"Stay with me for a while?"

The offer had taken Peridot entirely off guard. She was so shocked she had almost shouted a resounding 'no' right away. Who did this human think she was?

Peridot spent the rest of the afternoon thinking. She wanted to stop living in the rain, of course. But why had Julia said that? What did she possibly have to gain? No one would simply offer their home to someone else without reason. But as hard as she thought, she couldn't think of one. She was very displeased.

What if this is a trap?

It was possible, she supposed. Julia might have finally grown tired of using her as a curiosity. Or perhaps it had all been an act after all, and humans were crueller creatures than Peridot had judged.

Is that likely?

Peridot had to admit that it wasn't. In the months where she had known Julia, she had been studying her intently – first out of suspicion, then out of fascination. And then – out of something quite different. Peridot had had no idea what to make of it. She missed Julia when she wasn't around, but didn't know how to process what it was she felt when she was around. She was glad to see her when she arrived, but was unaccustomed to the ache she felt watching her leave.

It was extremely irritating, of course. Peridot hated experiences she wasn't able to articulate. But now…

Are wefriends?

Peridot had made few friends in her life. It wasn't that she was particularly unfriendly, or didn't value other people. She had simply rarely found the time. Companionship exhausted her, and in her line of work, she couldn't afford to waste the time that maintaining connections with other Gems demanded.

Of course there were exceptions. There may have been more sociable jobs than scouting and lab work, but interactions with her fellow Peridots in the workplace were unavoidable. And all they really had to pass their free time with were each other. Long ago, there were a handful of Peridots who's company she looked forward to.

One got relocated to the other side of the planet. One had been promoted, and she had never seen her again. One disappeared without a trace, gem and all. Even her files had been deleted.

Another Peridot's cybernetic limbs malfunctioned in an incident that had been impossible to predict. It had been a prototype – a test model. Peridot hadn't witnessed the accident first hand, but when she and the others had gone to investigate the noise, all that had remained of her friend was a damaged – but whole – gem.

It was this Peridot, who looked at her without a trace of recognition once her body reformed, that convinced her that friendship wasn't worth it. She had known about 'full resets'. But it didn't make it easier.

It was after this that Peridot stopped bothering. Friendships took time, and investment, and effort. Friends were easily lost. Why divide your concentration? Why be inefficient? She rarely missed her friends anymore. A few thousand years to concentrate on your work helped with that.

So how had she grown so attached to someone, let alone a human, in a matter of months?

Why?

Peridot's friendships had been out of convenience, necessity, and mutual benefit. Her – relationship with Julia consisted of none of these. Julia's actions had confused her right from the beginning. Why keep visiting her? Why try to help? She had nothing to gain from Peridot.

"Stay with me for a while?"

No, Peridot couldn't find a logical reason for Julia to make that offer. But Julia had never behaved logically towards her in the first place.

Do I have a choice?

Peridot realised she had made her choice long ago. By agreeing to see Julia again, she had made her choice. By allowing herself to grow close to her, she had made her choice.

Doubting Julia hadn't been an option for a long time. Because, somehow, despite all her experience, despite all her defences, this peculiar human had become all she had.

Besides, it was hard to imagine the worst of someone who introduced you to that wonderful tea.


Why the hell did I do that?

It wasn't something she had thought up on the spot. Julia had been wondering about Peridot living with her for a while now. She hadn't been planning for it, only daydreaming, thinking it could be nice. Everyone wonders what it would be like to live with their friend, don't they?

But the information she had just learned – that Peridot was being chased, by the people who had hurt her – that was new. She needed to do something, and had offered without thinking.

She didn't exactly regret it. If a friend of hers were in trouble and on the streets, she'd have made the same offer in a heartbeat.

But it was a slightly different matter when that 'friend' was an alien cyborg person.

Were they even friends? Peridot had tried to kill her when they first met. She'd softened since then, of course, but would she really trust Julia enough to live with her? Should she even trust her?

Julia trusted her.

She knew that was probably naïve. How many movies had she heard of where the aliens act friendly at first, again?

But she'd never been a very rational person. She just had a feeling that anyone who got so adorably flustered trying to eat a piece of chocolate had to have a certain pureness in their heart.

And there was the fact that she didn't have many people in her life at the moment. She hadn't kept many friends from high-school, and hadn't made any new ones since. It could get pretty depressing, having nobody to talk to in your classes, then going home to an empty apartment. She hadn't lied when she said she'd like the company.

But that didn't mean that what she had just done should be taken lightly. The situation had a gravity she couldn't ignore. What if Peridot was found? What if anyone discovered she was hiding an alien in her apartment? She couldn't even begin to conceive the trouble she'd be in.

The only thing was, it wasn't her she was worried about in that scenario. It was Peridot.

What would she do without me?

If she let Peridot into her home, and they were caught, she'd probably be taken away. But it was safer in her home. If she hadn't made the offer, and someone walked down that alleyway, Julia would have been able to get away with everything – but she wouldn't have done everything she could to protect Peridot.

What would I do without her?

Peridot was the only person she really spoke to regularly. She looked forward to visiting, and always enjoyed picking out a snack or a flavor of tea to bring her. She felt as though her life had a point again. As surreal as the idea was, she'd done more than become accustomed to knowing an alien – she could barely remember what life had been like until then.

She really did care about Peridot.

She's my friend.

The more she thought it, the happier she was. It didn't matter how different they were. She loved spending time with Peridot; she loved the way she reacted to a new food, how she was fascinated by the most unexpected things, and her nasal little laugh. She was absolutely a friend. Even if she was a thousand year old alien.

What if she says no?

Julia froze.

How did I not even think of that?

She'd been so deep in thought about her own feelings about Peridot moving in that she hadn't considered the fact that Peridot might not even want to.

That wasn't a pleasant thought. Had she been overreacting?

She might not care as much as I do.

That wasn't a pleasant thought at all. How presumptuous she had been!

I'm just desperate for friends, but she isn't. She'd have been just as happy to be left alone.

But she said she 'appreciated the offer', didn't she?

Julia rubbed her eyes. She was unhappy, and had only confused herself. It was too late for this. She needed to sleep. Tomorrow morning, she'd visit Peridot again, and see if she had made a decision.

Or would that be too soon? Would she feel like she was being rushed?

Ugh.

Julia turned off the lights, and lay in bed, but didn't close her eyes.