Chapter Text
Steven always thought that there was a lot of unusual and unforgettable in his life, and that he could tell with his own confidence that he had seen a lot.
Crossing the threshold of his new home, he senses with the back of his spine that everything is just beginning, and a new school away from the usual environment - less what to expect. At least because he will have to live in the same house with Peridot, which he hadn’t seen for several years, but which suddenly reacted positively to the idea that he would live with her. Her apartment is within walking distance from the new school, and although Greg can afford to buy his son a whole apartment, he still decides that Steven will better live with old friend, somehow socializing.
Peridot just says that it will be cheaper and funny, and doesn’t even bother to talk to her neighbor before that. Lapis, who has been living with Peridot for a couple of months, doesn’t perceive the appearance of a teenager very well.
- You could have WARNED, - she snarls, slapping her hand on the table, and Steven shudders and looks with puppy eyes. - Your tongue wouldn’t fall off.
Peridot rubs her eyes under glasses and sighs. With Lapis you will never guess whether she will be nice all day or want to kill you since the morning.
- Steven, this is Lapis, she lives in that room. She is usually not seen and not heard, but today she crawled out… For some reason…
Lapis throws a spoon, and it lands behind Peridot.
- Don’t misinform people.
Steven smiles and rubs his head absently. He saw a lot of strange people, and thinks that he can get along with Lapis, if it is good to try. He gets along with Peridot, the nature of which is also quite difficult, but with which they found a common language almost from the first meeting, despite the difference in age as much as five years.
Lapis snorts and hides in her room, clapping the door loudly, and Peridot imitates “don’t misinform, blah blah” and puts the teapot, which in a couple of seconds begins to rustle loudly in a disgusting way.
- You probably like some special sort of tea, but personally I have only coffee, and Lapis has a green one, so you should buy your own. - Peridot takes out the mugs, and a second later, with a grin, turns to Steven, who is crouching in his backpack. - Although, what am I talking about. You probably already have it.
Steven laughs and snatches a couple of bags of flower tea from a backpack and a pack of marmalade bears.
- Your father is practically a millionaire, and you use tea bags. I won’t stop wondering about your family.
Peridot puts a mug of boiling water and a sugar bowl before him, and Steven pours a handful of marmalade into the mug and throws a teabag, which immediately smells pleasantly with flowers, whose name Peridot can’t remember in any way. She frowns when Steven pours another couple of spoons of sugar, but says nothing, sitting next to him. It’s not time for coffee yet, and it’s better not to take tea (especially green) from Lapis.
- He somehow agreed that living in a van with so much money isn’t a good idea, and moved to an apartment.
Steven takes a sip of tea and squinting contentedly. Peridot looks at him and tries to find out in him the teenager she saw last time a few years ago, even before entering the university. He grew up on two heads, he is taller than her and, look at him, he even pumped up some muscles.
And he still smiles carelessly and looks like the most naive being in the world.
- Well, I hope we won’t quarrel. More precisely, you won’t quarrel with Lapis, because you and I don’t quarrel at all.
- You somehow get along with her … - Steven shrugs and watches Peridot’s face change from surprise to barely perceptible embarrassment.
- I just sometimes do homework for her so that she won’t be kicked out of the university. She entered programming just like that, didn’t particularly get involved, and now she doesn’t want to go back to her parents. Well, and I don’t want to kill my nerves to get along with another new neighbor. Lapis can seem nervous, but she’s a good person.
- But you’re not going to tell her that in person?
- Hell no.
They laugh and spend the evening after questioning each other about how they lived at the time when they didn’t see each other or communicate; Lapis doesn’t appear long enough, and when she does, she sees in her pack of tea a new, different bag, and can’t help smiling. The first step to winning her heart goes quite well.