a/n: i would like to formally apologise about not updating sooner :/ life is hectic for me, but i'm on holiday at the moment so yay ^.^

i had a really bad case of writer's block the past few weeks but now i'm really inspired so hopefully i might be updating tomorrow or thursday. who knows?

enjoy this super-gay chapter :D

(1000 points to anyone who gets peridot's dad's joke)

"Before we go in, I wanna warn you about my dad. He can be a little bit … much to deal with the first time you meet him."

Peridot almost scoffed at the way she said 'first time'. As if there would be a second time. She'd had one moment of weakness, and Jasper seemed down. It wasn't as if they were suddenly going to become best friends or anything.

(Thinking of best friends made her think of Lapis, sitting alone in the car with the door open, waiting for Peridot. She felt a pang of guilt, quickly followed by a flash of anger and betrayal. Lapis had kept an important part of her life from Peridot, and she wasn't going to forget that any time soon.)

Jasper only smirked at her. "If he's anything like you, then I know I'll be able to manage it."

Peridot fiddled with her keys. "I think I'll take that as a compliment," she said as she opened the door.

The short walk to her house hadn't been as awkward as she expected it to be. Jasper didn't ask her about where everyone else had gone, and she in turn didn't ask her about … whatever it was that was going on in her life at the moment. Jasper seemed unnaturally subdued, and for all that Peridot insisted to herself she didn't care (and accounting the fact she was horrible in overly emotional situations), there was still a part of her that wanted to just ask Jasper if she was okay.

"Shoes off," Peridot mumbled, more to herself than to Jasper, as she toed off her own ones, turning around. She noticed that the other girl had already removed her shoes, and was wearing odd socks. One pink and one blue. She couldn't help but smile.

"What?" Jasper asked somewhat gruffly, peering at Peridot.

"Nothing." Peridot bit her lip, trying to prevent the large grin that was threatening to split her face open, revealing her true self.

"You know, I think this is only the second time I've ever seen you smile around me," Jasper said in a quiet voice as she followed Peridot into the living room.

"Well if you stick around maybe you'll get to see it more," she muttered, before she even had time to process what she was saying. They stared at each other for a few tense seconds, before they were interrupted.

"Peridot?" Her dad called from the kitchen. "Just give me a minute!"

He entered the room, and then stopped when he saw Jasper. "You're not Lapis," he commented.

"I have other friends, dad," Peridot grumbled, though they both knew she was lying.

"Well this is the first I've heard of that," he teased.

"This is Jasper Keeley. I know we were supposed to be hanging out together tonight, but is it okay if she stays for dinner?" Peridot asked, and her dad looked over at Jasper. His eyes flicked over her face, and she could tell he too was noticing the way her eyes were rimmed with red.

He smiled at the both of them. "Sure, we can still watch a movie if you want. I'm glad I made more food than we actually needed then. Now, Jasper, tell me about yourself. Peridot never brings anyone home so you must be something special …" he continued rambling as he led Jasper into the kitchen, where the smell of miso soup overwhelmed them.

Peridot groaned internally as her dad continued talking to Jasper like they had known each other for years.

"I don't think I'm that special, Mr Akiyama. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time." Jasper smirked at Peridot over her shoulder, and she rolled her eyes.

"This smells delicious. I wish I ate like this every day," Jasper commented.

"Ha," Peridot said, "I don't eat like this every day. Usually I'm living off microwave meals and energy drinks."

"Which you shouldn't be. Those infernal things are a disgrace to the art of cooking," Peridot's dad said as he ushered them out the room. "Go pick a movie. Make sure it's not got that awful egg man in it."

"Egg man?" Jasper questioned.

"He means Nicholas Cage." Peridot pulled a DVD off the shelves. "We're watching Iron Man. No complaints."

"You're dad's a riot. And I wouldn't dream of besmirching the great name of Anthony Edward Stark."

"That exactly what I like to hear."

Peridot settled down on the floor cushions, crossing her legs and staring at Jasper expectantly.

"Should I sit on the floor on the couch?" she asked.

"The floor, while we're eating. That's why the table is here, obviously," Peridot said. Jasper flopped down on the cushions somewhat cumbersomely, and she tries to get comfortable as Peridot's dad brought in the food, placing it down on the table and putting the disc in the DVD player.

He nodded at Peridot. "No egg man. Good choice. I knew I raised you well somehow."

Jasper snorted.

"Did you tell her the joke yet?" Peridot's dad asks as the previews flash across the screen.

"Chopsticks," Peridot murmurs as she tosses them to Jasper. "And no, I didn't."

"I know what they are," Jasper grumbles. "And what joke?"

"It's an awful joke," Peridot says, glaring at her dad, "and I don't think we should put Jasper through the pain of it."

"Nonsense, it's the best joke in the world. Okay, are you ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Peridot deadpans, waiting for the inevitable awkward silence that will come.

"My ex-wife still misses me … but her aim is getting better!"

What Peridot wasn't expecting was the warm chuckles that encompass the room as both her dad and Jasper laugh heartily. She groans. It figures the one person that laughed at her dad's terrible marriage jokes would be Jasper.

"I approve of this one. Bring her back round again, Peridot." Her dad finally says, and Peridot honestly can't believe she's actually alive right now.

"Yeah, bring me back round again, Dottie," Jasper comments with a smirk, and Peridot wishes she could sink into the floorboards right now.

"Shut up and eat your sashimi, Jasper," she says. She doesn't even have the energy to comment on the absolutely horrible new nickname Jasper has thought up for her.

Jasper merely grins at her. Peridot rolls her eyes and decides to focus on the movie, ignoring the feeling in her heart that is telling her she is content just sitting her next to Jasper, their legs almost touching but not quite, only a tiny stretch of particles between them.

She tries to ignore it.

(She fails.)

Her dad refuses to let her do the dishes.

"Take Jasper upstairs. It's late, you should be going to bed," he says, balancing all the dishes on one arm.

"It's like half past eight, dad," Peridot says. "Besides, Jasper's not staying over."

"No, I can stay over," Jasper says nonchalantly, and Peridot curses under her breath.

"I heard that," her dad says, "and don't be so rude."

She turns to Jasper. "I can't believe you're ganging up against me with my dad. You're both traitors."

"Aww, we're sorry Peridot, please forgive us," Jasper flashes her a feral grin, and Peridot is reminded of a tiger in the wild, poised and ready to strike their prey. Peridot's feeling an awful lot like prey right now, and she doesn't even know why.

"You don't even have anything to wear."

Jasper shrugs. "I can make do."

Peridot wonders why Jasper is so desperate to hang out with her – after all, she was under the impression that she would be the last person that Jasper would want to be with – but then an image flashes in her mind of Jasper with her cheeks still stained with tear-tracks.

Maybe this is what Jasper needs right now – sure, she could do without the thinly-veiled insults and God-awful nicknames but she's honestly surprised she isn't having a worse time.

She takes a deep breath. Time to be brave and take one for the team, Peri, the voice that sounds like Jasper in her mind says.

"Fine, you can stay. You can borrow my sleeping bag."

"You're the best, Dottie," Jasper says.

"Anyway, I need to go to bed, as I'm leaving early in the morning for the airport. So try and keep the noise down, okay?" her dad says, and Peridot's heart sinks as she remembers her dad was leaving for Tokyo. Again.

"Have a safe flight," she says, giving him a quick hug. "I love you," she whispers in his ear.

"I love you too. Jasper, make sure doesn't get in too much trouble, while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yes sir!"

"I hate you both," Peridot bemoans, dragging Jasper upstairs by the wrist.

"Goodnight to you too," her dad calls after them as Jasper chuckles.

They get to Peridot's room and she instantly releases her hold on Jasper, but not without noting how warm her skin is, like a furnace.

"The bathroom is the first door on the left. I'm getting changed. Knock when you come back," she mutters, and closes the door on Jasper's smirking face.

Sighing, she leans her head back against the door, wondering how in hell she ended up with Jasper sleeping over at her house.

When Jasper gets back, Peridot can practically feel the shit-eating grin of her face boring into Peridot.

"Nice glasses," she remarks whilst sliding into the sleeping bag Peridot has laid out for her.

Peridot adjusts the position of the heavy black frames on her face and sniffs.

"Yeah, well, I had to fit the nerdy image even more, because apparently being half Asian wasn't enough," Peridot comments, tugging down the long sleeves of her green pyjama top over her hands, even though she knows it will stretch the material.

"Don't forget the braces," Jasper idly comments, getting her phone out. Peridot tries to ignore the fact that Jasper is wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs, and even though the sleeping bag is slightly zipped up, Peridot can still see more of Jasper's tanned muscular legs than she ever thought she would.

"I haven't had my braces since last year, Jasper," Peridot says, now confused. "I'm surprised you even noticed them at all."

"Well I guess I'm more perceptive than you think I am. I remember you would practically never take your glasses off during Freshman year. Man, you were such a squirt, even then."

"God bless the invention of contact lenses," Peridot mumbles, suppressing a yawn. As much as she complained to her dad that it was early, she's been through a rollercoaster of emotions today and it was staring to really getting to her.

"Come down here for a minute, nerd," Jasper says, and Peridot obliges, settling on the ground before looking at Jasper. Then she's bombarded with the sound of a camera going off.

"Did you just take a selfie?" Peridot asks, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Yeah, it's going on my Snapchat story," Jasper comments.

"Great! I look like someone just asked me if I liked Justin Beiber," Peridot complains as she examines the picture. Jasper is kneeling and grinning, and the phone is at a high angle. Peridot's expression is half-befuddled, half-astounded.

Jasper snorts.

"I'm sure your girlfriend will still think you're pretty," Jasper says. Peridot can't be bothered to correct her.

"Lapis follows you on Snapchat?"

"She follows like everyone, why do you ask? She gonna be mad you're spending time with another woman?" Jasper says as she posts the picture to Snapchat.

"Tch. Let her think what she wants." Peridot says, getting back on the bed and fiddling with her own phone. Her thumb hovers over Lapis' number in her contacts, before going back to the home screen.

"I'm sensing trouble in paradise. Need me to step in as a marriage counsellor?" Jasper says.

Peridot groans. "Ugh, can't you take anything seriously?" she snaps. "It's no wonder everyone thinks all you are is a meathead jock who can't reign in her temper."

"Better than being a lonely geek with zero social skills. You're a loser, Peridot!" Peridot thinks she must have pushed a button, or maybe Jasper's not having such a great day. Well, whatever. It's not as if Peridot's had the most pleasant fucking time. She can argue with Jasper all night long to be honest, and she knows the other girl can do the same.

"Figures you're a bully as well." Peridot snorts. "I always thought you'd result to unpleasant insults and violence."

"You're such a damn hypocrite, you know that? I'm sorry we can't all be as high-and-mighty as the great Peridot," Jasper says, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"You're just incapable of having any kind of rational discussion. Serves me right for thinking you could be anything other than what you are." Peridot knows that these words have no meaning behind them, no true feelings. She's just spitting out any offense she can think of, wanting to get to Jasper, and she knows the other girl is doing the same. It's always like this when they argue – they have no valid reason to fight other than their clashing personalities, and then it becomes a challenge to be the most impertinent.

"God, I wish I hadn't agreed to come over," Jasper finally snarls.

Peridot finally shuts up and pretends to busy herself with her phone.

It seems that every conversation she has with Jasper they take a step forward, only to start arguing and take two steps back.

After a few moments of silence, she finally speaks. "Lapis lied to me."

She hears rather than sees Jasper turns back over in the sleeping bag to face her. "And you feel offended because you've never kept secrets before." It's not a question. "You're now a bundle of anxiety, wondering if there is anything else she's keeping from you," she says.

Peridot nods, chewing on her bottom lip before pushing her glasses back up her face and speaking.

"If your friend was in a relationship and she never told you about it until years after they broke up, how would you react?" she asks.

"Is this about Pearl?" Jasper immediately asks.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me I was the only one who didn't know?"

Jasper shrugs. "Maybe she didn't want you to know unless it was anything serious."

"Was it?"

Jasper shrugs again. "I don't remember that much of it, only that their break up lasted a grand total of three weeks, right at the end of Freshman year. When they came back after the break, it was like two totally different people. They were surprisingly … friendly towards each other."

"She could've talked to me about it," Peridot says in a small voice, and Jasper sighs.

"Maybe she didn't want to tell you."

Peridot's head snaps straight up. "I'm her best friend," she insists.

Jasper holds up her hands defensively. "I know! I'm not questioning that. Maybe she wanted it to be something special, that only she carried with her. Or maybe she didn't want to bother you."

"Maybe she didn't think I cared," Peridot mutters. An uncomfortable silence spread through the room, and again Peridot gets the urge to text Lapis.

"Who knows? But it seems like you two really need to talk. See, I do make a good marriage counsellor!" Jasper exclaimed.

Peridot sniggered. "You really know how to push my buttons, huh?"

"Yeah, but you like it."

She turns so she's lying down on her side, facing Jasper, and smirks at her. "Oh do I?"

"Of course you do. You'd be bored without me." Jasper looks up at her, her blonde hair spread out across the pillow and pale carpet of Peridot's bedroom.

"I guess I would." She sighs, flopping back down onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. She kind of wishes she'd kept the glow in the dark stars up there. They would be a sight for sore eyes now.

"You're pretty fun to argue with for a nerd," Jasper says after a while, and Peridot snorts.

"Likewise."

"I mean it. It's probably because you're smart. I can't really be offended - I'm too busy being amazed at the amount of bullshit you manage to spout."

"You're just full of compliments tonight, aren't you?" Peridot jokes. "So you're seriously not offended?" she asks in a more subdued tone.

"Nah, you're really not that bad. Even if we are pretty horrible to each other," Jasper laments.

Peridot can only hum in response. A quick glance at her phone tells her it's nearing ten o'clock.

She yawns, and decides to follow Jasper's advice.

She pulls out her contacts list and selects Lapis.

'Peridot' to 'Lapis'

11th April 2015

9: 55 p.m.

I feel like maybe we need to talk. Meet me tomorrow on the beach at around eleven? I hope you're not annoyed at me :/

She sighs, putting her phone on silent.

"Tell you what," Jasper says, and then she herself yawns. "How about we make a deal?"

"I'm listening," Peridot said.

"Until the project is done, only mild teasing is allowed. Then, we can go back to hating each other as usual for the rest of our miserable time in high school."

Peridot chuckles. "That sounds good to me."

"I'm sorry." Jasper apologises after a moment.

Peridot looks at her. "About what?"

"Everything."

"Like, as in literally everything in the world? I didn't figure you were evil," Peridot jokes.

"No, dipshit, I mean everything I've said, or done, to you. I figure now that we're being nice to each other one of us had to say it first, and I'm not gonna be known as more cowardly than you … Also, it's kinda something I've needed to get off my chest."

Peridot blinks. "I'm sorry too," she says in a small voice. "I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with. I probably aggravate you more than I need to. I'm sorry," she repeats.

After a few minutes of silence, she looks down at the other girl, only to find her with her eyes closed, curled almost into a ball.

"Are you falling asleep already?" she asks bemusedly.

"Mm, I'm a heavy and easy sleeper. It's a talent," Jasper mumbles, and Peridot really has to try this time to hold in her smile.

She fails.

"Good night, Jasper. I'll see you tomorrow," she whispers, and Jasper only mutters something unintelligible as a result.

Picking up her phone, she sees that Lapis has replied.

'Lapis' to 'Peridot'

11th April 2015

10: 07 p.m.

sure. i need to talk to you too. and i'm not /that/ mad … i'll only try to drown you once :p

She smiles, a small one, when she reads to text, and then it changes into a grin as she looks at Jasper.

She stares up at the ceiling as she feels sleep growing closer and closer, and thinks that even though the stars aren't there anymore, she's seeing them anyway.

a/n: i hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) see you next chapter, featuring the gay adventures of pearl and lapis!