Chapter Text
The planet was dark — uncomfortably so. Even with Peridot and Pearl illuminating their gems, the shadows suffocated them, shifting in every corner.
Garnet, Amethyst, and Bismuth trailed behind; the latter lugging around an uncomfortably large containment chamber that threatened to hit the rest of them in the head with each turn. Lapis didn't offer much assistance, but Steven was busy with Connie, and Little Homeworld was under control: there wasn't anywhere else she needed to be.
"With my experience on this terrain, finding the artifacts shouldn't be much of an issue. Just stay close," Peridot drawled, fingers dancing across the screen that hovered a few meters away from her face, "the tech here is obscenely outdated. Who knows what could reactivate."
The group inched closer to Peridot in a protective circle, earning an exasperated sigh from the little gem. She continued on anyways.
"So, walk me through it again," Bismuth hefted the container onto her other shoulder, rolling her head, "we're looking for a malfunctioning storage device, about yay high, that's a bright glowing pink?" She waved her free hand vaguely, leaning down to Peridot's side.
"Close. However, due to the outdated technology, the artifact required constant dedicated protection," when Bismuth met her with a blank stare, Peridot sighed and raised her tablet, "this preceded the invention of destabilizing fields."
"Yikes, you weren't kidding, Tiny… this place is old."
"I never 'kid.'"
Peridot tilted her head up to the crumbling ceiling and walls, inscribed with symbols and glyphs that were unfamiliar to her as an Era 2 gem. As they moved further ahead, the script grew more erratic and illegible, until ending completely with a splat of magenta ink. She frowned at the sight and continued ahead, opting to ignore the anxious murmurs behind her.
"What was that?"
Amethyst's whisper echoed through the hall, voice bouncing back with a hint of distortion that sent a shiver down Peridot's back. She angled her head to level the purple gem with a frustrated glare, only to find — nothing. No one.
Any other gem would have been scared. Any other gem would have cried for help, try to locate her group, get lost. Peridot was not any other gem.
She flicked her wrist, and in the blink of an eye, a flash capsule unhooked from her belt and smashed against the ground, filling the space with blinding white light. A cacophony of throaty yowls and screeches erupted into the air, revealing the position of the aforementioned dedicated protection. Surrounding her and the rest of her (now visible) startled companions, was a troop of onyx-black insectoid quadrupeds that seemed to shift as if they were part of the darkness itself.
They lacked gems. Those are the minions, Peridot mused, they always protect the mother.
She called out over the chaos in a level voice, "The artifact is close! The protectors are projected from it!" Her head spun to meet the eyeless visage of one of the creatures just in time, the light from her gem sizzling against its not-skin and sending it back into the darkness with a keening wail, "MOVE!"
The corridor seemed never ending, each turn splitting into more branching paths that threatened to lead them astray, but Peridot knew better. Peridot was better. She turned on her heel at each corner, dropping a flash capsule from her belt in ten-second intervals to further deter the creatures on their tails. She trusted the other gems to follow, even amidst their shouts of effort and clashing of weapons. Sure enough, the halls began to grow more and more pink, until they were practically bathed in magenta light. She didn't doubt her own directions, of course, but it was a relief to know she didn't screw up horribly and shatter all of her closest friends.
Eventually, the protectors shied away, deterred by the vibrant pink light that bounced off of the walls, leaving them in relatively peaceful silence. Peridot clutched her chest in an attempt to quell her trembling hands, "Is everyone in one piece?"
Her companions offered varying hums and nods of affirmation, Lapis' drawn out "Ee-yup" putting a bemused smile onto Peridot's face. She offered her own nod of affirmation and continued on.
She turned the corner into a room of medium size, the walls illuminated to the point of appearing completely flat, with an elliptical white entity hovering in the very center on a plinth. Peridot puffed her chest out and gestured to the artifact with a smirk of pride, "This room is perfectly safe, so we can take our time," Peridot jabbed her index finger in Bismuth's direction with a bit of unnecessary flair, "Bismuth! You know what to do!"
The gem in question returned the acknowledgement with a smile and a thumbs-up, hefting the container up with both of her hands and tilting it just beneath the artifact, angling it just enough to slip it under and around. Peridot pulled the cap from her belt and raised it into the air, "Lapis! Can you get this?"
The aforementioned gem flicked out her wings and received the cap, offering a lame salute and pumping her wings to get closer to the top.
She steadied herself on the edge of the container, wrapping her wings around its sides to slip the cap on. Click.
"LAPIS!"
Another click, following Garnet's shout. Another click, another, another. Bismuth swung the container around the room in a hefty sweeping motion with a yelp of panic, shining blinding light onto the source of the noise. Peridot's stomach dropped.
Another insectoid creature, moving with eight legs rather than four, braced itself flat against the ground and arched its long, bulbous, segmented pink tail over its own back —
— right into Lapis' chest. Pop.
She didn't think, rushing forward to retrieve her friend's gem that dropped unceremoniously to the ground. A flash capsule shot out from her belt like a bullet, replacing pink with white and eliciting a horrible wail from the creature. She slinked out of the chaos and ignored the tumult of her team, attempting to gather herself.
This area was safe. This area was SUPPOSED to be safe. Since when was there another type of guardian here? A guardian immune to light? No, this wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't how I planned it, I didn't think—
A cloud of dust engulfed her vision, an involuntary squeak of bewilderment escaping her throat as she whipped around to observe the aftermath.
Bismuth and Amethyst held the container protectively off to the side, while Garnet and Pearl observed the gem that clattered to the ground. Garnet leaned down first, examining the luminous gem with a curious eye, "Hackmanite."
Pearl covered her mouth with a hand, looking rather downtrodden, "She must have been down here absorbing this light for ages. No wonder she's so bright…"
"All that matters is that we have the artifact," Garnet encased the gem in a bubble and sent it off, "we can go back now."
Peridot held Lapis' gem close to her chest and kept quiet, grinding her teeth in frustration. Unbelievable, her grip tightened around the gem, I'm a terrible friend. I should have paid more attention to the recon notes. I should have gone and checked myself. I shouldn't have even let her come.
A hint of pink caught her eye, glinting brightly off of her roommate's gem.
Peridot tilted her head, trying to get a better look at it.
Odd.
—
Her consciousness swam with half-formed thoughts; colors, shapes, noises that barely made words. The nothingness within the confines of her gem began to glow with a soft blue light. She was coming back.
Black turned to blue, blue turned to white, white turned to — pink. Pink. Bright, all encompassing, overwhelming pink.
She felt something soft beneath her hands as she returned to the physical world. Her eyes fixed on the bedding she was resting on, until another sensation registered. A sound.
"Lapis! Oh, Lapis, you're back," came the shrill voice from behind her, "I expected you to take much longer, you're usually more particular with your form, but—" her words caught in her throat, "What am I saying, who cares! I'm so sorry, I should never have brought you along, I-I never would have if I knew that chamber was infested with a corrupted gem, I'm so—"
The voice seemed to fade out as Lapis turned to meet her friend's eyes. She'd seen them more times than she'd seen the back of her own hands, and yet… something seemed different.
There was a warmth emanating from Peridot's face as she spoke, brows furrowed and hands tightly clasped together to keep from shaking. She looked anything but happy, but she was glowing.
We're made of light. Of course she glows. But, this…
Lapis gently placed her hands over Peridot's, feeling her own expression soften, "It's okay. You couldn't have known." The words felt odd, foreign in her mouth. She did truly forgive Peridot, but the sweetness of her tone was not the intended effect. Her breath hitched.
The little gem's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she still nodded; if reluctantly.
"I've still got to examine your gem. With all of the light distortion occurring in that entire structure, among other things, it only makes sense to give you a check-up."
Lapis felt like her mind was moving through swamp-water: sluggish and blurry. She nodded dumbly in return, unable to peel her eyes away from Peridot's face. She found herself leaning forward, just to see all the details — since when were her friend's eyes so alluring?
"So, uh… you can go ahead and lay down, now."
Lapis furrowed her brows in confusion, but wordlessly complied, her hands lingering on Peridot's for just a moment before she rested flat on her stomach. She felt exceptionally disconnected to the world even for the standards of a typical reformation, an odd pink haze clouding her mind. Moments later, she felt a warm hand resting over her back, and she shivered on instinct. Warmth flooded her cheeks and she tilted her head down with an embarrassed huff in an attempt to hide it. What?
"Oh, yikes."
"What's wrong, doc?" Lapis drawled out from beneath the mop of hair covering her face, a cheerful trill to her voice that most certainly wasn't there before. She cleared her throat and covered her mouth, embarrassed by her own tone. Why was she so flustered? It's just Peridot.
Peridot...
"I'm not Doc. I'm not any of the rubies. I don't know where she is, but she's not here," Peridot snickered under her breath at her own joke and Lapis felt like it was the most beautiful sound in the world, "as for what's wrong… uh… you're a perfect cut."
"You think I'm perfect?" Something shot through her like a bolt of lightning, a storm of emotions she had never really felt before swelling at the forefront of her mind. She knew exactly what Peridot meant, why did her mind twist it in that way?
"Well, yes? Gemetically speaking, your cut is perfect," Peridot's tone grew slanted and anxious, making Lapis frown, "which is why I should not be seeing anything in your gem but blue. Not gold, not yellow, and definitely not… pink."
Just above her head, she felt Peridot place something down. Gingerly, she raised her head and stared forward, met with an odd image on Peridot's tablet: her gem. Within her gem, there was a scattering of nearly invisible pink flecks. She wished to observe further, but Peridot's face came into view and Lapis snapped her gaze to it, unable to look away. She was worrying her lip and wringing her hands, looking far too nervous for Lapis' comfort. She wanted to take that worry away. What was scaring her so bad, anyway?
"A-and— I don't know exactly what it means, or if it will have any adverse effects, but I got Steven to come by right away and try to heal it, but it wouldn't go away, and I— I just…" Peridot sucked in a breath and averted her gaze, which Lapis tilted her entire body in an attempt to follow, "I don't know what to do. I'm sorry."
"You always know what to do," Lapis didn't spare a moment of thought, pushing herself up to her knees and gently cupping Peridot's soft face in her hands, "you're so smart."
"Wow, thanks," her anxious expression faded a little, leaving fragile positivity, "but, um, there's not much I can do right now. I've got to go to class — don't worry, I cancelled yours, — and handle the artifact containment. But I'll be back soon."
Lapis felt an odd emptiness carve its way into her chest at Peridot's departure. She had felt loneliness before, the crushing weight of solitude both involuntary and self-inflicted. But this was different. Before she could think, her hand shot out and gripped Peridot’s wrist desperately, words that weren’t her own crawling slowly out of her throat like the very corrupted gem that had dissipated her form:
"I'll come with you."
"Uh, what?"
"I'll come with you."
Peridot snickered, "Good one! I see you're working on your 'sarcasm.' You'll be just as good as Amethyst one day."
Lapis promptly ignored her and rose from the mattress, still unsteady on her feet. Peridot opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced as Lapis lurched forward onto her, wrapping her in an awkwardly tight hug. The taller gem let out a hum of contentedness and let the tension leave her body, despite Peridot's wiggles of protest.
"Um, okay— you weren't practicing sarcasm just then, were you? Right, well," Peridot grunted with effort and pushed Lapis away, resting a hand on her lower arm for comfort, "if we want to make it in time, we're going to need to 'break a leg.'"
Lapis pulled her hand up so she could hold Peridot's, tugging her as close as possible before Peridot left their house. Peridot winced from the motion, "What's up with you?"
Lapis opened her mouth, unable to produce words. She glanced down at their linked hands and felt an electric shock course through her body. What is up with me?
"I…" Lapis kept up pace, still glued to Peridot's side, "I miss you so much."
Peridot raised a brow, leveling Lapis with a skeptical eye, "We live in the same building."
"But you're always teaching, or taking care of plants, or spending time with — not me," the words tumbled out as if her tongue had a mind of its own, "and you're just so great, I could never imagine spending my time with anyone else, and…"
"Okay, I get it; I am great and lovable," Peridot lifted a hand to cut her off, "but, we need to get to class."
"Of course. Anything for you." Lapis leaned down and lifted Peridot up without a second thought, ignoring her yip of surprise. She was so small, and warm, and… class. They needed to get to class. Right. Even as she unfurled her wings, her head was light from the close contact. She'd never felt that way before, but she was too caught up in the feeling to take note of it. The warmth was comforting. Intoxicating. Addicting. She never wanted to let go, she—
—was about to crash into the greenhouse.
Her steady flight swerved sporadically, sending her careening straight into the glass. She twisted at the last moment, preventing Peridot from colliding with the wall and allowing her shoulder to take the brunt of the damage. The glass remained intact, but not without the terribly loud, wet thwap of her wings hitting the glass and sending a tremor across the clear surface.
In her daze, she vaguely remembered Peridot talking about reinforcing the glass. "Volleyball gets really intense down on the beach," she recalled her roommate's voice fondly, "you wouldn't believe how far those spheres will go if they exit the court!"
"LAPIS!"
She was jerked back to the present with a frantic shake of the shoulders, peering up to see Peridot's wonderful face examining her with worry. The ache in her side vanished, and her chest swelled with warmth that threatened to burst out of her ribs.
"Wh— What happened? You've never crashed before, not even after the last time you reformed, there's — there's definitely something wrong," she rested one of her small, shaking hands against Lapis' collarbone, and tugged anxiously at her hair with the other, "I-I can't cancel class so suddenly, but I'll bring you inside with me. I won't let anyone bother you."
Lapis wordlessly got to her feet, brushing off her pants, and wrapped her arms around Peridot's waist with a contented sigh, "you're so wonderful to me."
"Right, yes, please don't suffocate me."
"Uh," Lapis blinked, pulling her arms away as if she'd been burned, "okay, sure."
There was an uncomfortable sensation squirming around along her spine. It reminded her of the times she'd woken up in the barn with insects on her. Peridot would come in and gently return them to the outdoors, always so considerate and kind even to the smallest and most insignificant of organisms, always wonderful without even trying. The sensation returned; softer, this time. Warmth trickling up her back and into her head, clouding her mind. A spike of panic momentarily rose in her chest, before settling back down, like the crashing of a wave against a cliffside.
Her head hurt. Without thinking, she wrapped her hand around Peridot's and felt the pain dissipate.
…Something is wrong.
"Alright, you already know where your spare hammock is in here, but if you can't fly, I can carry you," Peridot clenched and unclenched her free hand anxiously, "I just want to keep an eye on you. I'm, er— kind of worried."
"You're so kind," Lapis breathed out, unable to take her eyes off the little gem, "I'll do whatever you need." What am I saying?
"What I need you to do right now," Peridot attempted to pull away to no avail, "is let go of me, and lay down."
Lapis met her friend's eyes with uncanny intensity, sending a shiver down Peridot's spine. For the first time since Lapis had woken up, Peridot really looked into her eyes.
If she were intimately aware of Lapis' appearance — which she most certainly was — Her eyes were not usually speckled with pink.
"I want to stay."
"If you were to stay, I'd be getting dozens of questions about why there's a delirious Lazuli welded to my arm," Peridot stated matter-of-factly with a raised finger, "and that is not a desirable outcome."
"You're just… so… warm, and soft, and…" Her words trailed off into a low hum. Lapis felt her body lurch forward without input as she raised one hand to cup her friend's cheek, fixated on the wonderful face in front of her. She couldn't let go, she never wanted to let go.
"N— no," She ripped her hands off of Peridot and clutched her stomach, "there's something wrong, Peridot. I don't know what's happening, I don't know why I want to—need to— stay with you, I…"
Lapis shied away, head against the wall and hands digging painfully into her midsection. She didn't have a heart, but if she did, she'd be tearing it out with the way it was making her feel. Peridot inched forward, trembling hands raised placatingly as if approaching an injured animal. Her brows shot up over her glasses.
"Lapis, your—" she rushed forward, closing the distance, and pressed her little hands up against the small of Lapis' back, "your gem, it's— it's glowing."
Lapis' breath hitched at the contact, whipping her head around to meet Peridot's frightened eyes with her own, only to find they were obscured by the bright pink light illuminating from her spine and reflecting off of Peridot's sharp glasses. She craned her neck to get a better look at her own gem, only able to see the very edges of its flickering blue and pink form. Peridot had shown her a photograph, but it was far more jarring to see with her own eyes. Magenta slivers creeped along the inside of the gem, painting small but significant imperfections in her otherwise perfect cut.
Peridot spoke before she could, "Students are coming in, I— I need to work, are you going to be…?"
Lapis felt her chest seize at the look Peridot was giving her; wide pleading eyes that made Lapis' mind cloud over. She didn't spare a moment of thought, reaching out to clasp her friend's hands and offering a reassuring smile and nod. Peridot returned the smile, if crookedly, and released her grip. Something unnaturally cold remained in the spot where they'd touched, her hand remaining still in the air as varying Little Homeschool attendees flooded the room.
—
"While the average greenhouse is intended to regulate temperatures across the entire space to accommodate to one particular condition of plant growth," Peridot performed a broad, sweeping gesture across the room with one arm, "I cleverly decided that one space should be able to inhabit multiple types of plants; especially to fulfill the purpose of what an educational setting should fulfill, without requiring us to hike up a mountain just to see some galanthus!"
A student — a returning one from last "semester" — raised his hand to speak. Peridot nodded in his direction, and he jabbed his index finger at Lapis, who presently had a death grip around Peridot's arm, "Why is Ms. Lazuli here, are we gonna do, like, an art project?"
Peridot couldn't help it. She felt her eye twitch on instinct and she grimaced, "No. Lapis is observing today. Does anyone have any relevant questions?" she shot a pointed glare in his direction before observing the rest of her students, which was difficult with Lapis' blue bangs draped over her field of vision.
Another student gingerly raised her hand, speaking slowly and meekly, "Uh, how do you keep the temperature okay for the plants with changing seasons?"
Peridot lit up, catching Lapis' attention. It made her feel warm; she wanted to make Peridot that happy.
"I am glad you asked! Allow me to explain," she scuttled over to the end of the greenhouse, Lapis stumbling to keep pace, and waved her free hand at a neatly arranged string of clear pipes trailing along the wall and ceiling, "Lapis will come in when the seasons begin to shift and regulate the temperature of the water that flows through the greenhouse," she grit her teeth as Lapis leaned down further, leaving her to struggle with the taller gem's body weight constricting her. She hummed contentedly into Peridot's hair, "I'd have her demonstrate, b-but she's not very — cooperative right now, and—"
"For stars' sake—" Peridot jerked away from Lapis' grasp, growling quietly, "Quit smothering me."
"But I love you."
Peridot's mouth hung open, staring blankly ahead at Lapis' gentle expression. She was moments away from telling Lapis to get out, but she knew better. Something was wrong.
"Peridot. We need some help."
Garnet.
The gem in question stood in the greenhouse doorway with her lips drawn in a tight line. She had definitely heard that. As she looked around the class, she realized from their awkward expressions that they had also heard that.
She was willing to take an excuse to leave. She did not want to spend any more time here than necessary, but she owed her class respect. Especially not with Lapis behaving so erratically, she fretted wordlessly, I'm sure it will wear off.
"Yes, it's urgent."
Peridot sighed gratefully, despite the noises of displeasure that passed through the group of students.
"Lapis, why don't you stay here and rest up?" Lapis snapped her eyes down to Peridot's, who flinched at such a quick response. Her voice quieted, already embarrassed by the scene Lapis caused moments ago. "Your gem is worrying me, and I don't want your symptoms to progress any further than they already have—"
Peridot didn't catch the way Garnet shifted uncomfortably in her peripheral.
"I'll stay with you."
"Lapis, I don't—"
"NO!" Lapis shouted, voice raised louder than Peridot had ever heard from her before. She seemed startled by her own volume, the anger in her eyes melting into confusion. Upon seeing Peridot shrink in fear, the confusion was flooded out by guilt and Lapis' hands curled tightly against her arm. She felt the hum of her roommate's gem through her wrist like a pulse — quick, fearful. She hated it. She hated that she caused it.
"She won't cause any trouble, Peridot. You may bring her along." Garnet butted in, her voice uncharacteristically tense. Hushed whispers filled the room, a Nephrite towards the back coughing into her fist awkwardly.
Peridot stared ahead blankly, wincing at the tightness of Lapis' grip on her arm. She opened her mouth as if to protest, before meeting Lapis' fretful gaze and sighing. She nodded to Garnet and pointedly ignored her murmuring students.
Shooing everyone out of the greenhouse as quickly as possible, she used her metal powers to turn the lock once she was outside. As she turned around, leaning to the side to see past Lapis' towering form, she caught sight of Garnet's furrowed brows and pursed lips.
Ugh.