I redid this chapter and chapter six they're both much better. Also I just re-read my earlier chapters and wow my writing was horrible how did you guys stand it? Anyways I think I started this chapter four months ago and have been constantly revising it.

Peridot: I wake up shivering. It's freezing. I'm soaked to the bone with ice cold water. In the middle of the night, I'd woken up and seen Lapis shivering in the corner, so I'd given her our only blanket, leaving myself with nothing to shield the cold. I curl up into a ball, trying to stay warm. I coughed. It wasn't working.

I heard Lapis turn over. "Morning Peridot." She says, sleepily blinking open her eyes.

"Peridot, you look freezing! Why don't you have your blanket on? Did I steal it last night?" she says, her voice wavering.

"No, I gave it to you. I didn't realize how cold it would be. It's okay though; I'm fine." I reply. I was not fine.

"Ah! Let's get you warm! You're going to freeze!" she says. She looks worried, but as we walk over to the ladder, we hold hands.

oO0Oo

I lay in bed, sneezing. I might be a bit sick. Lapis was sitting at the foot of the bed, smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Huh?" she replied.

"You were grinning at me." I say, blushing slightly.

"Oh, was I? Sorry." she says in return, her cheeks flushing.

"No, it's fine. I… don't mind." I reply.

She smiles again. I return her grin. She hugs me.

"Ah. What?" I say, slightly smushed.

"It's just so great to be with you." I hug her back.

"You're great." I whisper. She squeezes me tighter. I can barely breathe, but I don't care.

oO0Oo

We let go, smiling. I look her in the eyes. They're an ice blue color, like frost on a cold winter day. She steadily gazes back at me.

"Are we having a staring contest that I didn't know about?" she asks after a moment, her gaze unwavering.

I blush. "…Yes," I say, wanting an excuse to look at her again.

She laughs. "Alright."

Suddenly, she leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the bridge of my nose. I reflexively close my eyes.

She gives me a lopsided grin. "Looks like I win."

"You may have won the fake staring contest, but since you kissed me, I'm the real winner." I murmur.

She grins and blushes.

oO0Oo

Later that night, just before we go to bed, Lapis looks at her bunk, and then at the floor.

I sigh. "You have an idea, don't you?"

She grins. "You know me so well."

Instead of laying down on her mattress, she sits with her back against the bed.

"The bed is too small for two people," she says plainly.

I roll my eyes good naturedly and sit next to her. She leans down until her head is in my lap. She smiles for a moment, and then looks up, mildly concerned.

"Er… this is okay, isn't it?" she asks reproachfully.

I nod and smile gently. "Of course. You can do anything you want. I just want you to be happy."

She blinks once. "In that case," she starts. She leans to her side, slowly pulling me down with her onto the softly carpeted floor. We both lay on our sides, facing each other. I can feel her every breath against my cheek. She wraps her foot around my ankle, and I can feel a spark of happiness slowly travel through my body.

I lean in slowly for a kiss, and her lips meet mine for just a second. I smile and say, "This is okay, isn't it?"

I don't need to be able to see her face in the dark to know that she's smiling.

"I love you, Peri."

"I love you too."

oO0Oo

I sit up slowly, awoken by the sound of footsteps.

"Just five more minutes," I say, rubbing my eyes.

When my vision clears, I see Amethyst staring down at me and Lapis. Her head is in my lap, and I blush, almost feeling as though Amethyst is intruding. I gently shake Lapis' shoulder. Her ice blue eyes slowly blink open.

"What?" she murmurs, rolling onto her side.

"We have, um, company," I whisper.

At this, her eyes blink open and she sits up with a jolt, knocking her head into mine. She looks at me with concern and says, "Sorry! I didn't realize you were so close!"

I rub the spot on my nose where her head hit mine. "It's fine," I say, shooting a glance at our visitors, one of whom is laughing. "It's some other people who aren't."

I can feel her heartbeat against my chest, and as she realizes that the person watching us is friends, not an enemy, it begins to return to a somewhat normal pace.

"Why… Why are you in our room? How long have you, um, been here?" she asks, a small, rosy blush growing on her face.

"I was walking by your room, and the door was open, and I saw you two on the floor. At first, I thought it was a mistake. Now I realize that you nerds did it on purpose. How cute," Amethyst says lightly, though her eyes show something else.

"Haha. Well, you've seen us. We've been seen. Please leave," I ramble nervously. Something about her nature today made me… uncomfortable.

She narrows her eyes slightly, but merely says, "Oh, but you should be glad to have company. I'd be surprised if you've seen someone other than each other this past week. Month. Year," she says, putting a crack in her good natured act.

"What do you want, Amethyst?" Lapis says, rolling her eyes.

"I don't want anything," she lies.

"You clearly do. What's your problem?" I demand.

She stomps her foot. "My problem is you!" she yells.

A look of hurt registers on my face. Lapis must see it, for she puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Lay off her, Amethyst," Lapis says in a low, threatening voice.

Amethyst snorts. "Why should I? She stole away one of my best friends! I barely see you now, Lapis, and when I do, half the time you've been beaten up by Jasper!" she yells.

This time it's Lapis' turn to flinch. My gaze darkens.

"Take it back," I mutter angrily.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why? We all know it's true, Peridot! Your girl here acts tough, but she's just a wimp with a big ego. She's too weak to fight back. That's why Jasper hurts her."

I don't even need to look at Lapis to know how she feels. I stand up quickly, grab the collar of Amethyst's shirt, and pin her to the wall.

"I said, take it back!" I yell, "None of that is true!"

She shrugs, smirking. "I don't know, Peridot. Every time you've seen her fight, hasn't she lost?"

I stare into her eyes. They're a dark indigo, almost purple. They could be beautiful if they weren't filled with so much hatred.

"See? You know I'm right. She's weak. I don't know why you'd even dream of being with her," Amethyst says, her voice filled with malice.

I pause. I can hear the steady drip of Lapis' tears onto the floor. I push Amethyst tighter against the wall with my fist. "Because of her personality. Weak, strong, who cares? It's rare to find someone as beautiful as her, but it's even rarer to find someone as funny, kind, and smart. Those are traits you lack," I reply.

Her faces flushes red with anger. "I don't lack anything!" she yells.

I let her down, my anger subsiding. "You didn't just stumble into our room, did you? You had a purpose in coming here," I state.

She rubs her shoulder. "So what if I did?"

"You can't just go where you please and hurt people in your boredom. It's wrong," I say, narrowing my eyes.

"I can do whatever I want!" she yells.

And with that, she walks over to Lapis, raising a foot threateningly over her head. Only another moment, and she'll strike.

A burst of anger surges through my body, and I shove her into my bedside drawer. Her arm knocks into my lamp, which shatters, spraying glass shards all over the floor.

"Get away from her. Now," I growl, walking menacingly forward.

She shoots a glare in my direction and slowly walks out the door, calling, "This isn't over, Peridot."

The only clue that she'd ever been in our room was the blood-speckled glass shards on the floor.

oO0Oo

Lapis:

I sit with my back against the wooden bed frame. After a moment, Peridot sits beside me. She stares into my eyes, and after a moment, she wipes a tear from my cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asks gently, her tone so different from what it was just moments before.

I sniffle. "Yeah, I'm fine," I weakly reply, "What about you?"

She gives a hollow laugh. "Not sure. I'll get back to you when I find out."

I look down, and after I moment I say, "I never really thought about it before. What Amethyst said. About me being weak."

Peridot grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I loop up at her face, and find it filled with passion.

"She's wrong. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. So what if you don't have huge muscles? Being able to lift some dumb weight isn't strength. Being strong is fighting through every obstacle life throws in your path without losing yourself. You've done that, and you've thrived," she says.

I cover my face with my free hand and give a small, quiet laugh.

"Lapis? Are you okay?" Peridot asks.

"What did I do to deserve someone as perfect as you?" I ask rhetorically.

She pulls me into a tight hug, and when I look up, I find her face only inches from mine. I can hear her every heartbeat against my chest. It gets faster every second.

"That's what I've been asking myself ever since I met you, Lapis," she murmurs softly.

I smile warmly. "I love you, Peridot."

"I love you too, Lapis.'