The days went by, and the two gem roommates grew closer. Peridot got used to having a few things out of place, as that made Lapis happy. There were certain areas that Peridot was allowed to clean to her heart's content at any time. There were certain areas that Lapis was allowed to leave a mess. Harmony was achieved, and the defensive barriers they had both put up were starting to fade away.
Lapis liked to collect things. Seashells, shiny objects, and oddly, things that were reflective. Peridot liked to study things, which was unsurprising. Sure, collecting data was part of her programming, but she found that curiosity was a natural part of herself as well. The Earth was large and there was much to learn about it. Not to mention that little things were always changing, things that she could observe and study.
But there were other things, more intimate secrets, that started to make themselves known as the pair let their guard down and became more trusting.
They each had their own rooms, and there was a silent agreement that neither should intrude into the space that did not belong to them. They never said anything formal, but they developed a mutual respect of the personal area of the other. They tended to keep their doors shut, although sometimes one would forget and the other would try to sneak a peek. This was especially true of Peridot, who had a naturally curious nature.
Exploring the beach together had become a regular daily habit. Lapis would often get bored and fly off for several minutes or even hours, but Peridot would not usually have gone far by the time she came back. After all, Earth was constantly changing, and so many times the data she'd collected the day before would become invalid or require further study. Slowly but surely, she was expanding her research area around the house. She did find that being outdoors was much less boring than confining herself to their residence.
One day, however, Peridot was unable to locate the blue gem. Lapis had always mentioned when she would be leaving for an extended period, even though as her own free gem she didn't have to inform her roommate. But this time she hadn't. Peridot waited for her to return for hours, even calling for her on the beach and exploring farther than she'd ever gone before. Earth was still new and strange, and it could still hold unknown dangers for the both of them. Though Lapis could hold her own in a fight, she could still be prone to accidents or predators.
Tired from her search, Peridot worriedly returned home. Lapis still hadn't returned there. She thought about seeking the help of the Crystal Gems, and was just about to head to the warp pad when she thought of something. She hadn't thought to check Lapis' living space in the house. Of course, if she was there, she surely would have heard Peridot calling, right? But it was so odd that she hadn't said anything before departing. Perhaps she'd left a clue as to her whereabouts? It couldn't hurt to check, right?
She approached the door, putting her fingers on the knob before pausing to reconsider this action. Instead, Peridot raised her other hand, forming her fingers into a fist and knocking on the wood. "Lapis?" she called. "Lapis Lazuli?" she said, a little louder.
There was still no answer, and still no sign of her elsewhere, so Peridot slowly turned the knob and opened the door. There was still plenty of daylight left, and it shined from the bedroom into the doorway, a bit brighter than it did around the rest of the house. Peridot glanced around the room, her jaw dropping slowly and her eyes going wide as she observed dozens of shining, reflective objects scattered around the room. Most were adorned on the walls, but there were several on the ceiling and a few on the floor, as well as all furniture surfaces containing at least one piece each. They were various sizes, but they all seemed to be from shattered objects, none of them whole.
Amidst all of it was Lapis Lazuli.
Peridot paused, almost closing the door abruptly when she discovered the other gem. But something wasn't right. Lapis offered no response, no indication that she should leave. She didn't even acknowledge Peridot's presence, not even when she ventured to call her name again. The stillness in the room was unsettling.
Lapis was just standing there, staring at a wall of broken pieces of what could have been any combinations of reflective objects. Peridot could not identify all of them, either because the trinket was not available on Homeworld, or because the item was too broken to be recognizable.
"Lapis?" she called again, just to be sure the other gem couldn't hear her. Still nothing. She tentatively took a step inside, still wary of invading the other gem's privacy, but worried by her lack of movement or reaction to her name. This sort of behavior hadn't happened before that Peridot was aware of, and it was very unsettling.
She made her way across the small room until she was standing next to the blue gem. She considered what might be the best way to proceed. She walked all around Lapis, examining her body and gem for any damage. Every appeared normal, except… her eyes. Peridot could see her own reflection in them, the same as she could see her reflection in the many objects scattered around the room. Something was very, very wrong.
Peridot reached out a few tentative fingers, brushing them against Lapis' arm. She took her other hand and wave it in front of her face, but nothing was phasing her. She moved in front of her, trying to look into her eyes but only seeing herself. She grabbed both of her arms, shaking her a bit. "Lapis?" Her movements grew more forceful as nothing happened. "Lapis?!"
"Come on Lapis! This better not be a prank!" Peridot yelled, starting to frantically shake the other gem. This couldn't be happening. She had to be okay! Peridot called her name over and over, her volume rising as the blue gem continued to neither move nor respond. But nothing was working.
Peridot finally let her hands fall to her sides, staring into glasses eyes that gave no indication that Lapis was somewhere inside this body. She glanced around the room, looking for something that might be helpful, but there were just more reflective items as far as she could see. That was what seemed to have caused the problem in the first place, so it wouldn't be of any use.
Then it dawned on her. Peridot started tearing down all the reflections from the wall. At first she just used her fingers, but it was harder to control all ten in an organized manner, so she switched to her levitation beam, which proved much more effective. She wiped the wall clean, letting everything fall to the floor in her haste.
Once it was clear, she surveyed her work, panting from her efforts. She looked to Lapis, hopeful, and was devastated to find no change. Peridot moved to stand in front of her again, but Lapis' eyes still remained glossed over, continuing to hide the gem inside. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Peridot yelled, frustrated. She was shaking, both from fear and from exerting herself.
The green gem lowered her head. "Come on. Please. You have to come back to me." she stood, quietly staring down at the floor and all the shattered trinkets. She was panicked and numb, out of options and missing the one gem that had been a constant in her journey to make Earth her residence.
She made her way to the blue gem laid solidly in Lapis' back, ghosting over it with her fingers. "I know I haven't said it before, but I need you." she spoke to the gem. "The Crystal Gems, they just don't understand. You and I both come from Homeworld. They didn't want you and they didn't come back for me. We've both been abandoned." Peridot removed her visor with one hand, then let the arm fall limply at her side. "And believe it or not, I like spending time with you. I like being with you here. I don't know if I would have had the courage to explore the Earth without you. I still miss home- Homeworld- a lot. But Earth, and not just Earth, but here, with you, in this place… it was just starting to feel like home. It can't be home without you." Peridot leaned forward and sighed, letting her own gem rest against that of Lapis Lazuli. "I can't be home without you."
Her gem started to glow, and for a moment she felt like she was falling, sinking, being enveloped into something that wasn't herself. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor, Lapis looming over her. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but she was suddenly aware that her name was being called. "Peridot?" she remembered taking her visor off, and looked around for it. It was laying on the floor, just out of her reach, though she couldn't remember letting it go.
"Peridot?" Lapis said again, kneeling down next to the green gem. "Are you okay?"
"Lapis?" she said groggily, before it finally registered that she was there, actually talking to her now. She gasped, before leaping up and throwing her arms around the other gem, knocking her over. "Lapis! You're-" she looked down at the gem beneath her, realizing quickly how awkward of a position they were in. She clumsily got off, moving to sit on the floor. "You're okay!" Her eyes roved over Lapis, scared to believe it was really her.
"Yeah, it seems that way. What happened?" Lapis observed her living space, which appeared to have gone through some changes recently.
"You don't know?" Peridot asked incredulously.
"I remember we found that tidepool yesterday." Lapis described the events that had happened previously. "You wanted to stay but it was getting dark. You were upset about the solar cycle of the Earth. We came home and you went to analyze and log more data."
"And after that? What happened after that? To you?" Peridot pressed, hoping to find out more about Lapis' unsettling behavior.
The blue gem seemed distant when she spoke, but the fact that she was speaking at all put Peridot at ease. "All these things-" she gestured to the mess of glimmering objects in her room, "-they make me feel safe. I know the mirror was a prison, but it was home for a long time. When I was freed, I thought Homeworld would become my home again. But it didn't. I felt lost. Homeworld was no longer familiar, so I surrounded myself with things that were. My reflection. Reflections of things around me."
"You were just staring at that wall." Peridot pointed. "Well, it was full of those reflective things. You weren't moving. Your eyes they were… they looked… I could see myself in them." The events that had just happened seemed so recent, and yet so far in the past now that Lapis was here and talking with her. "You wouldn't talk to me. I was scared."
"You aren't wearing your visor." Lapis suddenly observed.
"I took it off when I was trying to get your attention." she used her levitation beam to bring it to her fingers so she could return it to her face. "You told me what happened with us yesterday, but not what happened with you."
Lapis looked uncertain, and for a few minutes she didn't answer. She looked around the room once more, as if seeking the answer Peridot asked for, but finding nothing that jogged her memory. "I don't know." she finally sighed. "Maybe a part of me looked at all these reflections and I thought I was trapped in the mirror again. But I can't remember anything. How long was I in here?" she rubbed her head, as if that might somehow help.
"Most of the day. I didn't know where you were. I searched the beach for you. I thought maybe you'd just… left. A part of me was afraid you might be gone for good. I know Steven built this home for us, but, you don't have to stay. You have freedom to go. You have before, for days. If you decided not to come back, or if something happened and you were harmed, I wouldn't know." Peridot laced her floating fingers together, staring down at them.
"Peridot?" The blue gem scooted closer until they were next to each other. "I want to stay. I still like exploring the Earth. But it's more fun when you're with me. I promise, I won't leave you. I could never do that. This is OUR home. Not just yours. Not just mine. But ours. Together. I want things to stay that way. But only if that's what you want too."
"Being with you has made me happier than I ever was on Homeworld. I didn't realize it until we started spending more time together. Now I don't know what I'd do if you disappeared or left. What I'm trying to say is, yes. I do want those things too."
Lapis wrapped an arm around Peridot. "I'm glad. I'm sorry for what happened. I'm sorry I worried you."
Peridot was surprised by the gesture, but she did not find it unpleasant. "I'm relieved you're okay now."
The two sat for several moments in silence, thinking about the things they'd both said. Lapis was the one to finally break the quiet. "Do you still want to go to out?"
"Are you sure you'd be up for that?" Peridot sounded concerned.
"The fresh air will be good for me." Lapis replied.
"Alright. If you're sure." Peridot stood up, offering a hand to Lapis.
The blue gem got to her feet with help from her roommate. "You'll be there if anything happens to me. Right?"
"Always." The green gem replied with a smile.
The two didn't notice as they left the house that they were still holding hands. Even if Earth didn't quite feel like home yet, this little part of it- the part that they shared together- was good enough for now.