Ruby ship. As a slight surprise to both Lapis and Peridot, all nine of the figures who entered the ship seemed to do so with extraordinary ease. The ship waited around for an awkward period of time before blasting off as it had done one time before after their last encounter with the Ruby Red Squad.
When the ship was easily out of sight Lapis broke off from Peridot's clutches and began walking back towards the entrance to the barn. She took her time getting there, choosing to walk instead of fly, with her hands clasped together behind her head. Peridot was still staring off into the distance where Steven and the other flew off too.
"Peridot."
Peridot breaks from her focus and turns towards Lapis who is leaning against the corner of the barn staring at Peridot with an unidentifiable expression.
"Are you okay?"
The light blue gem asked unenthusiastically, but sporting a small toothless smile with her usual, tired-looking, neutral expression. To anyone else it might seem like Lapis didn't really care but having lived with her for the greater part of an indeterminable amount of time, Peridot knew Lapis was being genuine.
"Oh, yes. Of course. I apologize. I just hope they're going to be okay."
Peridot starts walking towards the entrance of the barn where Lapis is. Peridot attempts to walk past her but is stopped by a comforting hand on her shoulder. Peridot looks up to where a pair of intense blue eyes were staring down at her.
"I'm sure they'll be fine. Steven's with them so what could possibly go wrong?" Lapis retorted matter-of-factly before notice Peridot looked off and to the side nervously. Lapis' eyes widened when she actually thought about what she just said.
Steven does attract a lot of danger.
The fight at her water tower.
Almost being brought back to homeworld by Jasper.
Jasper showing up on Greg's boat while he wanted her to have a good time.
Just thinking of her brought back a series of uncomfortable memories.
"I mean, the infamous leader of the crystal gems can't come along on every mission."
Lapis redirected the conversation, bringing back Peridot's attention.
"Not when we still have the third season of Camp Pining Hearts to finish."
Peridot hardly had time to react before she was grabbed underneath both of her arms by the blue gem who had activated her wings and gracefully flew them around the corner and up on their truck-bed Balcony. Before she knew it, she was back in her original spot from before this whole misadventure took place; she went to go say something before she was interrupted mid-thought by Lapis jutting her hand out in front of Peridot, holding a familiar red Bow tie in her hand. She looked up at Lapis and she was giving her a sly smirk. Peridot smiled widely while graciously taking the bow tie from her barn mate's hand and applying it correctly to the top of her torso. Peridot proceeded to then get comfy as her favorite Barn Mate un-paused the episode of Camp Pining Hearts. The episodes continued on for the next several hours, blaring out various Canadianisms and Melodramatic writing which Peridot and Lapis couldn't help but find themselves attached to.
They laughed.
They complained (mainly about Percy).
And then the last episode on the dvd finally came to a conclusion.
Percy, Pierre and Paulette had all set up camp together in the middle of the woods. The moon was high and the fire was low and dim. Percy and Pierre had settled in one tent while Paulette settled down in another.
"Even though were lost in the woods together, Paulette. The color war is still real." Pierre stated ominously before the episode ended very suddenly and the DVD player made a 'whirring' sound and ejecting the now watched Camp Pining Hearts dvd.
"What I don't understand is why they just don't keep making their way back to camp during the night. They have light sources available so finding their way back should be easy enough."
Peridot snarled the next part.
"Even for someone as incompetent as Paulette."
A loud snort is heard, causing Peridot's head to turns towards the source of the noise only to see Lapis still laughing.
"What I'd say?"
"Humans need to sleep. I figured you would know that with how much time you spent around Steven."
Peridot blushes lightly.
"I had other things on my mind back then. I was far too busy saving the Earth to pay attention to every weird human thing Steven did."
"You saved a weird planet, you're gonna have to get used to it."
"Don't I know it." Peridot quickly added on.
"Plus, Sleep isn't all bad. It's actually kind of nice." Lapis stated absentmindedly, not really intending to be heard, but the shimmering eyes of her roommate were more than enough sign that Peridot heard her.
"You've slept before?! What was it like? Was it quiet? Did it feel nice? Lapis you have to answer me!"
Peridot's enthusiasm had once again peaked to its frequent high, which is something Lapis had come to know and realize living with the small, green gem. It was something she had come to enjoy as well.
"It was something. I don't really honestly remember much. It was after everything happened and I was just so exhausted." Lapis explained, trying to get off of this topic.
Peridot's enthusiasm started to fall quickly. The bright, big smile she had started to dissipate and Lapis' face contorted to a frown.
"I-"
Suddenly like a firecracker, Peridot was back in her excited state as she scrambled quickly to grab one of Lapis's hands and looking up at her with stars in her eyes.
"We can learn about it together then!" Peridot said with a cute, toothy cat smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Lapis! We can sleep together!"
Lapis blushed incessantly after hearing this statement.
"Ummmmm." Was all Lapis could manage to get out. Peridot's enthusiasm did not waver and she just continued to explain.
"We have that Horizontally-aligned, resting station tied to two of the posts in the barn!"
"So what are you suggesting?"
"Lapis, we have to use the Horizontally-aligned resting station! There is plenty of room so it should be no problem for both of us to be able to fall asleep, and it is something we can do together and cross that off of our impossibly long list of strange Earth customs in which we have conquered!"
Lapis looked down on the face of her roommate. Peridot's smile was reminiscent of the one she gave lapis when she saved her from the Ruby ship. If it wasn't night time then the clouds would have parted and the sun would have been shining down.
Lapis' face softened and she gave a small smile.
"Sure. Why not?"
"Yes! I'll race you there."
Peridot began crawling through the back windshield of the truck she and lapis were sitting in. her excitement was causing her to get a little more stuck than she would normally. Lapis couldn't help but snort as she summoned her water wings and efficiently flew down through the front door way of the barn and landed very daintily on hammock Lapis had become quite accustomed to.
"A lot better than the roof of the barn." Lapis thought to herself only to be brought out of her thoughts by Peridot landing with a decent thud on the ground below the truck but quickly picking herself back up to run towards the hammock. Her short legs took her surprisingly fast to her location, but she stopped in place seeing a very comfortable Lapis outstretched into the hammock with her arms crossed behind her head. A small content smile on her face.
"You win this round! Next time you won't be so lucky as to outperform me!"
"It helps to be able to fly without a piece of metal under my feet." Lapis snarked back.
Peridot raised her finger to emphasize what she was about to say but was met by a blue finger right in front of her face.
"C'mon. You wanted to learn about this together."
"Oh! Ummm. Yes! Of course!"
Peridot takes up Lapis on her invitation. She grabs the side of the hammock and attempts to push herself onto the hammock. Peridot doesn't accomplish much by doing this other than causing herself to fall backwards and the current occupant of the hammock to fall on top of her.
"Blargh!"
Peridot cried out, eyes closed from the fall. When she opened them she saw Lapis right on top of her. Her hair had become so messy again after being so well put together and organized meeting the rubies. Peridot couldn't help but get nervous and blush lightly.
"Err. Sorry." Peridot said looking away.
Lapis' expression could only be described as that of wide-eyed surprise. She saw Peridot turn away with a light blush on her face and apologizing. Lapis scooped Peridot up, summoned her wings and quickly landed the both of them in their hammock. Lapis was lying down in her standard outstretched position hands fitting comfortably behind her head. Peridot was lying next to her, shoulder pressed against Lapis' side, holding her hands on top of her body.
"You don't have to do anything alone if you don't want to." Lapis stated very sincerely, eyes closed not looking towards her hammock-mate.
"Of course, Lapis! That's the whole point of this exercise we are currently engaging in!" Peridot shot up her arms for emphasis before returning them to their position on top of her body.
There was a moment of silence. Everything seemed to stand still.
"So…how does this work?"
The question pierced the peacefulness of the situation. Lapis' eyes were now fully open and she looked notably uncertain.
"I don't really know. I've only done it once and it was after everything happened."
Lapis looked off in the distance while Peridot looked up at her barn mate.
"I'm sorry if what Amethyst said earlier brought back any bad memories."
Lapis side glanced Peridot who was looking up at her with shimmering eyes.
"It's okay."
Lapis turned back to the green gem and let her arms flail to either side of the hammock.
"It wasn't really what she said. If anything it's the form she decided to say it in."
Lapis closes her eyes and breathes in deeply thinking about Amethyst in her Jasper form and watching it slowly transition to it just being Jasper in her mind. Lapis was rapidly broken from her trance by a pair of Green arms wrapping around her form. She looked down at Peridot who was brimming with excitement!
"LAPISLAPISLAPISLAPISLAPIS!"
Peridot squirmed her way closer to Lapis' face.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU!"
"You don't have to yell. I'm right here." Lapis responded neutrally, relatively used to Peridot's seemingly random bursts of enthusiasm.
"BACK AT THE BETA KINDER-" Peridot Started, only to receive a bit of a warning look form Lapis. Peridot stopped and took a deep breathe before going back at it.
"gartenwhenweweretotallyfightingJaspershebecamecorruptedandtriedattackingStevenAmethystandmyselfbutItotallypoofedherwithmymetalpowers!"
Lapis simply looked on in astonishment. Her eyes widened at hearing the story. Peridot looked at her barn mate in eager anticipation, waiting for her to respond in some way. She waited for what seemed like forever and in that time Peri took time to backtrack what she said when a chill went down her spine.
"L-Lapis, I didn't mean to say the J-wor-"
Lapis didn't say anything.
She simply reciprocated Peridot's actions and wrapped her slender blue arms around the petite green gem's body and pulled her closer.
"I know you didn't do it for me, necessarily, Peridot."
Lapis' grip tightened. Peridot's face was engulfed by a deep blush which reached underneath her visor.
"But thank you."
"You're…welcome."
Peridot felt the heat from her face dissipate slightly.
"Wow! Thanks!"
She exclaimed this quietly under her breathe, but Lapis caught it and smirked.
Peridot's eyelids started drooping a little.
"Y'know, I think I might understand how this sleep thing works now."
Peridot said this with an apparent amount of sleep starting to take over her voice.
Lapis perked up.
"Oh, what's that?"
"I understand that humans use it to recharge their en-…energy."
Peridot yawns, nuzzling deeper into Lapis torso.
"But I think the…true benefits of this…restoration activity are truly lost unless you have someone to share it with."
Lapis kept staring down at the green gem. Her eyes now completely closed, but she's still talking.
"I'm glad...to be learning about this…together with you, Lapissssssssss."
Peridot carried out the final "s" in Lapis' name for a while in a low hum until she eventually stopped and the only sound she was making was the low methodic hums of her breathing against Lapis' body.
Lapis really couldn't believe where she found herself right now. She was lying in a hammock, holding the sleeping form of Peridot in the middle of the night in a barn millions of miles away from the place she originally considered home.
Yet she was the most comfortable she'd ever been.
Lapis nuzzled her head onto Peridot's hair, which was surprisingly comfortable.
"Maybe it'll be different this time."
With that Lapis let her eyelids falls and soon joined Peridot in her rhythmic breathing. Their torsos going back and forth, together, like a dance.