"So what kind of movie did you want to watch?" Amethyst asked. They were strictly on voice chat, per Peridot's request.

Their response was delayed, dazed, surprised that Amethyst's hadn't laughed when Peridot asked to watch a movie. Peridot could have asked Amethyst to bend over and fuck both her holes on camera and moan Peridot's name. They could have asked a lot from Amethyst, who had done enough on screen to give the impression she had no limits.

But of all things, Peridot had asked if Amethyst wanted to watch a movie, when Lapis was downstairs, likely doing nothing at all. And Lapis was physically here, unlike Amethyst. But unlike Lapis, Amethyst was open to romantic companionship, even if it was all for show. It felt nice to pretend, though in the back of their mind, Peridot wondered if they would get a sticky, icky feeling for doing this.

Peridot abhorred the word 'normal' in most cases. In this case, in regards to romantic companionship, Peridot wanted to be normal, to have an actual girlfriend. Not a surrogate.

"What do you like to watch?" Peridot tentatively asked, still shy of speaking on mic.

"I asked you first." Amethyst challenged.

There was a pause, and then, Peridot shyly admitted, under their breath: "documentaries."

And in the inner workings of their head, also thought: and romantic comedies. But didn't dare mention that. They'd take Amethyst calling them a nerd over a sap.

Amethyst didn't sound so keen about watching a documentary and was more receptive to voicing what she'd like to watch. Her first pick was a gory B grade horror movie. Peridot lied and said they'd already seen it before.

Amethyst's second pick was a Buddy Cop movie starring a famous obnoxious comedian. She confessed she'd watched it eight times already but Peridot wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise; she wouldn't stop laughing. Peridot spent the entire movie with their brows bunched together, scrutinizing the jokes that flew over their head, laughing, forced, and wondering if they should be laughing.

This wasn't as fun as they thought it would be. They had gone into this expecting it not to be the same as watching a movie with Lapis, but not like this.

The interaction with Amethyst, watching movies felt forced, like they were walking on eggshells, trying to find the right way to impress her. A ridiculous worry. A relationship with Amethyst was an impossible dream. But some part of Peridot wondered that if they said the right things and laughed at all the right jokes, if Amethyst would bridge the gap between them. Peridot felt she would- for the right price. But that wasn't the same, it wasn't what they wanted.

"You don't like the movie" Amethyst stated more than asked, more than halfway through.

Peridot chewed their bottom lip, tried to say something, couldn't say anything.

"Let's watch something you like." Amethyst said.

[Are you sure?] Peridot preferred to type.

[Yah. This is for u nerd. So if you gotta nerd out- do it. Let's watch that documentary.]

[But you'll get bored.]

[Then pick out something u think we'll both liek.]

Peridot exited out of the movie and browsed through their Netflix list. There was that series that came up in their recommendations after watching the Camp Pining Hearts movie. Of course, their first choice would be for the latter but Netflix had recently removed it, leaving. .

[Want to watch Lil' Butler?]

Amethyst chuckled darkly at that and suddenly her camera was on, her face close to the monitor. A shit eating grin stretched full lips and she stared into the camera's eye dead on, serious.

"Do it."

Peridot was about to start up the first episode when Amethyst stopped them, "oh! Start at season three! That's the best one- don't worry, you don't have to watch the show in order to get it."

And as Peridot started to peruse season three Amethyst stopped them again. She was still on camera and pointing wildly.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Ya gotta play the beach episode. That one's a riot!"

Peridot smiled, her enthusiasm was contagious. As they started up the aforementioned beach episode, they hoped it would be better than the movie.

And while it wasn't Camp Pining Hearts, it was almost as enjoyable, if not more than the movie they had tried to watch initially.

It was getting late but at the end of each episode Amethyst would say they had to watch the next one, and so forth. This went on until Peridot fell asleep at their computer, the episode where Lil' Butler competes in a drag race playing in the background along with Amethyst's throaty laugh.

Then there was silence, and Amethyst's breathing. Lot of keyboard sounds and mouse clicks. Shuffling in the chair.

At six in the morning their alarm clock cut through the extraneous noises like a lightning strike, jolting Peridot awake.

Falling asleep at their computer wasn't strange, in fact expected.

"Heeey Sleepy head."

Amethyst's voice, greeting them was not.

Peridot jumped out of their chair and hurriedly tried to fix their hair (always a lost cause) and wipe the drool from the corner of their mouth with the back of their hand.

Shit.

Okay. Maybe it was a good sign that Amethyst was still on call but of all things, why did Peridot have to fall asleep on call? Fuck. Did they snore? Or masturbate furiously in their sleep like Lapis claimed they did?

And there were crusties in the corners of their eyes and a red mark on their cheek where they'd rested against their palm.

How unattractive.

Peridot dipped out of view from the eye of their camera and straightened out their shirt, and again tried to fix their hair. They scowled at the face of their computer screen, as if blaming it for embarrassing them, and as they shot that dirty look, noticed that the blue dot that signaled camera broadcast was dim.

In a flash, they remembered that they hadn't used their camera at all last night. Just Amethyst.

So Amethyst hadn't seen them wake up a disaster, just heard them fumble and squeal, and fall flat on their face. Again, how unattractive.

"You there?" Amethyst called out, voice alluring. Peridot's nose was runny and they muffled a sharp sniff. Then they coughed, phlegm thick in their throat. Allergies.

"Yeah." Peridot replied quickly, one hand on the mouse, the other searching the desk for their allergy medication.

"Did you really stay on call all night?" They asked, flabbergasted.

"Yep." Amethyst was smug, beaming. "I heard everything."

An: 'oh no' slipped past their lips and they quickly covered their mouth, imagining the horrifying details Amethyst was about to share.

"You snore in your sleep." Amethyst said, and then, rolling over, her top hiking up: "I've never had anyone fall asleep on me. Normally I'm the one that conks out on call."

Peridot recalled the second time they'd seen her show. "Yes, however unlike me you add a little panache to that behaviour."

"Oh yeah?"

Peridot thought about a fluffy himalayan cat their grandma had that liked to perch on a pile of shredded documents because that's where the sun shone through the window. Like a cat. That's what Amethyst was: queen of the jungle, moving at her leisure, body spread over her hoard.

Peridot almost voiced this but their alarm went off again and this time Lapis banged on the door, demanding rather than asking if they were going to turn the damn alarm off "anytime soon".

"I have to get ready for work." Peridot said in a rush and exited the call. Before they could reach their phone Lapis trudged through their room and took care of it, throwing their phone back at them before stomping back to bed.

They fumbled the catch but the phone landed safely on their pillow. Five minutes past six the clock read. Peridot sighed and scratched the back of their head furiously.

Their morning routine was rushed and hushed, moving quickly but keeping their footfalls soft for Lapis sleeping upstairs. She did eventually emerge for the promise of fresh brewed coffee and seemed to forgive Peridot for waking her after that, enough to stall them before they bolted out the door.

"Your shirt is inside out." She commented. "And your bowtie is crooked." She fixed that.

Peridot swatted her hand away, "I'll fix it later! I have to go- " Quick glance at the clock. "I'm running late!"

They ran out the door, tripping over their feet, flat on their face, inches from the car.

It was going to be another long day.