School came back around too fast. That was a shared upon realization that had all of the high schoolers dragging their feet and mumbling about winter break "never being long enough" or how plans hadn't quite worked out. Peridot fully acknowledged and indulged in said practice as well, all too efficient at annoying the hell out of Amethyst and Jasper alike about how they should just be seniors already.
Lapis, however... If she was upset about class being back in full bloom, she was a master at disguising her disliking of it. In fact, if Peridot was going completely insane - which was a very real possibility - she'd have sworn Lapis was glad to be back.
And that upbeat nature wasn't deterred, it seemed, even when lunch came around. Peridot found herself crammed between Lapis - pressed into her, really, to avoid what was happening just to her left - and an overly handsy, back together since immediately following Christmas, Amethyst and Pearl. Directly across from them sat Ruby and Sapphire, who were lost in their own world for the time being.
Peridot tried to eat, she really did. But every time she brought a fork or her water bottle up, someone moved and caught her in said motion which eventually had her scowling and considering just up and leaving. Not before saying a few choice words, of course.
She got it. She really did. Amethyst was an ecstatic ball of pent up glee at having her lover back, and since Pearl didn't seem nearly as uptight as normal about PDA, she was taking full advantage of it. But seriously.
Couldn't they sit at a different table or something for that?
She sighed and dropped her hands into her lap, chancing a glance at the clock that hung just above the cafeteria entrance. Damn. They still had just shy of fifteen minutes before the start of fifth period.
Lapis' elbow knocked her own, but this time she felt the genuine intent and looked up. Her eyes met gentle, rolling blue, and Lapis cocked her head to the side, indicating the barely ghosted over salad Peridot had been trying to nibble on.
"Not hungry?" she mouthed, and the smaller girl shook her head in response. It was easier to lie than complain, especially since -again - Lapis was in such a decent mood. She really didn't want to be the reason the older girl went back to her little bubble of undiagnosed depression.
But then Lapis was frowning that signature frown that had her forehead creasing and her lower lip becoming something of a pout. And before Peridot could refuse, a grape was being pressed against her lips.
She gasped, caught off guard, and the motion left just enough room for Lapis to slip the small fruit into her mouth, fingertips brushing against her lips before pulling back almost as suddenly.
Peridot just stared. And felt her entire upper body burn in the most unpleasant of ways that had her skin itching as it deepened in shade. She had to jerk her gaze to the side, focusing on a single tile beneath a nearby table, before she could start chewing slowly, purposefully. She wanted to reach up and run her own finger over her lips, if only to confirm it was real, but the feeling of those never-ending eyes following her every motion made it too embarrassing and too uncomfortable.
What made it worse was the very sudden and unexplainable way Lapis touched her thigh beneath the table, just out of sight. She nearly bit her tongue and choked at the very same time, saved only by the dull "Oof" she managed as her body harshly jerked forward, stomach colliding with the table's edge.
Lapis' hand retracted immediately, and both Ruby and Sapphire looked up at the sound as if Peridot had just thrown herself from a window.
"Uh... You okay there, Peridot?" Ruby questioned, and though an amused smile tugged at her lips she still managed to come off as concerned.
Peridot could only nod, face so hot she was certain she could replace the sun for a day. Lapis' hand returned, but only to rub a strange shape against her back as if in reassurance. Poor reassurance, but reassurance none the less.
Of course Amethyst had to pipe up, probably completely oblivious to whatever Peridot had actually done but having to say something. Her lips broke away from the already bruised nape between shoulder and neck across Pearl's pale skin long enough to murmur, "Let Lapis kiss it better," before returning.
Peridot barely caught her tongue before several snappy retorts managed to break free.
Lapis, however, simply snorted in amusement and took said advise. She leaned down without warning and pressed a chaste kiss to the outer shell of Peridot's right ear, smirking when the younger girl physically tensed and slammed her forehead down onto the table, by some miracle missing her tray by a centimeter. Ruby didn't even try to control the burst of laughter that bubbled up. Sapphire remained silent, but Peridot could feel the smirk.
Kill me now, she mused silently.
But even she couldn't help the tiny smile that threatened to appear across her features.
She had approximately ten minutes to relax before her mother called her down for piano recital. Ten minutes before she accepted the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't good enough. She called Lapis during that ten minutes, if only to not be alone.
The phone rang once, thrice, a total of six times before Lapis answered. But even then, she could barely hear the girl.
"Hello?" Lapis questioned, and in the immediate background alone Peridot could easily make out two... no, three different retro game music tracks. More muffled but still there was the drone of shrill, childlike voices and the occasional ding of something electronic.
Peridot furrowed her brow. "Hey. Where are you?"
She made out something along the lines of 'work' before Peridot guessed the phone was tugged away and Lapis took a second to yell something out that didn't resemble any sort of English Peridot had ever heard before.
"What?" she questioned, sitting up straighter atop her sheets and switching the cellphone from her left to right ear. Not that it made things any easier.
Lapis could be heard muttering something before the loudest metal door in history slammed open then closed and the fading music and noise became just that, faded. An after thought.
"Okay, sorry, I wasn't expecting you to call," Lapis explained. "I said I'm at work. I got a part time job at Smiley's."
"But I thought you were working at The Big Donut."
"I am."
The blonde's mouth floundered a moment as her mind caught up. "Wait, so, you have two jobs? Why?"
She could just picture the way Lapis did that whole nonchalant shrug as if everything was crystal clear. "Why not? Got to have something to do. Plus, I'm saving, you know that."
Peridot frowned and switched ears again. "That doesn't mean working yourself to death. Doesn't The Big Donut already take up all your time? And what about school?"
"Relax. I've got it under control. I work here on Tuesdays and Saturdays, there on Mondays and Thursdays, and the rest of the week is mine."
The blonde's frown deepened. "But I though Saturdays were sort of like... You know... Our days."
A pause, a heartbeat long enough for regret to blossom in the pit of Peridot's stomach. She was being needy, she told herself. Better stop that right in it's tracks before it even began.
A sigh. "Peri, I've got it. My hours aren't that long so we can still hang out in the afternoons." The hint of a smile laced into her next words. "Especially if you're willing to sneak and be out past bedtime."
The younger girl scoffed indignantly. "I don't have a bedtime!"
"Mhm, sure," came the immediate, unconvincing reply. It sounded like Lapis was walking further from the dock; Peridot could no longer make out anything that even remotely sounded like an arcade. "So? You willing to be a badass, or is your conscience too pure for that?"
Peridot rolled her eyes and leaned back on her free hand, looking up at the bare ceiling. "I'm ninety percent sure I've already been a quote unquote badass for you. This. Us. Is it okay to even call it that?"
She heard a snicker through the speaker and silently scolded the wall for her own, too unsure self. But she was being partially serious. It was still an adjustment, the thought that there was an "us" happening in the weirdness of their interactions.
"Yes, us," Lapis clarified, and the way she spoke it so certainly had a strange but nice thrill running down Peridot's spine. "And I agree. You have been bold. Wanna try bolder?"
A thin eyebrow shot up, the playful tone to Lapis' voice causing her to smile despite herself. "How?"
Lapis hummed into the phone and for a moment Peridot just listened to the sound and closed her eyes, relaxing a bit at the familiarity and the odd way Lapis somehow calmed her without either trying nor even realizing that's what was needed.
Until she spoke again. And then Peridot's face was burning and she was quietly calling Lapis a bunch of unkind things in her embarrassment. "For starters... What're you wearing, baby?
Lapis laughed outright and Peridot nearly did too even in her surprised and slightly baffled state. Until her name was being called, from downstairs. Which meant her ten minutes of freedom was up and she had a reality she hated to step back into.
"I gotta go," she murmured, slipping from her bed and making her way to the door. She stopped with her hand on the door handle.
"Aw," Lapis huffed, and Peridot could hear the actual disappointment there even as she joked, "Already? Am I that bad at sexy talk?"
The blonde chuckled quietly and shook her head. "Yes, you are. But seriously. Maybe we can grab something to eat later? I'll be done with practice in an hour. When do you get off?"
"Normally three times a week."
It took a moment, but the joke clicked. Only after Lapis had started snickering like a fifth grader, though. Peridot scoffed and snapped out, "Oh ha ha. So mature," even as her neck warmed in embarrassment.
She could once more picture Lapis shrugging, grin firmly in place and eyes twinkling mischievously. "I'll text you when, okay? It'll probably be later, though, so you might have to pick something up and meet me somewhere."
Peridot nodded, heard her mother shout her name again. "Okay, sounds good. See ya soon."
"Bye."
Peridot smiled gently, easing the door open. "Bye to you, too."
Hey guys! So yay, finally back. Sorry this one is both a bit shorter and maybe slightly different in it's tone. Maybe the more upbeat atmosphere will be good for our poor Lapidot ship.
Two things. One, I'm sorry in advance if there's more errors than normal. I'm typing on my phone and don't have as much time as I'd like so plenty of mistakes are bound to pop up. And two, even though I am back I can't promise consistent posts. Really bad at that.
Thank everyone who's stuck around/ just found this, it means so much that you guys are supporting me even now!
Well... I think that's it guys. See ya in the next update! -LL