Author's note: We're ten chapters in! Yay! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story so far, I love reading them. Enjoy the chapter.
She had been eating breakfast when Peridot had come through the cafeteria doors and after two days without her, Lapis had to admit she was a bit surprised to see her.
As they ate together, Peridot talked about how she spent the past two days-she mostly slept, read, and took whatever medicine Dr. Maheswaran told her to take-and Lapis told Peridot about how she had spent the past two days.
Although Peridot didn't seem like she noticed anything strange between them, Lapis felt awkward, as if the past two days had disturbed the course of their friendship. Just as Lapis had begun to feel more comfortable around her, the routine was broken and she had quickly become used to spending her free time alone.
Peridot waved her hand in front of Lapis in an attempt to get the blue haired girl's attention, "Lapis, are you okay?" she asked.
Lapis snapped back from her train of thought and brushed off Peridot's question without answering it, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one who just got over a fever."
"If 'okay' means just physical health, then we probably wouldn't be in a mental hospital." Peridot countered, "And you didn't answer my question."
"Yes Peri, I'm okay." Lapis sighed.
Peridot, who seemed visibly happier, said, "Good, I am too. I asked Petunia and she gave me permission to use the computer in the library to watch Camp Pining Hearts after group therapy."
"Good for you, it's obvious how much you like that show."
Lapis noticed a mischievous glint in the shorter girl's eyes as she smiled. "I think you mean 'Good for us', yes, today I, Peridot, am going to turn you into a fan of the show!" Peridot exclaimed as she revealed her true intentions.
Lapis shook her head in amusement, "Sure, why not. I don't have anything to lose."
"Yay," Peridot squealed, "not many people here are fans of it so I need people to talk to about it." Peridot explained, "Ruby and Sapphire watch it with me sometimes but that's it."
"Don't worry, I'll become a fan so you have someone to talk about the show too."
"Yay," Peridot squealed again as she wrapped her short arms around Lapis' waist. "you're the best! I promise you'll love it."
"I'm going to remember that promise," Lapis mumbled as she attempted to ignore the way she blushed when Peridot hugged her.
oOoOo
"Are you ready for one of the most amazing shows in existence?" Peridot asked, spinning in circles in the desk chair she was sitting in.
Lapis, who was quite amazed at how excited Peridot was, smiled as she watched at the loading computer screen. "I honestly don't know, Peri. Could I ever be truly prepared for something so awesome?"
Peridot slowed her spinning (although she did not stop) and tapped her chin in thought, before saying, "Well, no, I guess not. You are correct, Lazuli. No one could ever be prepared for the awesomeness that is Camp Pining Hearts." She stopped talking for a moment as the computer finished loading, watching the opening theme song. "We have enough time to watch the first three episodes. This should be enough time to for you to get to know a couple of the main characters."
"Cool." Lapis responded absentmindedly, focusing more on the intro of the show than what Peridot was watched the show for the most part in a comfortable silence, only being broken when Peridot would point out her favorite and least favorite characters or when Lapis would ask a question about the show.
Lapis felt content, sitting there with Peridot leaning against her as they watched Camp Pining Hearts. She really was interested in the show, but it was a bit hard to stay focused on it when Peridot was leaning her head on Lapis' shoulder in an attempt to make herself comfortable while they sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She was acutely aware of the blush on her cheeks, she knew it was irrational, she didn't have feelings for Peridot, after all, nothing that wasn't platonic at least, she just wasn't used to physical contact like this.
All of a sudden her thoughts stopped in their tracks when she heard a soft snore coming from beside her. Glancing over to Peridot she saw that the shorter girl had fallen asleep.
She had to stop herself from laughing, unsure if she should wake her up. After thinking about letting her sleep, Lapis realized that she wouldn't be able to move if she didn't wake Peridot up. Plus it was almost curfew, free time was about to end and they would get in trouble if they stayed in the library for much put her hand on Peridot's shoulder in an attempt to wake her as she said softly, "Peri, wake up, you can sleep when we get back to our room.
Peridot's eyelids fluttered open a bit as she mumbled something that Lapis couldn't make out.
"Peri, come on dude. We're gonna get into trouble."
That got her attention, "Okay, I'm getting up." She said as she stood up, rubbing her eyes with one hand and covering her mouth as she yawned with her other.
For the rest of the walk back to their room Lapis had become Peridot's crutch, keeping her half-asleep roommate from falling as they walked through the hallway. Lapis thanked whatever force it was that had given her this gift that Peridot was so light, although Peridot's right leg, weighed down by the prosthetic, dragged behind her in an awkward way that made it difficult for Lapis to support her.
She was thankful when they finally got back to their room. Peridot leaving Lapis to lie down on her bed.
"I'm going to go brush my teeth and change in the bathrooms, so you can change in here while I'm gone. Just don't fall asleep while changing, okay?" Lapis told her.
"M'kay." Peridot mumbled as she sat up in her bed.
As Lapis got ready for bed while she was in the bathrooms she wondered why Peridot was so tired, she was worried that she might not be over her fever. And as she walked back to their room she wondered if she should tell one of the nurses.
"You're concerned," Peridot said, her brow furrowed as she looked up at Lapis from her bed where she was currently tucked under her green blanket. "I can tell."
"How?"
Peridot looked Lapis up and down. "You're tense and you keep glancing at me, but you're trying to be discreet about it."
"I was just worried that you weren't over your fever, I was wondering if I would need to get a nurse." Lapis admitted.
"No, don't get a nurse, I'm fine." Peridot protested, pulling a hand out from under her blanket so she could wave it as if fanning the mere idea away. "Even if I wasn't, being up in the hospital wing sucks. It's all gloomy and lonely. Usually, the only other patients up there are the ones that succeeded in hurting themselves in some way."
Lapis nodded her head as she got into her own bed, draping the blanket over herself instead of tucking it tightly the way Peridot did. "Okay, no nurse, no hospital wing. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just didn't get a lot of sleep during the past two days. Fevers tend to give me...bad dreams."
"Bad dreams?" Lapis repeated, hoping for more elaboration.
"Nothing you need to worry about, just bad memories from my past." Peridot said quickly.
"That really doesn't make me feel any better about your dreams."
"Can we drop this subject and just go to bed?" Peridot asked before Lapis could say anything else.
Lapis reached to the light switch above her bed, before flipping it she told Peridot one last thing, "Listen, Peri, I'll drop it for tonight, but if you need to you can talk to me. Goodnight."
As she laid back down after flipping the switch she could just barely hear a whispered "Goodnight." from across the room.