Work Text:
Lapis yawned and stretched out with a soft groan amongst the messy tangle of blankets atop her bed in the barn's loft. Slowly pushing the fog from her mind as she awoke. Sleeping was one Earth custom she'd really taken a liking to. At first the idea of losing consciousness for hours at a time had made her uneasy. But with some encouragement from Steven and Amethyst she'd decided to give it a try. She'd found that it was very soothing. It gave her a measure of peace when the thoughts cascading through her mind got to be...too much. Still, enjoyable Earth customs or not she had no intention of trying eating. No matter how much Amethyst prodded.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes with another yawn, disheveled blue hair sticking out in all directions, then felt around at the end of her bed for Veggie. But the little pumpkin wasn't there. That was odd. Since the small new addition to the barn's residents had joined them he'd made a habit of curling up at the foot of her bed on the occasions when she chose to sleep. His usual routine was to happily greet her when she woke up. After a quick survey of the barn she noticed that her roommate was missing as well. Peridot could normally be found quietly tinkering away at something or another while Lapis slept. Or rewatching her favorite season of Camp Pining Hearts with the volume turned down over on the couch.
Lapis smiled at the thought.
Peridot always went out of her way to make sure Lapis was comfortable. She didn't sleep herself but she was exceedingly careful not to disturb the activity when Lapis decided to partake. She was so considerate...so supportive...and in so many ways. At times she was a little overbearing, her insistence of avoiding Jasper's name at all cost was unnecessary for instance, but still Lapis appreciated her. She wasn't entirely sure what she had done to deserve such care. With one final stretch of both arms above her head Lapis spread her wings and glided down to the barn door. Peri and Veggie must be outside doing something or other. Maybe Peridot had finally gotten around to disassembling the tractor. She reached out and pulled the door open, then froze as a world of rolling white spread out before her.
“It's snowing...” she whispered, her breath misting in the chill morning air.
This was the first time she'd seen snow. Well the first time she'd seen snow in person? She'd seen snow several times when she was trapped in the mirror, before she'd been found, but she didn't feel like that exactly counted. It was so beautiful. Great, fat flakes floated down out of a gray sky and everything around her was shining and glittering. She held out her hand and twirled her fingers slightly, catching a few flakes with her powers and sending them dancing on their way to the ground. She smiled.
“Lapis!”
Lapis turned towards their smaller-than-average lake, which was now frozen, and saw Peridot scrambling towards her. Veggie wasn't far behind but he seemed hindered. His body wrapped in something green and fluffy.
“Lapis it's snowing! Isn't it great?” Peridot cried enthusiastically as she came to a halt in front of Lapis. Veggie started circling them both, barking excitedly as he made a trail in the snow that came halfway up his round body.
“What happened to Veggie?” Lapis asked.
“What do you mean?"
“That green thing wrapped around him, what is it?”
“It's a sweater Lapis. Organic lifeforms are fragile and highly sensitive to changes in temperature. The garment I constructed for Veggie Head will prevent any damage from the cold,” Peridot explained, taking on a slightly lecturing tone.
“You stole more of Steven's clothes to make it didn't you?” Lapis asked bluntly as she reached down and scooped Veggie up into her arms. He immediately snuggled up against her chest.
“I-It was for a good cause!” Peridot squeaked in protest, her voice going high and shrill.
“Yeah. I guess so,” Lapis replied with a half grin staring down at Veggie.
“Anyway,” Peridot said, clearing her throat to regain her composure, “after much experimentation and controlled testing I have determined that this frozen crystalline water is a suitable material for construction.”
“What?”
“We can make morps with it Lapis! Come on, I'll show you my proof of concept.”
Peridot took her hand as Lapis bent to let Veggie down, then led her around the side of the barn. What Lapis saw there immediately sent her into a fit of helpless giggles.
“Why are you laughing Lapis?”
“Pe-Peri y-you dork.” Lapis managed to gasp out between bursts of laughter. But she could see that Dot was offended so with one last snort she mustered control of herself and carefully examined Peridot's work. It was a snow sculpture, life size, of Percy and Pierre. They were standing face to face, with the larger Pierre slightly looming over a seemingly flustered Percy. Lapis had to admit it was good, not a single detail was missing, right down to their camp uniforms.
“It's really good Dot, sorry for laughing, it's just this has to be the nerdiest thing you've ever done. And that's saying something,” Lapis offered with a half apologetic smile.
“It is not nerdy. It is a proper tribute to the clearly superior pair that they are” Peridot replied, arms crossed over her chest and head held high. But after a moment she relented and smiled. “I've gathered several large piles of building material for us to use, if you'd care to join me?”
Lapis glanced around the area and noticed several small hills of snow surrounding the space immediately behind the Percy and Pierre sculptures. Veggie was currently burrowing into one of the larger ones excitedly. Lapis was at a loss for how Peridot had gathered so much so quickly until she noticed several metal sheets laying nearby. Then it clicked together. Dot had used them as big scoops to move the snow around. There were also several metal instruments strewn across the snow that had likely aided Peri in her sculpting. Lapis couldn't suppress another smile. Peridot really was ingenious, and evidently her metal manipulation powers were growing stronger.
“Sure. I'd love to join you.”
She watched Peridot for awhile as she moved over to a fresh mound. The sheets of metal came to life as she used them to scoop up large quantities of snow and pile them into rudimentary shapes. Then the more elegant, curved pieces of metal began to float about. Shaving, pressing, curving and developing the morp into a more refined form. With yet another smile, she was smiling more today than she had in a long while, she finally tore herself away from Peri's work and turned to her own snow pile. A tentative twitch of her hands sent it swirling into the air. Veggie promptly fell out of it and looked at her rather indignantly before diving into another nearby hill of snow.
She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to make at first, but slowly it came to her. For some reason the gentle flurries swirling around her head were making her nostalgic. Her mind flew back across the millennia and her hands automatically followed. The snow before her condensed and compacted and began to shape itself to her memories. Finally her hands came to rest at her sides and Lapis examined her creation. A hollow pang echoed through her gem at the sight.
It was Homeworld, Homeworld as it had been in her time. The Homeworld she had so desperately wanted to return to. Or at least a small part of it in miniature. Elegant spires with gently curving lines and bold ornamentation rose up to kiss the skies. At their feet a thousand different streets crisscrossed gracefully around them, like flowing water in their form. Here and there they lead to other structures. Open courtyards for gems to gather in, grand amphitheaters where performances would be held both for the favor of the Diamonds and the sheer joy of it.
Other less pleasant structures peppered the cityscape as well. Barracks for the soldiers. Combat facilities where said soldiers honed their skills further or were shattered in the process. Then there were the Harvesting Stations... Lapis squeezed her eyes shut at these sights, hands bunching in her skirt. Even her Homeworld had been ugly she now realized, but...but at least it had made an attempt to hide it back then.
“Did Homeworld really used to look like that? It's so...fancy. Look at those curving structures. It's much more utilitarian now.” Peridot voiced as she walked up behind her.
“I know. I saw,” Lapis replied in a low voice, head lowered and messy blue bangs hiding her eyes.
She clenched her fists at the words and the miniature slice of city before them began to change. Curving lines and gracefully meandering avenues were exchanged for hard, sharp edges and rigidly straight streets. The amphitheaters vanished entirely from the scene and squat, plain research facilities and factories took their place.
“This look better reflects what it's always been anyway,” Lapis said with a shaky, wavering sigh. She could feel herself starting to spiral. No. She wasn't going to do this. She'd been doing so well lately. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't. Out of all her hangups why was she losing it over Homeworld? Stars, maybe she was as fragile as Peri sometimes treated her she thought as she raised a hand to cover her eyes and hold back the tears.
A soft warmth filled her other hand.
“Lapis, it's okay. I'm here,” Peridot said, gently holding Lapis' free hand in her own. Lapis took a deep breath and squeezed Peridot's hand, it soothed her. Helped her regain control.
“I know I can never go back to my Homeworld. I know my Homeworld never really existed, but...it's hard not to have some feelings for where you came from,” she breathed out in a quite rush.
“I have experienced similar feelings Lapis and I do not believe they will ever go away, and that's okay. But we both have something better now, something different, something real,” Peridot said as she took Lapis' other hand and looked up into her eyes with perhaps the most earnest expression Lapis had ever seen.
“What's that Peri?” Lapis said, suddenly feeling a touch flustered under that gaze.
“Each other,” Peridot replied.
Everything seemed to go still for a moment. Peridot's face shifted from earnest seriousness to embarrassment in the space of a few breaths, her cheeks blushing a deep teal. Lapis could feel her own cheeks heating in response to the declaration.
“I-I-I mean we have each other and the barn! Because we live here! On Earth now! With Steven and everyone else! And the barn!” Peridot sputtered out in a jittery panic as she pulled her hands out of Lapis'.
Lapis snorted and broke down into a fit of giggles, seeing Peri so flustered was just too much. “Peridot?”
“Y-Yes Lapis?”
“You know what else frozen crystalline water is good for?”
“What?”
“This!” And with a wave of both hands Lapis brought a torrent of snowballs sailing into Peridot's back.
“No fair Lapis!” Peridot cried as she ran away with her arms around her head. Veggie seemed to think this new game was delightful and he playfully ran behind Peridot's heels yapping away. So their snowball fight went on for awhile. Lapis sending barrage after barrage of snowballs at Peridot, who had taken to hiding behind her metal snow scooping sheets, and Veggie running excitedly between them trying to snatch snowballs out of the air with his mouth. Peridot would return fire when she could but considering the circumstances she was hopelessly outgunned.
Or so Lapis thought.
With a shrill battle cry Peridot sent both of her metal sheets zooming into a nearby snow mound. Then, body shaking with the effort, she raised her hands up and lifted the small hill of snow all in one go. Lapis was rather taken aback and simply watched as Peridot heaved the small mountain directly at her. Then she grinned, she hated to disappoint Dot after she put in so much effort but this wasn't going to work either. She brought her right hand up and sharply down in a slicing motion and the mound of snow parted harmlessly to either side.
Only to make way for a charging Peridot.
Peridot jumped into Lapis' chest with enough force to send her sprawling onto her back in the snow. She stared up, rather stunned, at a heavily breathing but smiling Peridot.
“Victory is mine!” Peridot cried with her dorky laugh, just inches from Lapis' face, both her arms holding down Lapis' shoulders.
Peridot's laughter faltered as she seemed to become very aware of their position. She was straddling Lapis' stomach, leaning into her shoulders, her nose nearly close enough to brush Lapis' own. Lapis could feel Peridot's breath quicken as it danced over her cheeks. Could see her nervously slip her tongue out over her lips. Her own breathing was coming up rather short and she felt a nervous warmth in her chest. They were so close...Lapis only needed to lean up a little bit...
A loud bark announced Veggie as he dove into them from the side and rolled Peridot over into the snow, excited to join in. Peridot shot to her feet so quickly she nearly fell right back over onto her face. But she finally offered a hand to the still flustered and prone Lapis.
“Come on, let me show you the morp I made,” Peridot offered.
After staring a moment longer Lapis took her hand and got to her feet. She was in a daze as Peridot led her around the few mounds separating their work areas. They had almost kissed. Stars! At least she thought so? She wasn't exactly familiar with the practice, although she'd seen it often enough in Camp Pining Hearts. But she couldn't have imagined that tension. That energy between them. Another realization caused her to stumble and nearly pull them both back into the snow.
She wanted to kiss Peridot.
She was so caught up in her internal thoughts that she didn't notice that they'd stopped walking, or that Peridot was staring at her.
“Lapis?”
“Y-Yes?”
“What do you think?”
Lapis turned to where Peridot was waving her hand and for a moment thoughts of the kiss were pushed from her mind. Peridot's morp was them. All of them. Life sized snow sculptures of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl stood in the back. Pearl was frozen mid laugh, her hand resting on a smiling Amethyst's shoulder, as if the shorter gem had just told her the best joke. Garnet stood with an arm draped around Pearl's shoulders grinning at them both, in the reserved sort of almost smile that only she could manage to pull off. Steven was to the side of Garnet seemingly frozen mid laugh himself while Greg was just behind him with a hand resting in his hair.
But the figures slightly in front of the rest are what really gave Lapis pause, and sent her mind spiraling back towards their almost kiss in the snow.
Herself and Peridot stood just in front of the others with Veggie at their feet, a bit a part but still close enough to be in the group. They were holding hands. The snow Peridot was grinning that big smile of hers as she looked up at Lapis, the sculpture of Lapis smiled softly back at her. Her face calm and gentle and full of affection. Was that really how Peridot saw her? The snow reflection of herself looked so...kind.
That made up her mind.
Peridot was distracted, explaining all the tools and methods she had used to create the morp, so Lapis carefully moved her fingers and delicately repositioned the sculpture of Peridot and herself.
“I call it 'Together'. It was inspired by the dinner we all made together sometime ago for Andy's visit and how we've grown as a communal group. The process of shaping the sculptures is actually quite delicate. I used the thinner, slightly curved pieces of metal for the process and—“
“Peridot?” Lapis interrupted.
“Yes Lapis?”
In response Lapis pointed at the morp, particularly at the sculpture of herself and Peridot. They'd changed a bit. The snow Lapis was bent forward at the waist, her face very close to the snow Peridot. She had her hands gently placed on either side of the snow Peridot's face, tilting it up slightly, and was obviously leaning in for a kiss.
“Can I?” Lapis asked simply, a sort of calm settling over her.
“Wh-What?” Peridot stammered.
“Can I kiss you Peri?”
Peridot turned into a stuttering mess at the question. Her face virtually glowing a fierce teal as she stammered through the beginning of half a dozen different responses. But finally, shakily, she pulled herself together.
“I...I would not be opposed to such intimate contact if...if it's with you. You may proceed.”
Lapis still felt a strange sort of calm but her breath quickened at being given permission. Slowly, she turned towards Peridot and began to lean down. When she placed a hand on either side of her face Peri closed her eyes, but she also leaned up on the tips of her toes to meet Lapis. For a moment that seemed to stretch out into eternity they stood like this. Lips just a hairsbreadth from one another, their soft breath tickling each others' noses, light flurries of snow swirling around them in the midday sun.
Then Lapis closed the last distance between them.
A bubbling, giddy warmth spread out from Lapis' gem as she turned her head slightly and pressed their lips together. It was an unsure kiss, nervous and hesitant on both their parts. Peridot's lips were stiff and rigid at first but after a moment they relaxed and seemed to melt into Lapis'. One of Peridot's hands came up to rest on her shoulder and she leaned up into the kiss a bit more forcefully. Lapis felt like she could remain this way for all of eternity. But just as suddenly as it had begun it was over. Lapis pulled back with a small gasp, trying to catch a breath that she didn't need. Peridot just stood where she was up on her toes a few moments longer, eyes half closed in a daze.
“Wow...thanks.” Peridot said in a low whisper.
Veggie finally broke the spell by scampering between them and barking for attention. Peridot was startled slightly and while she was distracted Lapis took the opportunity to twirl her hands and change the morp a bit more. Peridot finally noticed her sculptures moving around and took an interest.
The snow versions of Lapis and Peridot were now frozen mid kiss. Lapis' hands were on either side of Peridot's face as she leaned up into the kiss and rested a hand on her shoulder. Veggie sitting happily between their legs. The rest of the group had changed as well. Amethyst had one fist raised in the air above her head while her other hand was at the side of her mouth in a silent cheer. The snow Pearl was staring at the kissing Lapis and Peridot like they were a pair of the most adorable puppies. Her hand up against one cheek and a soft smile spread across her face. Garnet looked on with her same signature almost smile, but the corners of her mouth were turned up a bit more. The image of Steven had both fists raised in the air and looked like he was preparing to jump in excitement, his face a mass of laughter. Greg smiled softly and seemed to be looking at the kissing pair with an air of nostalgia.
“Lapis, wh-what is the purpose of these modifications?” Peridot half stammered, seeming flustered all over again at the sight of their snow-selves kissing. And all the others watching.
“I think it's a pretty accurate representation of how everyone would react, don't you?” Lapis responded with a mischievous grin. She felt great, and she felt like teasing Dot a bit.
“W-Well I'm not entirely certain but I suppose it's a credible extrapolation—“
“We should take a picture to preserve it, the snow won't last forever,” Lapis interrupted.
“Yes, that's a excellent idea—“
“And send it to Steven.”
“WHAT?” Peridot squeaked. “Lapis we can't!”
“Why not?” Lapis teased in the most innocent voice she could muster, a grin threatening to split her face in two.
“Because! This is...this is material of a personal nature!”
“You know Steven gets sad whenever he doesn't get a chance to see one of our morps.”
Peridot degenerated into a stammering mess at this, because Lapis was right, and neither of them liked making Steven sad. It was cute, watching Peri get all flustered as she tried to work it out in her head. Finally Lapis relented.
“Calm down Peri, I'll put them back in their original poses. Then we can send the picture to Steven,” she laughed. A wave of relief visibly washed over Peridot at this and she quickly levitated her screen out through the barn door to prepare for their photo. With a twirl of her fingers Lapis returned their little snow family to their original stances, with one alteration. The snow Lapis and Peridot were now facing forward and the Lapis was hugging the Peridot from behind, her chin resting on her shoulder.
“Is that okay?” she asked, looking over at Peri.
“Yes... it is acceptable. Shall we?” Peridot responded levitating the tablet out in front of them to take the shot.
As Lapis wrapped her arms around Dot's shoulders and smiled into the floating tablet she knew that this was where she belonged. The barn, the Crystal Gems, Steven, Peridot...this was home.
And she wouldn't trade it for anything.