Peridot sat miserably on the edge of little homeschool, admiring the bustling city bellow as her mind clogged with intrusive thoughts.
Since Steven had left, she hadn't exactly felt.. herself. She felt as if all the self worth Steven had taught her had suddenly vanished along with him, and now more than ever, she felt defective and useless, nothing but a complex burden to the rest.
She was interrupted mid thought by the gentle swish of a door behind her, then the soft tap of Lapis' golden sandals as she crept up from behind. "Peri..?" She whispered her pet name soothingly, her face contorted with concern. "Bismuth said you were up here."
Peridot really wasn't too sure what to say. Lapis had so many problems of her own that it didn't seem fair to dump hers on her. She'd been trapped in a mirror, imprisoned, forgotten and used, and Peridot could only compete with unexplained feelings of self doubt.
The air shifted from warm to humid, the sticky apprehension growing more tense as unspoken emotions started to crackle like fireworks. After a silent moment of more thinking, Peridot finally spoke up.
"Yup.. she was right, I'm up here. Alone. Heh.."
Lapis' eyes dimmed with concern as she studied the moping gem's form. She looked mentally and physically exhausted, her tired eyes dull of all color with her shoulders slumped as she pitifully looked downcast.
"Hey.." Lapis murmured again, taking another few steps forward as she moved to sit beside her. "Do you wanna talk?" She asked quietly, placing a reassuring touch on her shoulder. Peridot sighed, nudging her hand off of her as she hunched over lower, pools of tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, but.. I don't want to bother you with my issues." She said with a small voice as she placed a hand on her chest, looking to her with a face full of sorrow.
Lapis paused, her stomach twisting. "Peri.. you're hurting?"
Peridot gave a subtle nod, not fully meeting her stare as the corners of her mouth began to quiver. She felt awful for opening up to Lapis, for adding another task of worry to her list, but at the same time, she just wanted her comfort; and her hugs. Those were the best.
"You don't need to hide anything," Lapis noted with a small chuckled, reaching down to grasp the worried gem's hand. "You don't need to worry about hurting me with your problems. I'll always be here to listen, ok?" She finished with a muse, gazing at her with star filled eyes. Peridot's face flushed a deep shade of green at the contact, sparks of bliss pricking at her heart. "Thanks, Lapis, I'm.. really glad you're here."
Now it was her turn to change color, the soft blue of her cheeks now dipping to a bright navy as her comment released butterflies of giddiness inside of her. "Me too.." She responded with a slight grin, rubbing her fingers along her knuckles as she let out another sigh. "So.." Lapis started again, "tell me what's going on."
Peridot took a sharp breath, squeezing her hand in return as she began to open up. "I-It's pretty stupid. I just- haven't been feeling like I mean much lately, like, I'm just in the way all the time.." She trailed, feeling Lapis' hand creep up to her shoulder as she began to stroke her pale hair.
"Im practically worthless without my limb enhancers. I know I lost those years ago, but I can't help but think about how much they meant to me, how much they made me. I'm pretty..useless.. without them." She finished with a shrill whine, resting her head in both hands mournfully.
Lapis gave a small nod, shifting close to the green gem. "Don't ever think you're useless, Peridot." She smiled, ruffling her hair playfully and achieving a small giggle from her in response. "You mean a lot to all of us.. and me." She ended with a whisper, wrapping a lanky arm around Peridot and bringing her close.
"I'm glad you opened up, I don't like seeing you upset. I'm not too sure what else to say, honestly, so.. I hope hugs work." The blue gem said, stringing another arm over her torso as she searched for the familiar feel of her companion's hand.
Their fingers twined together, and Peridot gave a slight purr, nestling under the crook of Lapis' arm as she leaned close. "Hugs always work." She commented with a grin, adoring the taller gem with sappy green eyes.
"Thanks again, Lapis, I'm glad to have a friend like you." Yet as the words rolled off her tongue, the term 'friend' didn't sound right, and she wondered if Lapis thought the same from the look in her eyes.
Either way, she was beyond thankful to have her by her side, Peridot thought, pressing closer to the blue gem as she demanded affection. Lapis bent a bit and nuzzled her gem, planting a tender kiss to the triangular stone, to which she blushed madly in response.
Maybe there was more between them than friendship.
A/N: I'm running out of ideas and taking requests! Also, the sequels to both "I'm fine, are you?" And "If I die trying" are in the making, just need to get the motivation to finish them!

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Lapidot one-shots
FanfictionIMPORTANT NOTE: none of these are related! They are all different scenarios and aren't linked to each other at all unless hinted otherwise!! I've had these locked up for months because of my fear of my friends finding them and teasing me. I'm the on...