I remember when I first wrote this as a one-shot and said, "Nothing much happens here." What lies!
FOUR
When Peridot opened her yes, confusion rushed through her. Several thoughts came to her at once, and she needed time to compose herself as well as her thoughts.
First off, she had not even realized she had shut her eyes previously. She knew of sleep, but never got around to do it herself... until now, clearly. It was not in her control, which brought most of the shock, but she would think over it later, if need be. She rubbed an eye before further observing to brush off the flakes of sleep in her eyes.
It took another second to notice that her position on the floor had changed while she slept. Something held her around the waist, but with little to no force in its grip, and something soft pillowed her head as opposed to a hardwood floor. And finally...
Peridot was staring at a sleeping Amethyst, resting just inches from her face. Purple eyelids shut over large eyes, and full purple lips pursed out.
Besides feeling her face burn, Amethyst's breath washed over her face. Her voice almost croaked out a help but she stopped herself. Her mind began to race as she tried to figure out what to do.
Their bodies just barely pressed against one another, a soft brush of flesh against flesh, so if she attempted to slip away, Peridot would likely wake Amethyst, disturbing her sleep. Peridot shot a look at Amethyst, whose features relaxed and smoothed while she nodded off, looking small and soft and precious and Peridot simply did not want to ruin that. Biting her lip, her gaze remained on her sleeping companion, wondering how they'd gotten into this position in the first place.
A noise to her right pulled her attention away. To her side, Steven wore a giant, excited smirk. He giggled behind his hand, like he was trying to conceal it and failing miserably. Knowing she had revealed aplenty the previous day, she blushed deeper and probably all over, if such were possible.
She bared her teeth and hissed at him. Steven's face fell, and he blinked. He started backing away, but Peridot heard him laughing once more before he slid down the ladder and exited the barn. She pinched the edge of her nose.
It took a minute before being unable to move became an annoyance, so she began her tactical retreat from the arms of Amethyst. She wiggled away from her friend's grasp, and the Quartz's hands fell to the ground once they were no longer wrapped around Peridot's middle. Peridot backed away on her butt, but began getting to her knees. It was then that Amethyst's eyes fluttered open.
Peridot froze. Amethyst blinked several times before rising from her resting position and stretching her limbs. Through grunts, she said, "Sup?"
Peridot wondered if she was blushing? Oh stars, she hoped not. "S-sup." Her reaction was awkward, which only made her feel worse.
Amethyst grinned as she stretched one arm while the other wrapped around the first arm's elbow. "So, you fell asleep, huh?"
"What?" Peridot's voice broke. "How did—"
"I woke up for a midnight snack." Amethyst shrugged, but then a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. "You totally snore, by the way."
"Well, so do you!" Peridot responded defensively through narrowed brows. As of the previous night, she knew this all too well, much to her irritation. Yet this did not bother her from falling asleep herself...
"That, I do." Amethyst chuckled, bearing a grin that glowed with confidence.
"But yours are a lot... softer. Not gonna lie, it was kinda cute. But hey." She lay back against the mattress that was left unused that night. "How was it? Any cool dreams?"
The "cute" compliment threw her off guard, but rather than once again get defensive because being called cute was downright cruel, she shrugged it off while answering the question. "I don't really remember anything. It sort of... just happened. I haven't slept before, and therefore, definitely haven't had dreams, either."
"Dang. Shame." Amethyst dug her teeth between her fingernails. "Dreams are the best. One time, I had a dream that I was riding on top a giant dumpster across the ocean, and I'm pretty sure I made friends with these rad dolphins. It was pretty cool."
Peridot must've worn a weird look, because Amethyst laughed again. "It's better than it sounds, trust me. Dreams are like that. So..." she began as she stood up and walked over to the edge of the floor they were on. Peridot followed and watched her jump to the bottom floor, grunting but still gaining a nice landing. "What'cha up to today?"
Peridot hummed in pondering. "Today, I want to check on the progress of the magnitude the cluster might be giving off. We need to calculate its likely hatching time based on the progress of its stirring—"
Amethyst just blew a raspberry to cut her off. "Aww, c'mon. Forget that junk for today. We should go out! And get down here already, would ya?"
Peridot hesitated at the edge.
"If you're worried, I'll catch ya; no worries. You are tiny enough for me to do that."
Peridot's cheeks burned again, but not out of embarrassment. But all that did was win a laugh from Amethyst. She jumped from the edge and landed square on her feet—mostly. She wobbled, but then stood firm.
The question Amethyst asked, however, still lingered. "Go out where?"
Amethyst rolled her shoulders. "I dunno. Hey!" Her hands curled into fists in front of her. "Let's head to Beach City!"
"Hey, guys!"
Peridot glared at Steven, despite him beaming that giant Steven grin of his. The one that made Peridot, for some reason, want to squish his cheeks, but everything within her fought against it.
"Where did you guys say you were going?" he asked.
"Probably to Beach City," Peridot answered, crossing her arms in her usual, casual manner. Her eyes glinted at Peridot. "If I can get Peri-craze to go, of course. You know, get her away from the Cluster stuff for a bit."
"I've had plenty of time to 'get away' from the Cluster stuff. I'd rather get to it so the Cluster does not get to us," Peridot argued, using air quotes against her repetition of Amethyst's words, which she spoke with a hint of acid dripping out. She turned away, arms folded. "Can't that stupid town wait?"
"I mean, has the Cluster made any movement?" Amethyst asked. "Like, any huge ones?"
Peridot blinked. "Uh, no. Nothing massive. Even according to the readings I managed to get from censors from my ship, they were in small pieces at a time. But still! Small movements all add up to big things! As in destruction and kabloo-ey!" Peridot stretched out her arms as she said the last word, though the exaggerated gesture maybe was something to hide her shaking.
She would have gone on for another minute or maybe ten, but she was interrupted not by words, but rather a hand on her shoulder. A thick one against her thin shoulders. Her eyes drifted up to see Amethyst, her eyes half-lidded.
"Look, we'll be fine. You've worked real hard the past few days, so you know, a few days to yourself can't hurt. You earned it, Wondernerd." She spoke in a low tone, one of those serious ones that came to Amethyst in small chunks and made Peridot lose her breath for just a moment. They left shortly, however, like this one as she poked Peridot's other shoulder lightly. "Get what I'm sayin'?"
Peridot nodded with only a small hint of honesty.
Production was key on Homeworld. Work on one thing, move onto the next. Designing a new device, progress on another creation, and keeping up the quality on the still stable projects. "Days off" did not arrive in many forms where she worked.
Then Steven piped up. "You know, we can introduce you to a few people in town. Now that you're good now, maybe you can start meeting other humans—besides my dad, of course." Steven put up an index finger, followed by his middle finger, and he squinted. "And, uh, you kinda met Connie, but... not really. Buut she'll be at the cookout tonight, so there's that."
Suddenly and if only for this moment, interacting with other humans and pushing back work on the Cluster were pushed to the back of her mind. "Cookout?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to bring it up yesterday. My bad." Though she apologized, she definitely did not sound like she meant it. She shrugged. "Steven wanted us all back at the temple to have food tonight outside. But first, we're taking you to see all there is to Beach City. As in… mostly just weird people," she finished and added an abrupt chuckle.
"Do I have to talk to them?" Peridot asked, her voice in no way concealing her dread of the concept. Humans were far too unpredictable for her to handle in large clumps.
"That is part of meeting them," Amethyst answered, her body leaning toward Peridot a touch. "Think you can handle that?"
Peridot resisted rolling her eyes as well as downright rejecting the very idea. She could only imagine herself, however, staying while the two left elsewhere, possibly to Beach City, while she checked on the growing strength of the Cluster. A wasted opportunity to hang out with Steven and Amethyst… she groaned, "Ugh… I'll try."
"To Beach City!" Steven pumped out an energetic fist.
"Beach City!" Amethyst repeated, voice grave and loud in Peridot's hearing.
Peridot caught Amethyst's side glance at her. Then another nudge, and waggling eyebrows. Her own narrowed.
"I'm not saying it!" Peridot objecting again, but this time through shut eyes and with clenched fists at her sides.
A warp and a long walk from the beach later, they arrived at Beach city? It was quiet and not very active, like Peridot expected. A few humans passed by, and Peridot noticed how they did not seem to react heavily by the appearance of herself and Amethyst. As if it was, dare she say, normal.
"Do they know what we are?" Peridot asked through clenched teeth.
"Yup!" Steven nodded, but then his fingers splayed on his chin. "Well, I don't think they know you're one of the gems that invaded the city on the giant hand ship, which made everyone evacuate and feel terrified."
"Probably wanna skip mentioning that, then, I guess," said Amethyst.
"Ayy, Steven!"
The three turned to the side to see three humans standing at a boardwalk in front of a large sign that read "FUNLAND" in thick letters.
Jenny waved with a wide smile. "What's up, little guy?"
"Just walking around the pier and showing my new friend Beach City." Steven gestured over to Peridot, who stood firm at the appearance of the trio of humans standing over her. "This is Peridot, and Peridot, this is Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck." He gestured respectively to the dark skinned human with golden pieces stuck to her ears, the palest one with his hands thrust in his pockets, and finally the human wearing dark shades.
"Hello," Peridot said stiffly.
The three gave her various responses, from a loud one from the female ("Heya!"), to the strangely calm human ("What's up?") and finally the slow voice of the tallest one ("How's it, uhh, goin'?"). They all spoke at once
"How you liking it here so far?" Jenny asked, hands firm on her hips.
The three humans looked down at her with curious expressions—well, at least she was certain of the one wearing shades to conceal his vision spheres. Peridot blinked, having no idea this was her cue to comment. On... what? She glanced around the pier. Then at the sign.
"It, uh, looks... fun?" she commented lamely.
"That's what we're here for," Sour Cream said.
"We were going to Funland. See some games, just chill. The atmosphere here is very 'lax." Buck pushed on his shades with a single finger. "We all need a break from reality, after all, every once in a while."
Amethyst nodded at this, then side-glanced Peridot. Peridot noticed this but did not say anything of it.
"All too true, especially after a long shift at work," Jenny said, turning up to the sky with a disgusted look. She clicked her tongue. "Why doesn't daddy get that Kiki's the hard worker, not me? Give her all the eight hour shifts! So you guys!" With a loud clap, she caught all their attention firmly. "You wanna join us?"
"We don't exactly have money this second," Amethyst said, spreading out her palms as if to demonstrate.
Buck gave a light, monotone scoff. "Money isn't the key to happiness—"
"Unless it's to play games." Sour Cream pointed a finger.
"True that. But we could lend some cash, no prob. 'Least we can do for you guys for, you know, making sure this place didn't blow up or something."
Peridot kept her mouth shut about that.
"Exactly!" Jenny exclaimed. "Think of it as a thanks, in a way. A thanks in kiddy games and junk food."
"You know us too well." Amethyst grinned.
Steven stepped forward. "You guys are awesome! Where do you wanna start?"
Peridot thought she could not possibly match the enthusiasm of anyone in the group, including the new additions to it. Though they did not express their excitement like a clearly younger Steven did, they did not shy away from joining in the games and going on the rides.
At one point, Amethyst grabbed her and convinced her into a ride filled with vehicles connected to rods. They got in separate cars and waited until all the other humans sat in their cars. Steven, Jenny, and Buck jumped in, as well, but Sour Cream stayed behind for the ride, saying he was upset that these cars did not have seat belts. When noises reverberated, signaling the start of the ride, Peridot's eyes immediately fell toward Amethyst.
Peridot nearly jumped out of her seat. Amethyst stuck her tongue out, a sign that this was serious business, but also not completely. Still, she drove toward Peridot, and the green gem went stiff and failed to move away.
Impact came, and the whole car shook as it was rammed by Amethyst's car. "Gyahhh!"
"Get wrecked, P-Snot!" Amethyst cackled manically.
"Oh, it's on!" Peridot challenged, flustered. Then she gripped at the wheel in front of her, then looked down and back up. "How do you work this thing?"
Amethyst laughed again, but more genuinely. "Just turn it and press the pedal! It's not that hard!"
Peridot turned left, and in turn, the car whirred left once she pressed the pedal. She moved left, and once she recognized how the machine worked, she eyed Amethyst. Their gazes met, and they both were likely thinking the same thing.
Bring it.
The five minutes left of the ride consisted of hit after hit, shaking car after shaking car. Peridot's hair began to frizz as their competition continued, and the other riders were forgotten—except for one kid who accidentally ran into Peridot, and suddenly, they decided on a truce to go after the young human who had no idea what he got himself into. Soon, the competition melted and was replaced with just them laughing as they rode around, attacking other riders—even Steven, though he laughed along with them as opposed to the kid who looked somewhat terrified of the two gems.
The two were laughing once the cars stopped, and the whirring grew silent. They exited their cars and met with one another along with the others.
"That was fun!" Amethyst commented, slinging her arm around Peridot's shoulder as they stepped down from the ride. The others followed behind, commenting on what ride to go onto next and how many they could do before the sun set.
As the day grew late, Steven finished the last bite of a salted pretzel in one of his hands. He had a small alligator in his other hand from a game that involved popping balloons. Peridot commented on its simplicity, which made the vendor shoot her a glare, but it got the others laughing amongst themselves, so that was not Peridot's problem.
The two male humans were talking to Steven about his dad's guitar lessons, while Jenny slid over to Amethyst's and Peridot's sides.
"So been here long, new girl?" she asked, popping her bubble gum after she finished.
"This is my first time in this town. But I've been on Earth for... a little while, I guess. A few months, at most. I lost track."
"How you liking it here, then?"
Peridot just shrugged, and she shied away.
She couldn't say anything. Not to Amethyst and this girl who had some similarities to Amethyst that were left unnoticed. Those who lived here and had plenty to care for on it.
"She's still getting used to it, ya know?" Amethyst answered for her, and Peridot silently thanked her for it. "New place, new home, if you know what I mean."
Home.
Whatever that was.
Jenny hummed. "I see what'chu mean. If I left home, I bet I'd be pretty weird about it. Hah! Don't tell daddy or Kiki that. They'll never let me hear the end of it." She pointed to the two of them.
Amethyst pointed back. "Tell them what?"
Jenny laughed. "Oh, you guys are the best. Please never change, kay?"
Peridot had fallen silent and preferred to stay that way. The topic change had suddenly made her lose the energy that soared through her after the fun ride with everyone. She peered at them through the corner of her eyes to see Amethyst staring at her for a moment before the others caught up to them.
"So you guys ready to head out? It's getting late, and I need to listen to my late night jams," Sour Cream said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
The others nodded in agreement, and Steven even said, "Yeah, we do have other stuff to do." However, Amethyst didn't respond for a moment. She looked away.
Then she said, "Actually, lemme try one more thing before we get out of here." She walked backwards before twirling around to a stretch of small tents that held basic carnival games that involved balls or water shooters. Given the rush of the bumper cars, Peridot couldn't help but take a little breather. She and the others followed Amethyst to one where a tall man wearing a beanie as well as a few piercings in one ear stood.
Amethyst rested her lower arm on the table, one eyebrow jumping up. "So, running a bottle stand today, are we, Sean?"
"You betcha," said the tall human in a tone that equally matched Amethyst's sarcastic one with ease. He quirked a brow back and gestured behind him. "Just knock all three bottles off the stand in one throw and you're good to go."
"Pft!" Amethyst scoffed with carefree dismissal. Her grin widened. "Might as well give me that cute cat over there right now."
Peridot followed Amethyst's pointed finger to a purple stuffed cat from the wall beside various other animals that inhabited Earth but certainly not Homeworld. The cat had a bored expression on its face, as if wishing it were any other day but this one.
"Well," Sean snorted, "looks like it was practically made for you."
"It's callin' for me, baby." Amethyst slapped a dollar bill from Jenny on the counter and turned around, her hair swirling in the wind for a moment. Her elbow smacked onto the table, palm opened in a gesture to gain something. "Let's start."
When she received the ball, Amethyst didn't even turn around. She tossed it over her shoulder with enough force that it still made contact the three bottles. She peeked over her shoulder to see the bottles crumble. Her relaxed face fell when only one fell off the wooden stand.
Sean chuckled. "Gonna have to do better than that. I worked real hard on the bottles this time. And they all have to fall off the stand, you know."
Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Oh, geez. Fine. Gimme the second one."
Sean continued smiling as he gave her the second ball. This time, she kept her body facing toward the game and took a few moments to lock onto the target. Peridot realized she was doing that adorable thing again, where she stuck her tongue out in concentration.
With a second and far more composed toss, the bottles all recoiled back from the impact and dropped onto the hardwood ground, clattering noises filling the air as well as Amethyst's cheers.
"Alright!" Amethyst thrusted her elbow back in a cheer. Her smirk was slick as she shot it at Sean, and gestured at the cat plush with a waggling finger. "Now bring the kitty home."
Sean rolled his eyes with a tiny grin as he reached up to grab the stuffed cat and handed it to her. She threw it in the air once before tucking it to her side.
"Okay, now I have to try! I have three bucks left," said Jenny, stepping forward and waving the bills in her hand.
Jenny took her turn, but Amethyst walked over to Peridot. The others watched Jenny toss the ball, while the two gems stood right behind them and not really paying attention to the humans. Amethyst wore a softer smile, one not really filled with all that confidence she donned like clothing. Peridot opened her mouth to ask what in the world she was doing or if she was going to do anything, when Amethyst shot her arms forward, right at Peridot, who barely flinched. She was still holding the plush cat.
"Surprise! All yours!"
Peridot took in Amethyst's outstretched arms, her words, the excitement dancing in her eyes, and the silly cat dangling from her plump fingers. There was a meaning here, but… "What?"
Amethyst snickered through a wide smile. "Geez, do I have to say it? I won it for you, duh! Now take it before my arms get tired from holding it."
She took it... slowly. And based on the electricity that coursed through her fingers, her hand touched Amethyst's in the process of taking it. Amethyst let go as Peridot gripped at the cat's stomach.
Her voice caught in her throat. A gift... from Amethyst. She turned it around to meet its bored countenance. Sharp teeth stuck out at the edges of its straightly lined mouth. Underneath her appendages, it had a fuzzy body, covered head to toes in purple, faux fur. She would've one on forever and forever looking into every detail of this because it suddenly hit her how this made her body feel warm and wonderful and it was because of Amethyst, of course, but when was this not the case lately?
"Yo, Peri, you alright?" A voice mixed with confusion and concern made her look up.
With one look at Amethyst's bemused look, a thought struck her. She glanced back at her now occupied hands and then at Amethyst's empty ones. Her glance fell over to the giant plush creature dangling from the walls of the bottle stand. The monkey with a wide smile, the orange whale, the kitten with its tongue sticking out. Peridot turned her body toward the game.
"I want to try."
Amethyst's lips pursed out, but she did not respond otherwise.
Steven gasped, and the three teenagers turned around. "You're gonna try it?"
"Go for it, alien girl," Buck cheered in a not at all encouraging voice, but a little smile pulled at the corners of his lips.
"I will!" Peridot marched forward with pride, but decided on a delicate landing for the cat plush upon placing it on the counter.
"You need money, sweetheart." Sean rolled his eyes.
Her confidence pose nearly fell apart, and her shoulders slouched until Steven tapped a one dollar bill on the table. Sean placed it in the silver box before handing her two white balls.
She thought of Amethyst's movements and the way she threw her shot. Peridot even stuck out her tongue, as if it would give her Amethyst's strength. Despite her intelligence, Peridot failed in the strength department.
When she threw the first ball...
It fell to the ground halfway, bouncing and even hitting the converses of Sean.
Sean sniggered under his hand, and even as he put his hand down, he was biting his lip. "Got another try, little one. Maybe you can actually hit the bottles this time." His tone dripped with cruel tease.
Buck's eyebrows shot down ever so slightly. "Respect for little green, man."
"You can do it, Peridot!" Steven cheered.
"C'mon, Peridot, you got this!" Amethyst called from between her hands.
Among the nicknames Amethyst gave her, whenever she said her actual name, it sent that rush through her body that felt like shivers and probably were shivers but not the typical kind from feeling the cold. As if inspired by the name, her grip tightened on the second and final ball, and she fixed her gaze on the bottles.
There was one perfect way to make them all fall to the ground in one fell swoop. Directly in the center, but she had to set the coordinates properly. While she did not have her screen, the angles came into her mind, as well as where the ball needed to be thrown and the amount of strength thrown to hit the bottles and make them tumble to the ground.
"Today, ma'am," Sean deadpanned.
Amethyst shot him a look—Peridot caught this from the edges of her vision—and Sean recoiled a few steps back.
With a throw and feeling this new stream of determination, she threw through the air with far much more vigor than previously, and it actually headed toward the bottles. It collided directly in the center of the three bottles, and they all scattered into the air for a few moments before landing on the wooden tables on their sides, dangling from the edges. One fell.
Everyone waited.
Two seconds passed.
The last two cascaded and rattled onto the wooden pier floorboard.
"Woohoo! She got it!" Jenny cried out.
"Do they have these games on your alien world?" Sour Cream asked, with a small drip of amazement slipping out—just a little.
Once Peridot pointed out the stuffed animal she desired, Peridot's eyebrow shot up at him. "Of course not. This just wasn't that difficult. Once you calculate the perfect targeting point where all three get hit with enough power to fall off the platform, it's nothing. "
Amethyst gave her a grin, crossing her arms. "Sweet."
"Math is pretty cool like that," said Buck with an affirmative nod.
Amethyst shook her head. Peridot's awkward smile returned once their gazes met again. With a glance down, she realized something and fumbled with her next words. "Er, oh, right! Almost forget. This... is... for you."
Amethyst's lips popped out in surprise. Her eyes kept looking between the soft looking, brown and black kitten and Peridot. When she took the stuffed animal, her eyes locked back on Peridot, and she chuckled shortly. "Th-thanks. It's super cute. And hey, look, we match." She gestured between her prize and Peridot's prize.
Peridot's awkward smile remained. Did she do that intentionally? It just stuck out more than the rest.
"It's cute, though! I'll be sure to put it somewhere where I won't lose it or forget it. You know, big room and all." She shrugged and looked away. "I'm sure I'll find a place."
Then Amethyst leaned in, and Peridot's breath caught in her throat. In a whisper, Amethyst said through half-lidded eyes, "But for real, thanks. It's stupid cute."
Peridot just stared.
Jenny appeared by her side and knelt down. "We gotta take a pic with all of us with our new prizes... like mine! Check it!" Jenny held her phone in one hand, while showing her prize of a panda with giant eyes. "Just the cutest, isn't it?! C'mon, guys!"
The six all gathered into the small range of the phone's camera, which proved to be difficult once they all tried to show off their prizes from the day. Jenny took her time arranging, saying she only wanted the best picture ("Or five. However many we need.")
"We should be getting back soon, anyway," Steven said. "After all, there's that cookout, and I think Connie will be here soon and—"
"IS THAT ANOTHER GEM!?"
Steven's face morphed away from excitement and tilted more toward a blank slate, and Peridot caught Amethyst grimacing and groaning beside her. The group stepped apart from the picture.
"I'LL NEVER GET A BREAK, WILL I?!"
"Oh, boy." Jenny's hand pressed against her face, and she smirked. "Better get running, Peri-gurl. Ronaldo loves his little conspiracy theories. Especially involving all that gem stuff."
"What?" Peridot wasn't sure she heard that correctly.
"No questions," said Buck. "Just be free, little ones."
Amethyst took Peridot's wrist to drag her away from the Cool Kids, and Steven did not need any sort of guidance to walk away. The trio called goodbye to the teenagers, who waved and called out goodbye in return. Over her shoulder, Peridot saw another human run toward the teenagers. He stopped beside them, panting and resting his hands on his knees, but they had long since run too far off for her to hear their conversation.
"Gem conspiracies?!" Peridot shrieked.
"Best not ask about it. He's a little weird," Amethyst teased, using her free hand—once she released Peridot which made the warmth on her wrist lessen—to swirl her one finger in a circle on the side of her face.
"He's just curious," Steven said, tossing her a quick shrug, but he did not seem to hesitate in running off from the man, as well.
"HOW MUCH DOES THAT RANDOM HUMAN KNOW?!" Peridot shrieked, but her question was left in the dark as they walked around a block and lost the view of the teens and apparent conspirator.
"Peri-gurl?" Amethyst snorted, slowing down their pacing to a simple walk. "That wasn't even clever. She wishes."
There was a pause, and Peridot noticed the sky glowing a soft purple. Twilight was among them. The whole day spent at the small town. Peridot gazed down.
"This still felt like such a waste of time," Peridot admitted, clutching the stuffed cat tighter against her chest.
Amethyst laughed. "I know, isn't it great?"
Peridot looked at the gravel they were walking on, then back at her and Steven. "It was pretty fun," she said, her face softening.
"There's nothing wrong with taking a break, especially since you and Pearl have worked really hard on the drill," said Steven, tucking the alligator under his pits, with two thumbs up as if to improve her mood.
"That's what it's all about. The Cluster's not going anywhere... well, yet. But you know what I mean!" Amethyst added with a wave of her free hand. She swung her stuffed prize to stare down at it, and a small giggle fell from her lips. "Plus, we got these awesome little guys so it's not that big a waste."
"And the day's not even over yet!" Steven exclaimed, his grin growing. "We still have the cookout."
"Speaking of," Amethyst began, but she didn't finish.
Peridot supposed she didn't need to, because they stepped onto sand and approached the broken fence that no one ever bothered to fix.
They walked around the sandy beach and arrived at the front of the temple,w hich was already occupied. Garnet was arranging a large picnic blanket to rest on the sand as well as setting up a rectangular grill. Then around the corner, Connie walked toward the temple in a blue and purple sundress.
"Connie!" Steven's face lit up.
He was already running by the time Connie found him, and she, too, gave him a bright smile before running toward him. They met at the middle of their race and grabbed one another in a hug filled with giggling.
The other two made their way to the area in front of the temple, where everything was being placed. The waves were soft in their noise making, as if to not disturb the day-turning-night. Peridot kicked sand gently as they walked to the blanket, were Garnet was working on the grill.
"Have a good day?" she asked.
"You bet," Amethyst answered. She elbowed Peridot. "Didn't we, Peri-kitty?"
"Peri-kitty?"
Peridot chose to not answer her question, but rather give Amethyst her own.
Amethyst smirked and tapped the head of the cat plush in Peridot's arms. "For the cat, duh. I can totally see you as a cat." As if to demonstrate something, Amethyst's whole body glowed, and when the glowing faded, she transformed into a cat. "If we can ever get you to learn to transform, you could totally be one all the time."
"I'd rather not," Peridot said, failing to hide her distaste, though she had no intention of pretending it wasn't there in the first place.
"Well, it's nice that you three had a day to yourselves." Garnet smiled. "Just as long as you stick around for the cookout."
Amethyst scoffed. "Missing out on hot dogs? What kinda fool do you take me for? But the funniest thing happened today at the bottle throwing tent..."
"Peridot."
With a quick turn around, Peridot looked up at Pearl, who was standing above her with a calm expression. This meant she wasn't here to scold her or inform her that something that went wrong, so that was a good sign. Meanwhile, Amethyst continued telling her tale to Garnet about how Peridot won the bottle throw.
"Yes?"
"I was just wondering if you could help me bring the food outside. There's quite a bit to put on the grill, so I just need another set of hands to help."
Peridot glanced at the surrounding people at the cookout and almost commented on how someone like Garnet was likely a better choice than Peridot. However, Pearl shot her finger a quick point toward the temple, and Peridot understood.
What she understood, that was difficult. She just knew she understood something. The two walked side-by-side to the temple.
"So you went to the pier," Pearl noted.
"Yes, we did. We spent most of the day there with these other humans that Steven knows." Peridot stuck out her chest with a winning smile. "I won Amethyst that stuffed animal." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder.
"Oh, did you?" Pearl asked, after glancing back at Amethyst, who was cackling at something Garnet said, with Garnet grinning in success. Pearl spoke in a friendly tone that caught Peridot off guard as she opened the door to the temple.
Not that she and Pearl were not on friendly terms by now; they had started getting along fine… she supposed. Not like how she had gotten along so well with Steven or Amethyst, but better than being on the other side of Pearl's tightened fist. Nonetheless, her tone gave off a strange vibe. "Yes?"
"And she won you that cat, too." Pearl pointed to the stuffed feline Peridot was placing on the window sill in view of the ocean.
Peridot's brow rose, and her hands fell from the toy. "Thank you for telling me what I already knew. I was there, you know." Peridot's hands were in front of her, palms up.
Pearl shrugged. "I just think it's sweet." It took no effort for her to reach up to the tallest cabinet to open it. Shuffling echoed from inside, and Peridot waited.
It got quiet for a minute, and Peridot realized that Pearl was not quick in getting whatever ingredients needed for the cookout. She still bent down, her head in the cupboard, and Peridot had a suspicious feeling that something was distracting her and that it involved her. Was that what she was meant to understand?!
Pearl was the one to break into the silence, once she pulled out from the cupboard with a bundle of hot dog buns. Peridot was almost thankful for it, since it was not a welcoming sort of quiet.
"I saw you, you know." Pearl did not meet Peridot's gaze.
Peridot blinked. The tone came across as solemn, like Pearl was giving a grave announcement. She slowly turned her gaze back to the tall gem. "Saw me... what, exactly?"
"Watching over Amethyst while she slept."
"Oh."
Peridot failed to create any other response. What else could she say? It hadn't even occurred to her that others would notice that private time between her and Amethyst. She would've remarked something about invading her personal bubble, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Instead, she asked, "Is, uh that customary on this planet?"
"Er, well…" Pearl grit her teeth, making a noise that told Peridot something along the lines of no. "Not so much. Some humans probably do it, but I'm not too aware. I do it… sometimes. With Steven. I just need to make sure he's alright, you know?" Pearl's cheeks were painted blue by this point, and her attention fell back to the food and plates she pulled out from the cupboard. "Hmm, but, uh, that's besides the point. I just… saw you two together and wanted to bring it up."
"I was just looking at her," said Peridot. She shrugged. "Is that weird?"
"I mean, you were also petting her hair." Though she did not turn back, Pearl still looked at her through the corner of her eyes, and Peridot caught a glint in her irises. Pearl grinned slightly before it fell.
"R-right."
It wouldn't be good to comment now that she did it mostly because Amethyst's hair felt warm and nice and comfortable as she pushed her fingers through them. Something within her knew saying this out loud would lead to heavy embarrassment.
"But you see, I noticed the… the way you looked at her." Pearl finally looked back at her, and the glint was gone along with her smile, replaced with that serious expression again.
"The way? What, was I doing it wrong?!" Peridot's voice was laced with sarcasm but also ripe with demand.
Pearl brought her hands together, placing them just below her chin. Two index fingers stuck out. "Well…" Her sentence wandered off before it could start, and she sighed. "I don't know how to say this—"
"Well, try!" Peridot shrieked through her teeth.
"That perhaps…" A sigh escaped the taller gem's lips. "Perhaps you've gotten closer to Amethyst than any of us have. That you, uh, have feelings for her?"
Peridot couldn't bring up a response of any sort. Not even a snarky one. For once, words failed her, as did her voice as she tried to open her mouth. Her mind refused to cooperate with her. With a grumble, she turned away, suddenly forgetting the chore given to her.
"Peridot." Pearl's voice became incredibly gentle, and a hand touched Peridot's shoulder. "There's no need to be ashamed.'"
"I'm not ashamed!" Peridot's voice rose in a sudden need to defend herself. And perhaps, as she thought about it, Amethyst. Why would she be ashamed for liking Amethyst? However, the eyes staring at her made her realize that there was more needed to be said. Her shoulders sagged. "I'm… conflicted."
Pearl hummed. "Is this, by chance, what you talked to Steven about earlier?"
"I actually spoke to Greg, as well," Peridot answered. "He had a lot to say on the subject."
"I'm sure he did." Pearl's voice suddenly grew grim.
Peridot decided not to comment on that. "Why are you asking me about this?"
She shrugged. "It's new for me, I suppose." A small laugh escaped her as she set them on the table. "I never expected this to happen with you, you see. Mind you, I can't tell you for certain how Amethyst feels in exchange, but you two really have started getting along pretty well, despite our… previously quarrels with you."
Peridot glanced to the side.
"And this sort of situation must be new to you, so I'd like to think we're all more than willing to help you in any way you can. Like when Greg gave you whatever advice he offered."
Tapping her fingers together and squeezing her toes suddenly felt much more comfortable to do than look at Pearl. Something lingered in her mind, and the more Pearl spoke, the more tempting it wanted to escape her lips.
Apparently, it was clear on her expression, because Pearl smiled softly. "I won't tell her anything, if you're worried. That's all up to you."
That did it. She bit her lip for a moment before she let it out.
"Should I tell her?" She spoke lowly, as if paranoid if the rest of the world could hear the conflict crashing like wild waves inside her.
Pearl suddenly faded as her eyes wandered to her ground and she wondered if any of this was a good idea. Talking about her feelings like this to the other gems and even the human, Greg. It made her feel exposed, vulnerable, small. So so small.
So much of her life, she had information given to her on a yellow screen worked on by her advanced limb enhancers. Gem history, types of gems and their placement in the society, and everything in between. Even bits of data on Earth were sorted somewhere in the archives, from what she recalled.
Now she was trapped in the dark. For Earth, its meanings, its language and diction, its systems…
The emotions that being here apparently gave you. As if upon arriving the atmosphere gave off new rushes of fear and compassion and everything else in between. Like a fallen star with no direction or way back into space. Lost.
And for Diamond's sake, this sort of thing would likely not have been given to her on the screen. Especially since she was a mere Peridot gaining feelings for a Quartz that was also not a Quartz and that was the best thing, honestly, given her experiences with other Quartzs such as Jasper. Homeworld still lingered in her mind, however, and rush of yellow appeared in her vision. An unsettling feeling arrived in her chest and started crushing her, like how Yellow Diamond would surely do so to her if—
"Peridot."
Pearl's voice brought her back to the kitchen, and she looked up to see a smile on the Pearl's face. And realized Pearl kneeled down to stare eye level with Peridot.
"I can't tell you what to do. No one should. We can give you advice, but it's what you do with it that matters." She glanced down. "This sort of thing has to be dealt with carefully, but I trust that things go well between you two, whatever happens." When she glanced up, her smile returned. "Besides, you two are cute together."
Peridot blushed. "Aaaaagh!" she growled and stomped her foot. "That's… just… bahh!"
A little giggle slipped from Pearl's lips. "Love is a strange thing, Peridot." Her voice became dreamy, like an extended sigh. "I can't imagine how you're feeling, but I'm sure it's a bit worrisome. Given how it's new to you, there's probably a lot going on, and you don't know what to do."
Despite Pearl saying how she couldn't imagine how it felt, Peridot gave her silent props.
"But whatever concerns you may have, I just want you to know one thing." Pearl emphasized this with a stuck out index finger.
"And that is?" Peridot was far more interested in the answer than she realized. Her voice rose.
Pearl had the plate of buns and burger hot dog meat in her hands. "It's worth it."
Peridot fell silent, and she watched Pearl walk off, announce something like making sure the others didn't worry and to bring the other stuff on the table, and stepped out of the temple. The door shut by the time Peridot could bring words together.
"That's not fair!" she whined. "What is 'it'?" She crossed her arms with a loud huff. These accursed gems and their… accursed-ness!
With a glance at the napkins and condiments on the table, she jumped. She picked up the remaining items and followed after Pearl, wondering how long the conversation lasted and hoped no one would ask what went on in there.
When she stepped outside, the others had already started eating and talking. A small fire burned in the grill, along with the food she helped Pearl bring out. When she brought the other items over to the skinny gem, she wore a tiny smirk that still said plenty. Peridot simply growled and turned back to the others.
"Hey, Peridot!" Connie greeted with a welcomeness that genuinely surprised her. Peridot realized that she had not connected with the human female in any way. Her impression was certainly decent. However, she knew that, upon hearing that the girl could carry a sword twice her size and wield it like a Quartz warrior, it was best not to mess with her. Her friendly smile told Peridot, however, that she was more than a warrior, though, so she would have to take that into account.
"Hello," she greeted with a stiff nod.
"How's the whole Cluster thing going for you?" she asked as Steven stood up and walked over to Garnet, who was watching the calm fire roar in the grill.
Peridot was thankful that the human gave her a piece of conversation she could happily jump into with ease. "Well, it hasn't shown any signs of rising yet. There have been the tiniest of tremors, based on the readings I've detected, but until I get new readings, I can't tell
Connie nodded, and Peridot noticed in her eyes that she hadn't faded away from the conversation like Amethyst. "Well, I hope it goes well. It sounds pretty terrifying, all those gems as one huge thing."
Steven returned and sat down with them. "I mean, I'm sure it won't be that bad. Once we drill down to it, we should be able to stop it." His face fell. "I feel bad that we have to destroy it, but it's going to hurt the Earth, so, you know." He shrugged.
"Hey, c'mon." Connie exchanged a soft smile with him. "It'll be okay. Don't worry about it for now. Why don't we just eat and watch the sky? I can't wait to see all the stars."
Steven's face slowly lifted. "Good thing it's not cloudy tonight."
Connie laughed. "Very true."
Peridot felt like that conversation was all too familiar, and glanced at Amethyst, who a minute later just sat down with them with a plate filled hot dogs and burgers—enough to nearly make the whole array of food fall from the plate.
Once most of those there—excluding herself and Pearl— finished with their food in silence minus a few pieces of conversation, Garnet later came out with a plate of new food. By then, the moon revealed itself, shining onto the beach with a white glow.
Steven and Connie nearly jumped out of their sitting positions as they took one of the snacks from the silver plate Garnet offered to them, although Connie took a second. Amethyst grabbed three others and briskly thanked Garnet with a thumbs up.
"Do you guys have s'mores on Homeworld?" Connie asked, holding the extra sandwich in her other hand.
Peridot frowned. "No, of course not. Gems have no requirements to eat, so food was hardly something you'd see on any gem controlled planets."
"You should try one!" Connie extended her arm toward Peridot, offering the second s'more with a giant smile.
"Yeah, go for it." Amethyst rested her head on her fist. Her elbow supported her as she looked up at Peridot. She pumped her remaining hand into the air, shouting, "Eat it, eat it, eat it!"
Steven joined in shortly after, much to Connie's clear amusement. Peridot, meanwhile, shot them a dubious look at the snack of three various components squished together. She had to hold it, top and bottom, to keep it together. Still confused, she recalled how the pair of children ate the piece and took in a whole piece with a loud crunch. Once she swallowed, a strange feeling fell down her throat, making her shudder, much like the last time they tried to get her to eat something. This time, however, against the disgusting feeling, came one of sweetness, like a burst of energy burst within her. She could taste each element to the sandwich and they melded perfectly together in a mix of sugar and sweet and suddenly she realized all six pairs of eyes were on her.
It took her a minute to respond, but she simply gave them a shrug and a quick, "I like it."
"Really?" Steven asked, scrunching his face with his hands. "Peridot likes s'mores!"
"Score one for s'mores!" Connie joked, tilted her body toward Steven.
"They're not that good." Peridot turned away, biting her teeth and trying to hide the blush that reached her cheeks.
"So, then, you gonna finish that?" Amethyst asked. "Or…?"
Peridot stared at the s'more,which only had one small bite at the corner, and then at Amethyst, who was leaning in and giving her a sort of grin that completed Amethyst's sentence for her. She nodded and held it out for Amethyst to take. When she did, Amethyst pulled her head back and dropped the s'more into her mouth. It was a minute of obnoxious chewing, and some pieces fell from her mouth.
"Gross," she commented with a grimace.
Amethyst chucked. "You know it." She pushed Peridot's shoulder a bit. "Ah, and you love it."
Yes… STARS, DON'T SAY A WORD! Peridot just nodded again, feeling sweat on her back of her neck.
Not yet. The timing was not quite right for now.
Amethyst rolled her eyes and turned over to the others. Peridot looked up.
They were talking about other things beside her, but whatever they were talking about likely didn't interest her. Instead, her thoughts occupied her attention.
As she observed the stars that glittered like newly formed gems, wondering how many she had passed in her short travels, she sneaked a lance at the gems and human sitting around her. Besides these feelings for Amethyst, there was this new one, being here at this quiet beach. This feeling of content, being around beings who helped and cared with sincerity and compassion to spare, albeit their reluctance in accepting her in the first place. They called her Peridot. She was not Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, numbers and letters that were so forgettable. Back home, she was nothing among a sea of other nothings.
Here… she was Peridot. Peri, P-dot, whatever other nickname Amethyst shot at her, because they all made her stomach feel lighter.
And with this soft feeling… yes, she was scared. It was a tight feeling in her chest that made her worry she'd explode or simply poof back into her gem. However, being on Earth, perhaps someday, things would turn out for the better. This planet did offer the unexpected, and she began accepting the patterns, or lack thereof, of this world.
As for Yellow Diamond…
She shook her head a little. Not that, not yet.
With the thought pushed aside, she glanced at the others, who were looking at the stars above or talking to each other. The feeling's word came to her, upon seeing these gems and human bonding: comfort.
"... I like it here."
They all turned to Peridot, reactions varying but mostly with wide eyes. She flinched away and felt a little sweat slip down her face. "W-what? Is that surprising?"
"In a way, I suppose," Pearl admitted with a laugh.
"Nonetheless, we're happy to hear that, Peridot." Garnet smiled.
Pearl turned from Garnet and back to Peridot, also smiling. "We are. Truly."
"So now you can never leave!" Amethyst popped in between Peridot and Steven, cackling. "Bwahahaha!"
Connie leaned in to Steven, shielding her mouth from the others with her palm. "I bet the s'mores convinced her," she said.
"They the best of snacks," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, with a chuckle under his breath.
"You still need to figure out where those stars are goin', girl! Psst, hey." Amethyst leaned onto Peridot, shoulder to shoulder, making the latter blush again. The Quartz continued in a whisper that was actually loud, "You should totally put them on your butt."
"We can hear you, you know!" Pearl cried out.
Steven snickered, and beside him, Connie bit her lip, fighting back from doing the same.
"Butt stars, huh?" Peridot grinned wickedly and let out her goofy laugh. While she did not plan to put the Crystal Gems' insignia in such an odd place, for this one occasion, she said to Amethyst, "Heh heh, so would that be one star, or should I get two; one for each cheek?"
Now Connie joined in with Steven, the two falling back and clutching their chests as they slipped into loud bursts of laughter. Pearl groaned and smacked her face, mumbling something about Amethyst being a bad influence. Garnet only gave her a smile of pearly whites. Amethyst fell on Peridot while letting out insane laughter, making Peridot fall onto the grass with a yelp.
"Oh, man. You're a riot, Peridot."
Peridot tried not to notice the lack of distance between them, or the feeling of Amethyst's locks on her face, or how this reminded her of that incident after she saved Amethyst from the drill. She just smiled and said, "Well, good thing I'm not leaving, right?"
Amethyst gazed down at her for a moment, her face blank as if registering something. Then her eyes practically glowed, a genuine smile falling on her face. "Totally."
9k words! This is soooo much for me. I'm sorry but hopefully I don't need to be. I am glad people really like this and I hope you all continue to do so 3