Despite rarely having actually encountered a Lapis lazuli before Earth, Peridot thought she had a relative understanding of them. They were terraformers, with a preference towards water and flight. What more was there to learn? Apparently, her education at Homeworld had been flawed; not once had anyone told her that Lapis lazulis were so ridiculously stubborn and reclusive.

Following the incident with those troublesome Rubies, Peridot had been hopeful for progress. Lazuli had defended her when she was in danger - that meant they were bonding, didn't it? Evidently not, as Lazuli had been anything but social towards her during their time together. She took no interest in Perdiot's inventions, blatantly disregarded her attempts at "music" and became very agitated when Peridot tried to learn more about her own hobbies, such as the affection she bore for reading. Peridot just didn't understand! She had put so much effort into befriending Lazuli, but to no avail.

While visiting Beach City, she decided to take the chance to consult resident friendship expert Steven. "Awwwh, Peridot! Making friends is easy, but it takes time!" he had explained. "Lapis has been through a lot, so she might be a teensy bit stand-off-ish. You just have to be patient! Why don't you try and find some common ground with her?"

She blinked. "We already have common ground. We live in the barn. If we didn't have common ground, my problem wouldn't exist!"

After Steven explained that "common ground" was not a literal term, she had to admit that the idea held some value. Once she discovered something she and Lazuli shared a fondness for, the water gem would have to accept her friendship! It was flawless! ...Or it would be, as soon as she figured out what they actually shared. A disdain for Jasper was obvious, but clearly caused Lazuli distress. They had both defected from Homeworld... though Lazuli's had been less of a conscious choice and more a lack of alternatives. Also, bringing it up could remind her of their previous time together, which would certainly not bode well for their prospective friendship.

"Ughh, this is hopeless!" Peridot declared, falling back against the grass with a sigh. "I should have asked Steven what- wait!" She jolted upright. "That's it! Our affinity for Steven can be our common ground! Peridot, you truly are a genius!"

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

"Gah!"

Peridot scrambled back frantically, caught completely by surprise. Lazuli stood in the doorway to their barn, her usual deadpan expression in place. "Lazuli!" she greeted her enthusiastically. "I didn't hear you come in!"

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes. "I just came in to get another magazine."

"Wait!" Peridot scurried over to her on all-fours. "I want to talk to you!"

"... About what?"

"About... Steven!" Giving Lazuli her cheesiest grin, Peridot continued, "Our dear friend Steven who we have in common and share an interest in!"

"Uhm... Okay? What about Steven?" Lazuli looked confused. This wasn't the desired response!

"About... about... about how he's our friend!" Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Why don't we trade our stories of befriending the- I mean, Steven? I'll go first!" Jabbing a prideful thumb into her chest, she declared, "Although I had already met Steven on several prior occasions, it took many encounters for me to 'befriend' him. However, after I found myself accidentally trapped in what is known as 'the bathroom', I discovered that he was in fact not as repulsive as I had perceived, and that he was - dare I say it - kind! Then, we formed an alliance to stop the destruction of Earth by the Cluster, and the rest is history!"

Lazuli's eyes widened. "The destruction of Earth? By the... Cluster?"

"Oh, of course, you weren't present." Peridot waved it off dismissively. "The Cluster was a fusion of a million gem shards implanted into the centre of the Earth by the Homeworld in order to destroy it." Seeing Lazuli pale, she hastily added, "But now it's taken care of and everything is resolved! So, how did you befriend Steven?"

The blue gem hesitated, before stating in a monotone, "He freed me from the mirror I was imprisoned in, then healed me. Then I flew away."

"... I see."

"... Yeah." After a moment of palpable awkwardness, Lazuli began walking again. "I'm going to get my magazine now."

Peridot sighed in defeat as Lazuli disappeared inside the barn. "Affirmative."

Her first plan had failed, but Peridot refused to be discouraged; she would befriend Lazuli, the way Steven had relentlessly befriended her! She just had to figure out another way to do it, that was all. Appealing to an interest they already shared had not worked, so she decided on a different tactic: introducing Lazuli to one of her interests! Of course, the tape recorder had not gone as planned, but this would be better; Lazuli clearly enjoyed stories with all the books she read, so she would certainly enjoy watching some too! And what story could possibly be superior to Camp Pining Hearts?!

And as she lay on her stomach in the back of a human's truck, Lazuli sitting cross-legged beside her with an intent focus on the screen before them, Peridot couldn't help mentally congratulating herself. "So..." the green gem chimed knowingly, lightly elbowing her companion, "what do you think?"

"It's... better than I expected," Lazuli admitted honestly. "I don't think I like that girl, though. The one with the red hair."

"Paulette." Peridot scowled. "I can't stand her. Breaking apart Percy and Pierre despite them obviously being the most ideal pairing!"

"Hmm..." She shrugged. "I'm not sure I see it."

Resisting the urge to dig out all of her notes and research on the matter, Peridot instead offered a grin. "Oh, you will. You won't believe it, but guess what? There's. More! There are six whole 'seasons'! Although the fifth is rather lacklustre, so we can skip that if you want, and I'll just summarise the important details so you don't miss out-"

"Uhm, Peridot?" Lazuli interrupted. "You're not planning for us to watch all of it right now, are you?"

Peridot blinked. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, won't that take a while?"

"Approximately 65 hours," she answered immediately. "So not long at all!"

However, Lazuli still looked uncomfortably. "I'm... not sure I can just sit here for that long. Maybe we could just watch one or two more and then take a break for now? I'm probably going to need to stretch out my wings for a bit soon, and flying at night is nice."

"Oh, of course. That is perfectly understandable." Casting her gaze up to the taller gem, she asked, "May I accompany you?"

"... I usually prefer flying alone. Also, you don't have wings."

"That is... an indisputable point."

Peridot turned back to the television, her roommate doing the same. They watched the agreed two episodes, before Lazuli rose, watery wings springing from her back. As she began to float, she addressed the younger gem, "Thanks for showing me your 'show', Peridot."

"Not a problem!" She beamed, leaping to her feet. "Enjoy your flight, Lazuli!"

"It's Lapis Lazuli," she corrected.

Moments later, she had flown from the barn into the night air, and Peridot was alone, the television still murmuring in the background. But a small smile grew on her face. While they were by no means at the desired level of friendship, they were undoubtedly making progress.

Several hours later, there was still no sign of Lapis Lazuli, and Peridot was beginning to worry about her new companion. Her move into the area was only recent, and Peridot could assume she had never been here prior; what if Lapis Lazuli had lost her way whilst flying and didn't know where the barn was? What if she had run into trouble, or accidentally 'poofed' herself, as Steven called it? What if Jasper had returned? She had to help her friend! Even if the friendship was decidedly one-sided.

Full of determination, Peridot puffed out her chest and strode out of the barn doors, prepared to undergo the toughest of quests in order to retrieve her missing roommate. Quite anticlimactically, she soon spied the blue figure sprawled out on top of the silo's roof. She visibly deflated. "Oh. There she is."

As she sullenly traipsed over to the silo, raindrops pattered against her visor. She hadn't even noticed the weather initially, but she no longer felt her original fear of the phenomenon. It had certainly been more fun with Steven, though. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, Lapis Lazuli could be convinced to enjoy the rain with her too! With that thought in mind, she quickened her pace. Lapis Lazuli did not once react to her approaching presence. She remained motionless, lying on her back as she stared at the sky. Even the droplets catching her solemn face didn't seem to be registering.

"HEY!" The littler gem shouted. "LAPIS LAZULI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

When she received no response, Peridot frowned. She quickly climbed the little metal ladder, calling out to the blue gem the entire way. As she eventually heaved herself over the edge of the roof, she caught a better look at Lapis Lazuli's face; surprisingly, water seemed to be falling from her eyes as well as the sky. Was that part of her hydrokinesis? Suddenly apprehensive, she shuffled closer. "Lapis Lazuli?"

"Leave me alone," she murmured quietly, rolling onto her side. "I don't want to talk."

Peridot nodded, not knowing what else to do. "Okay. I'll just, uh, go... then..."

She paused at the top of the ladder. Maybe she was expecting an objection, or maybe it just felt wrong to leave Lapis Lazuli when she appeared to be in distress. Either way, Peridot found herself hesitating. The other gem gave no further acknowledgement of her presence, merely shifting to curl in on herself more. A small, sniffling sound reached Peridot's ears. It sounded suspiciously similar to what Steven had described as 'crying'; a process typically undertaken when one was saddened or troubled. Was something troubling Lapis Lazuli enough to make her sad? She had already clarified her wish not to engage in conversation, but perhaps Peridot could lessen her sadness in another way.

She departed then, but spared no time in dashing into the barn and shuffling through its contents. Once she found the required objects, she immediately clambered up again, this time with one object clamped between her teeth, and the other tied across her shoulders. "Lapis Lazuli," she tried to say.

The gem groaned. "Peridot, I don't want to talk!"

"You don't have to."

"I don't want you to, either!"

"Then I won't."

Taking careful note of her balance - even a gem as resilient as a Peridot would suffer if they fell from this height - the small gem moved closer. Despite the blue gem's attempts to distance herself, Peridot was soon at her side, objects in hand. The umbrella opened with a soft 'pop'. It didn't cover Lapis Lazuli entirely, but with her huddled up the way she was, most of her was sheltered beneath it. After a few moments without its pelting, Lapis Lazuli seemed to notice the rain's absence. Her eyes peeked open, blinking up at Peridot in confusion. As instructed, Peridot didn't say a word as she spread the second object - a patched-up blanket - over her roommate's form.

Lapis Lazuli's eyes shut once more, but this time, she wore a hint of a smile. Peridot decided that this was her most successful endeavour, even if her arm began to cramp holding the umbrella in place. The rain passed before Lapis Lazuli's unhappiness, but when the clouds had retreated, she motioned for Peridot to stop. "You can put that down now." Her voice was raspier than usual.

Peridot nodded, closing the earthly contraption. Offering a tentative smile as she did so, she started towards the ladder.

"You don't have to go!" she blurted. Blushing, she continued, "Thanks, Peridot."

"You're welcome, Lapis Lazuli!"

She snorted. "Just call me Lapis."

"Okay, Lapis." Peridot joined her, finally sitting beside her. "Are you... feeling all right now?"

Lapis sighed. "No. But I'm better than I was earlier."

"Good." She tapped the roof awkwardly. "I suppose you still don't want to discuss it?"

"I really don't." She attempted a smile, though. "I'd rather talk about that show you like watching."

"Camp Pining Hearts? Well, I'm always happy to talk about that!" Peridot wagged a finger at her. "But I'm not giving you any spoilers, so don't even bother asking!"

She rolled her eyes. "Noted. Can you at least give me some background on it?"

"Of course I can!"

As Peridot launched into her speech, Lapis slowly lifted herself up from the roof, until she ultimately reached a normal sitting position. The little green gem wasn't clueless; she knew Lapis wasn't really too interested. That wasn't important, though, because the white noise appeared to be distracting Lapis from her melancholy and giving her something else to concentrate on. When Peridot somehow reached a thorough analysis of Paulette's many personality flaws, Lapis was even giggling again. Neither was sure how long they spent up there, but by the end of Peridot's chatter, they were both ready to get down.

The barn felt warm and familiar as Peridot entered, the umbrella tucked under her arm. Lapis trailed in behind her, still draped in the blanket. Peridot was prepared to give her roommate a break - maybe she could brainstorm some more potential friendship plots, or even visit the other Crystal Gems, if she needed to be gone for a while - but Lapis stopped her.

"Hey," she said softly, "feel like watching another episode of that show?"

Peridot grinned widely. "When wouldn't I want to watch another episode?! Come on!" She dropped to all-fours, scampering over to the television.

Lapis snorted again, but she was smiling, and that was what mattered. This time, she didn't sit as far from Peridot as possible. She even inched closer, allowing her roommate to share her acquired blanket. Lapis was really watching now, too; she was reacting to the drama, smirking at the jokes, scoffing at Paulette. And for once, Peridot found herself observing something other than her favourite show. Something that currently was much more intriguing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe, I'm just in love with it.

I'm pretty new to these characters, so if there's anything I can do to improve my portrayal of them, please let me know. Also, I'm sorry for the awkward wording of using Lapis' full name so much, but I figured Peridot would insist on doing it if she thought it was what Lapis preferred. I don't know, I just really wanted to explore the growth of these two between 'Hit The Diamond' and 'Beta', because omg I love it.

Thanks for reading!