A/N: Hi. I love Steven Universe, but this is my first story with it as the genre. Please please please review! Anyway, I love Lapidot and I needed to write their story. I might add some Stevonnie too. (;
-LAPIS-
Lapis wasn't sure what to do about her… neighbor. Peridot was an interesting character, that was no doubt. But she was loud, annoying, bossy, too smart for her own good… Lapis didn't know how to feel about her at all. But she would do it for Steven. She would make friends, she would give a chance… because how could she not?
Speak of the devil. (Who was this devil, anyway?) Steven came riding in with Connie, on Lion. He jumped off, grinning around. He saw Peridot first and went to meet her. Lapis watched while perched on the roof. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she liked it that way. Sometimes faces were easier to read without being clogged up with words. Peridot rolled her eyes, then laughed. She pointed inside the barn, and Steven's eyes lit up. He walked into the barn with her.
Lapis noticed the other human. Steven's friend, Connie. She stood awkwardly outside the barn, looking around. Lapis sat and watched for a while. Connie was different from Steven. She… well as sensitive and emotional Steven was, Connie evidently felt more. It was as if she knew more, but also less. Lapis wasn't sure about her either. She had the same childlike wonder as Steven, but it was falser. As if she knew the world wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but she wanted to save it anyway. Then Lapis did something spontaneous. She glided down to meet Connie.
Connie jumped when Lapis landed and looked warily at her. "Lapis?" She said. Lapis nodded. She was quite enjoying being the quiet one. "Do you.. want to sit up there with me? It's very pretty." Lapis felt a weird sickness in her stomach momentarily when she asked this. It wasn't her crippling fear. Her dark anxiety. It was better than that, but it felt weird. She felt as if the world would crash down if Connie said no, and looked at her with that anxious, wary look everyone gave her these says. Everyone.. except Steven. And… well… her. Peridot. She looked at Connie, feeling herself get hot.
Lapis couldn't believe it when she saw Connie take a breath, stick out her hand, and say: "Sure. That sounds great. I'm Connie, by the way."
They both perched on the roof, looking at the sky. It wasn't awkward, it felt as if they'd been friends forever. Something Lapis had never really had. She'd felt all sorts. Fear. Guilt. Oppression. When she met Steven, she felt happy. When she met the Crystal Gems, she felt odd but ok. When she met Peridot… she felt… good? Confused? But when she was with Connie, it was comfortable. Like Connie was the most real of them all. "So… you and Steven?" Lapis knew how love worked, not by experience but by perception. She had presumed by Steven and Connie's body language and them being together so often meant they were in love.
Connie went red immediately. "Steven? Me? Dating? Um… no. No! We're too young." Lapis was confused. "Aren't you like 14 or something? I wouldn't call that too young. Plus, he is obviously absolutely devoted to you." Connie stuttered. "Really? How can you tell? What if it's just friendship?" So Connie did love, Steven. But they weren't… ah. Right. Lapis turned to Connie. "You love him?" Connie nodded, blushing but smiling at the thought of Steven. "Well. If you love him, you tell him. You've got to at some point, right? Love is the best thing you have here on Earth. It entwines you all into this big puzzle. You build connections over years that can be broken in seconds, but it's so amazing. Breathtaking, even. How you humans have the capacity to love someone so much you feel as if you can share experiences, share more love, share happiness and sadness. You can never let love pass you by. It's the best thing to ever happen to you."
Connie looked up at Lapis, stars in her eyes. They sat in silence for a while, before Connie got up. She had her mouth set in a straight line. Her eyes sparkled, and her face was flushed as if she had just been on a crazy rollercoaster. She held stepped to the edge and prepared to jump down. Then she looked at Lapis. "Love is for everyone, Lapis." Then she hopped off to meet Steven.
Steven shouted out "Lapis? Where are you?" Lapis floated down to meet him. "Hello, Steven." Steven began rambling about how he thought there was a spaceship in the barn, but it wasn't, it was just some tin cans. (What?) Then he mentioned Peridot, and Lapis perked up. "-so Peri had just been really happy with the cans she got to make her taller. Honestly, the way she talked about them I thought she had something amazing in there!" Lapis looked behind Steven and saw Peridot coming over. "Lazuli. Off the roof?" Peridot quipped. Steven grinned. "She was talking with Connie! You guys are friends, then?" Suddenly Lapis felt the sick feeling again as she waited for Connie's answer. "Yeah. Definitely. She's really cool." Connie smiled. "Let's go, Steven. It's getting dark, and I want to to talk to you about something anyway. Connie gave Lapis a thumbs up behind Steven as they walked off to get Lion.
"What was that about?" Peridot asked, looking up at Lapis. Lapis grinned. "That was love."