Hey everyone, welcome to my Fanfiction Blanketed in White! This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but it would have been too long so I decided to split it into two parts. I'll write/upload Part two as soon as I get the chance, but for now, sit back and enjoy the cute and angst-free fanfic! (Seriously though it's pretty rare for me to write a fanfiction without the characters dealing with emotional trauma/sadness).
EXTRA FOR FOLLOWERS OF ME/MY PREVIOUS FANFIC:
If you have read, my previous fanfiction Crystal's End (If you haven't you should check it out- it's the best thing I've ever written) you'll remember I said that I need to come up with an idea for another big fanfiction to write and that I'll be writing lots of one-shots mostly related to Lapis and Peridot. So, as promised, here's one of them. Some good news- I've already come up with an idea for a new big project! However, I soon realized that there is a TON of sadness/angst included, and I felt bad for always making my characters suffer (If you read Crystal's End you'll know what I mean). So, to make up for it, all my one-shots will be cute and happy and totally angst-free. However, before I begin my next big project, I'll be adding a few other small projects (Like 5-10 chapters) that include a bit of feels and coping with sadness to brace you for the total nuke I'll drop in my big project. I'll give you an overview of what's to come before my next big project, and then I'll leave you to read my latest piece.
1. Gem Supermarket- What happened when Lapis, Peridot, Pearl, and Garnet went to the store in "Gem Harvest".
2. Future Plans- Steven and Connie are having a baby, and are sharing it with all of their gem friends. Takes place 20 years after the show ends.
3. Stained-Glass Tears: Lapis and Peridot develop a stronger bond by addressing issues from their pasts and helping one another learn to cope with them.
4. One of two options:
A) Peridot's Birthday- Steven holds a birthday Party for Peridot, much like he did in "So Many Birthdays" for the other Crystal Gems
B) A Very Peri Christmas- It's Christmas, and Lapis seeks help from the other Crystal Gems to find a gift for Peridot.
5. The Technician and the Hybrid- (Canon up to "Friend Ship") In a desperate attempt to escape Earth, Peridot kidnaps Steven and holds him as ransom in order that the Crystal Gems will help her get off the planet. However, Steven sees the good in his captor and an unusual bond forms between the two.
Anyway, look forward to these and enjoy Blanketed in White!
Blanketed in White
It was a very dull morning at the barn. Nothing of interest had happened- it was a day exactly like any other for Lapis and Peridot. They had watched some Camp Pining Hearts, fiddled around with their latest meepmorps, and taken care of Pumpkin. At the moment, Lapis was in her hammock taking her daily nap, with pumpkin lying comfortably on her chest. And Peridot, being bored without Lapis, was re-watching season 2 of Camp Pining Hearts and attempting to draw out a map of the camp based on the locations shown in the episodes. She was lying in front of the TV on her stomach with one hand holding her head upright, and the other holding a pencil. She would watch the episode and occasionally turn her attention toward the piece of paper in front of her, making a few rough sketches. It was a very boring process, since Peridot already knew most of the areas in the show and was simply drawing the map since she knew of nothing else to keep herself occupied.
She was around four episodes in when suddenly a cold draft of air swept through the open door of the barn. Peridot shivered and glanced at Lapis in her hammock. Thankfully, she was still asleep. Peridot knew firsthand that waking Lapis was a bad idea, so she preferred not to have the change in temperature rouse her. Quickly, Peridot leaped down from the hayloft and went to close the barn door. However, as she laid hands on the wood of the sliding door, she spared a glance outside and was surprised with what she saw.
Outside, the ground was blanketed in a strange white substance. There was also more of it falling from the sky, like rain. The many small white particles fluttered elegantly down in the air until it landed on the ground and became lost in the sea of other particles just like it. Peridot forgot about closing the door, her attention now fully focused on this newfound concept. Curiosity overtaking her, she stepped outside, staring up into the sky. Almost immediately the small flakes began landing on her, creating a freezing cold sensation on the point of contact Peridot yelped, initially a little scared and startled, but she soon adjusted to the sensation and it oddly almost felt enjoyable. She held up her arm and glanced at it, and was surprised to find that upon landing on her warm skin, the strange substance lost its crystalline form and melted into a water droplet. She wiped it off her arm, and then looked up again, and her intelligent mind suddenly made the connection. "It's rain! Just… frozen rain!"
Peridot glanced back at the barn, and then at the hammock. Lapis was still asleep. Peridot usually had a thumb rule to never wake Lapis, but this new discovery called for an exception. Peridot dashed back into the barn, arriving at the side of the hammock. Smiling brightly, she started shaking the hammock, shouting "Lapis! Lapis!" over and over. A moment later Pumpkin awoke and leapt off of Lapis, sensing Peridot's excitement and yapping ecstatically. As soon as Peridot saw Lapis stir, she stopped shaking the hammock, instead bouncing up and down like a happy child. Lapis cracked open her eyes, moaning as she turned towards her green roommate.
"Peridoooot," She moaned sleepily, "You'd better have a good reason for waking me up, I was having a really nice dream…"
Before she could continue complaining, the excited little gem grabbed Lapis's wrist, yanking her up out of her hammock and pulling her towards the barn door, with Pumpkin hot on their trail. Any feelings of drowsiness immediately fled from Lapis as they were replaced by startled surprise at Peridot's actions. Peridot yelled behind her shoulder as she dragged Lapis, "You can dream later! You need to see this!"
They stopped in front of the barn door, Peridot still holding Lapis's wrist. At seeing the snow, Lapis's mouth opened in surprise. She took a moment to study the scene- she noticed the odd substance falling from the sky and forming a blanket of white on the ground, smothering the grass, and how it was noticeably colder outside than usual. Lapis asked, "What… is it?" Then, she experimentally held a finger out and a moment later a flake landed on it, melting into water. "It's cold…" she thought out loud.
Peridot cleared her throat, obviously ready to delve into a long explanation of her theory on the topic and explaining how she gathered the information and pieced it together. Lapis detected it and, not really wanting to hear Peridot go on and on for who-knows-how-long, she quickly said, "Just summarize."
So Peridot thought for a moment, and then proceeded, putting her hand on her chin knowledgeably. "From what I've gathered… it's another form of weather on Earth. It falls from the sky like rain and turns into water when coming into contact with anything heated, so I concluded it must be a form of rain that falls in place of water when temperatures are significantly lower than usual."
Lapis patted Peridot's head in gratefulness- that was the shortest she ever managed to keep an explanation. Then Peridot's ever-computing mind created another theory, which turned into an idea as Peridot gasped. She quickly swiveled her head to look up at Lapis again, and suggested, "Hey… if this is just frozen rain, then maybe your hydro-kinesis will work on it! Why don't you try it?"
Lapis's eyes widened at the realization, and though she never outright expressed it like Peridot, the excitement was noticeable in her electric blue eyes. She turned her head, and her eyes then hardened with determination. She focused her attention on a pile of the frozen rain, and held her hand out, slowly raising it in the same motion as when she controlled water. A small amount of the powder rose into the air by a few feet, creating small, beautiful spirals in the air like dancers in a ballet performance. Lapis gasped in amazement, and Peridot smiled at Lapis proudly.
Suddenly, a muffled but still loud ringing sounded from inside the barn. Peridot jumped in surprise, and Lapis lost focus. The frozen rain dropped back down to the ground in a manner similar to sugar being poured. Pumpkin realized what it was sooner than Lapis or Peridot did, and ran over to a corner piled high with articles of fabric (mostly clothes Peridot had stolen from Steven or that she had found in the barn), pawing at it with one of his stubby orange feet and barking in a beckoning manner. Peridot snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, my tablet! That must mean Steven's calling me!" without another word, she ran over to the corner to meet Pumpkin. Her tablet was buried somewhere under the pile of clothes, and to anyone else it would be impossible to dig through and find in time to answer the call. However, this was no problem to Peridot. She thrust her hand out towards the pile, focusing her mind on her tablet. A moment later, when she raised one arm, the tablet burst out from the pile, scattering some clothes, and remained hovering in the air. Proud of her work, Peridot willed the tablet to hover right in front of her, holding one hand underneath it to keep it idling in the air. The screen was already on, with the words Incoming Call from Steven with a green "accept" and red "decline" button visible on the device. Peridot sat on the ground, cross-legged as she pressed the accept button with her free hand. As the call was connecting, Pumpkin leapt into Peridot's lap and Lapis knelt down behind her, peering over her shoulder and smiling slightly. Peridot made the tablet hover a little farther away so Steven could see all three of the barn mates at once.
Suddenly, the screen was filled with Steven's smiling face. He waved excitedly through the screen at the trio. "Hey, Peridot! Hey, Lapis! Hi, Pumpkin!" His greetings were met with a "Hello, Steven!" a "What's up, Steven?" and an "Arf, Arf!"
Steven began excitedly asking questions. "Have you guys looked outside? Did you see the snow?"
Peridot rubbed her chin thoughtfully, looking at Steven on the screen. "Snow? You mean the frozen rain?" She turned her attention to Lapis, smiling "So that's what it's called!" On the other end, Steven laughed. He briefly explained. "Yeah! Like rain, snow falls from the sky when the clouds get heavy. But since it's winter and the temperature outside is colder, the rain freezes in the air and it comes down in the form of snow, and each individual piece is called a snowflake! And then when it gets warm, it melts back into water! Isn't it neat?"
Peridot's first reaction was to pump her fist in the air victoriously as she yelled "I was right! It is frozen rain!" Lapis giggled, rolling her eyes jokingly. "You're almost always right, Peridot- it isn't the first time." Pumpkin barked in agreement. Lapis turned her attention back to Steven. "But… yeah, Steven, it's pretty cool!"
Suddenly, Steven's eyes lit up like two stars, which was a sure sign he had come up with a brilliant idea. He bounced up and down excitedly, and then said. "Guys! Usually when it snows, us humans go out and play in it- There's tons of cool stuff you can do with it! And, you know, since you guys like to try new things here on Earth, what do you think about me coming over for the day so we can all hang out in the snow?"
Lapis smiled. "That sounds great, Steven! What do you think, Peridot?" She looked at the little gem, although she already knew her answer. Peridot, who was smiling as brightly as Steven, quickly replied. "Yeah, I think we can give it a try!"
Steven continued. "Great! I'll be over in a few minutes, and I'll bring a bunch of stuff we can use to make this day the best it can be! Oh, by the way, when it gets cold outside humans like me have to wear extra clothing to keep us warm. I know gems don't have to, but you guys should put on some warm stuff anyway. See you in a few minutes!"
The call ended, and Peridot turned off her tablet. She stood up and Pumpkin jumped off her lap. Lapis rose as well. Peridot was happily bouncing on her heels, and Pumpkin was yapping while running in circles. "Steven's coming over!" Peridot chirped. Lapis then remembered what Steven had said before he hung up. "Hey, Steven said we can put some warm clothes on, so we probably should to make him happy."
Peridot stopped bouncing and stared vacantly at the floor for a moment, a basic sign she was thinking. "Steven said we need to wear something to keep us warm, so he probably meant that we should don an article that traps body heat." The green gem trotted over to the pile of clothes that the tablet had been buried in, examining it. Suddenly she gasped and turned to look at Lapis. "Oh! I know the perfect thing for you, Lapis!" She thrust her hands into the mountain of shirts, hats, and other clothes, and a moment later her hands re-emerged, holding a royal blue strip of fabric, laced with patterns of snowflakes. Peridot excitedly explained, "It's called a "scarf". Humans put it around their neck, and since the neck is one of the main areas of perspiration where heat often escapes the body, it must be to keep warm! I think it seems fitting for you, Lapis!"
Lapis looked at the scarf for a moment. It didn't look like it would be too uncomfortable- it only was meant to cover a small amount of her body, so she agreed to wear it, much to Peridot's joy. Lapis walked over to her roommate and knelt down like someone about to be knighted. Peridot wrapped the scarf around her neck, tucking the end of the strip underneath the rest to secure it. The scarf coiled around Lapis's neck like a snake, but much to Lapis's surprise it was very comfortable. She stood up, and touched the scarf around her neck. Peridot was beaming. "It looks great on you, Lapis!"
Lapis smiled, offering a cheerful "Thanks, Peridot!" and then buried her face inside the warm fabric. Peridot said, "Now it's your turn, Lapis! Pick something for me to wear!"
Lapis strode over to the pile of clothes, holding a finger to her lips in pondering. She scanned it for articles of clothing that would best trap body heat. Her eyes landed on a thick, dark green sweater with white, 8-bit trees and deer etched into the stitching. She picked it up and held it in front of Peridot. "I think this would really suit you." She said, hoping Peridot would approve of her choice.
Peridot studied the sweater for a moment, and then gave her brief analysis. "Steven told me this was called an "ugly sweater". It's apparently a traditional human piece that often is associated and shows illustrations of the holiday "Christmas". Steven has worn other sweaters when he visits the barn, so I think it will do nicely."
Lapis glanced at the sweater and then back at Peridot, figuring out how it would go on her body. She then said, "Put your arms up- then I'll put it on you." Peridot obliged and raised her arms above her head, waiting expectantly. Lapis slipped the sweater over Peridot. A short but fierce battle engaged in which Lapis wrestled with the sweater to pull it over Peridot's triangular hair, but with enough effort she proved victorious as Peridot's face reappeared from beneath the sweater, the collar stretched a little bit wider than it had originally been. Lapis pulled the rest of the sweater into place and stood back, admiring her work. Peridot pulled at the bottom fringe of the sweater, and then commented, "It's actually… surprisingly comfortable." She smiled at Lapis. "Good choice, Lazuli."
Lapis returned the smile, proud of herself. "It goes well with the rest of your uniform. You look really cute in it, too." This comment was met with a bit of negative feedback and some cross mumbling, but it only proved Lapis's point farther and made her giggle.
Suddenly, Pumpkin began pawing at Lapis's leg, whimpering. Lapis asked him, "What's wrong, boy?" Pumpkin just kept whimpering, and suddenly Lapis understood. She turned back to Peridot, "I think he wants some clothes, too." Peridot pondered what to give Pumpkin for a moment and then snapped her fingers and knelt in front of the clothing pile once again. She pulled out a plain, knitted hat colored yellow and dropped it onto Pumpkin's head. He barked happily, apparently approving Peridot's choice. Peridot responded to his barks with, "Glad you like it! It even matches your eyes!" and patted him on the head.
A moment later, the distinct sound of the warp pad activating outside met the ears of the trio. All silently agreeing, they ran out of the barn in their new outfits, eager to greet Steven. He met them halfway around the side of the barn, running in an ecstatic and joyful manner. He was wearing a pair of thick black boots, a pair of white earmuffs, and his light pink puffer jacket. On his back was his trademark cheeseburger backpack, no doubt packed with the stuff he said he would bring.
"Hi, guys!" he chirped. He ran over and hugged Lapis and Peridot, and Pumpkin jumped around his ankles happily. As they parted, he took a good look at each of their chosen pieces of clothing, and giggled. "Great clothing choices- you guys look awesome in those! And that's so cute that you gave Pumpkin one, too!"
Lapis happily said, "It's so good to see you, Steven! Peridot and I have missed you." Peridot nodded in agreement. For a moment, nobody said anything, but then Peridot broke the silence by asking, "So, what great activities do you have planned today? What are we doing first?"
Smiling, Steven said, "Get ready, because we're going to have the most fun day of our lives!"
