Stargazing

Eight

FINAL

Peridot and Amethyst eventually returned to the Temple. Mostly because they had lost track of time, and had only realized how long they had been sitting in the grass when Peridot interrupted the absolute peace and quiet, offering a hand and suggesting they return to the Temple.

"Five more minutes, Peri. C'mooooooon," Amethyst had begged in a voice that nearly made Peridot relent and sit back down for another few hours. Nearly.

To none of their surprise, upon their return, Steven hurried to their side first, with Garnet and Pearl at the counter. He asked shyly if everything was better. Not okay, but better.

"Snnk, geez, Steven, just 'cause we ran away after some sort of bad experience, you don't think we'd be okay?" Amethyst commented with a teasing glint in her eye.

Steven just chuckled awkwardly. Peridot added, "There's nothing to be concerned about now, I assure you. We're doing fine now."

"That's good," Steven said, with a noticeable stress off his shoulders.

"Glad to see you two are doing better," Garnet said as she and Pearl walked toward them.

Pearl clasped her palms in front of her stomach. "Steven and Garnet told me what happened. Well, not everything, obviously. It sounds like you two went through a lot, so we can schedule the drilling for tomorrow rather than today."

Peridot sighed from relief, remarking that that seemed like more than a fair deal. With the plans set for the next day, and after a headache of a morning, a more peaceful day did not sound like the worst possible thing at the moment. Pearl just nodded.

No one decided to comment on them holding hands, still holding hands since they got up. Not even when Peridot and Amethyst glanced down at their interlocked hands and, as if only now realizing what they were doing, pulled their hands away. Both of them blushed, gazes turned from one another. No one said anything about this, either.

Everyone eventually dispersed and left them be. The room emptied as Garnet and Steven went outside and Pearl escaped to her room. Amethyst took Peridot's hand again, bringing her closer. "So what're your plans for the rest of the day? Watchin' your camp shows again?"

It sounded as if Amethyst was teasing her, but Peridot thought over the idea for a split second. "With a free day, perhaps I could rewatch season one of Camp Pining Hearts. It's been quite some time before I first watched it, so I'm rather curious about any foreshadowing I may have missed."

Amethyst smiled weakly, but it faded when she asked, "So the barn? You don't wanna stay here?"

"I don't have anywhere to sleep! And you can't make me go back into that room! Never again!" Peridot pointed at the bathroom.

Amethyst began saying something, but cut herself off. With a shrug, she restarted. "Maybe we can do something to the Temple. You can have it all customized in whatever way you want—probably have some nerdy, techie stuff or, uh, uh, something! Whatever you want! The barn's just super boring, that's all."

"I much prefer it there," Peridot defended, crossing her arms. "Certainly an improvement on Steven's bathroom," she added in a dull tone that exuded annoyance. Memories of being trapped in that accursed room made her cringe. She leaned in to whisper in a conspiratorial way, "I've seen things, Amethyst."

"Say no more," Amethyst chuckled. She stepped back, hand slipping from Peridot's. Brushing her hair back, she added, "I'm gonna, uh, swing back into my place. Maybe we can chat later? I'll come by the barn, if you want."

"Um, sure," Peridot said with a slow nod.

Amethyst hesitated, eyes briefly meeting Peridot's. Her hand rose, but she did not say another word. Rather, she turned, and the door to her room opened. She vanished inside and left Peridot by her lonesome and standing at the doorway.

And suddenly, being alone at the barn did not entice Peridot. Not yet. Stars, being alone in this room wasn't all that great. Glancing at the warp pad behind her, she stepped over it and exited the house.

With a sigh, she stepped onto the sand of the beach. It tickled her feet and sank with every step made. There was no material like this on Homeworld. Everything was so smooth, metallic, and lifeless. Peridot dipped to her knees, one hand scooping into the sand. The grains fought to escape her fingers, and as she raised her hand, she watched the tan matter cascade between her appendages. Despite this, it felt so soft and delicate.

So many grains, useless alone, but billions of them created surface. Astounding.

With a turn, she blinked. A bit farther in the distance, she spotted a silver shine that just barely caught in the reflection of the descending sun. With a quick stride toward the object, she picked it up.

Her tape recorder. Forgotten sometime earlier that day. Tucking it securely under her arm, she walked further off. Maybe if she kept walking, she could find the right thing to say into the recorder. After an… eventful morning, she would've thought that her mind would be racing with so many trains of thought igniting all at once. Enough so that she would be talking a mile a minute into the recording device.

But no. No, she had nothing to say. Not now, at least.

She came to the part of the beach with the logs and familiar memories. Her whole body tingled, and her eyes grazed to the music device not too far from the fallen tree logs. The device had long since turned off, leaving the air music-less.

With a sudden burst of frustration, she gave the music box a swift kick. Crossing her arms firmly, she watched it tilt back into the sand with a lackluster thud. Sending it a dagger-filled stare, however, did not provide her much satisfaction.

Peridot turned around, and two figures sat in the grass, their backs turned from her. They didn't see her, but she did see them , and ran toward Steven and Garnet. Lights blinked in the air, but the source was not visible. Once she made her way toward them, Garnet was the first to see her.

"Hello, Peridot." She smiled slightly.

Steven looked over his shoulder, then twirled his whole body around in Peridot's direction. "Hey, Peridot! How're you feeling?"

"Alright," was her blunt respond. She sat down beside them, glaring into the grass. Lights bloomed from the blades every few seconds.

"Since when do lights just appear out of nowhere?" Peridot asked, squinting. "Are they some sort of... miniature floating light devices or something?"

Steven chuckled. "No, no, they're bugs. They're called fireflies. See? If you look closely, they're just little bugs, but sometimes, their butts light up."

He leaned down into the grass, chin barely brushing the ground. Peridot mimicked his position opposite to him, watching a bug sit on a blade of grass. A few seconds later, the backside of the bug lit up a bright yellow, illuminating a small radius around itself.

"A bug that has its own life source," Peridot noted to herself, then hummed at the concept. "Interesting." She looked at Steven, then noticed something occupying the space beside him. She picked the glass jar and realized that a few of these light bugs scuttled across the glass. She glared at the container. "And you capture them in these glass containers?"

Steven tilted his head as he clearly had a moment to think. "Well, yeah. I don't know why people do it. I guess it's fun to see all the bugs light up inside. Though you can't keep them inside for too long."

"Why not?"

"They're not meant to be kept in jars for too long. They're supposed to be free, ya know?" Steven shrugged, then he paused. "It doesn't harm them or anything, but we don't make them stay in there for too long."

Peridot nodded to herself. She spent some time watching Steven play around with the fireflies. He let them walk around his hand, caught them in the jar, even asked Peridot if she wanted to hold one in her hand. With one on the back of his hand, he brought their hands together until the insect trekked onto hers. Its backside lit up before lifting itself into the air.

Peridot sat down beside Garnet, who had said little while Peridot kept Steven company. Peridot's gaze met Garnet's briefly, before she turned back to the ground.

"I'm not upset with what happened with Green Apatite, if you're concerned," Garnet responded, though Peridot had not said anything in the first place.

Peridot stole a look at her for a split second before turning back to the bugs buzzing inside the jar. "I'm not," she grumbled, though her face betrayed her by blushing.

Garnet grinned, catching her expression more so than her words. "I think she has a time to make a proper appearance… but not quite yet."

Peridot blinked. "Well, when?!"

"Can't say. There are possibilities, a lot pointing to a few major points in time," Garnet explained. Then she smirked. "Besides, there's no fun in ruining the surprise."

"Which one would you say is the closest date?" Peridot asked, trying to hold back how desperate she felt to know the answer. A part of her wondered if it would be at a date closer than she figured, but a chuckle from above pulled her from her train of thought.

"It's not that easy to get it out of me, Peridot."

Peridot crossed her arms firmly. A bug flew in front of her face, casting a yellow glow against her green skin. With a blink, it vanished.

Another part of her… worried that it would be closer than she figured. A very small part that she wanted to shake away. She glared at the ground, gripping at the ground that she realized wasn't sand but actual dirt and grass. She made annoyed sounds as she brushed off the earth's minerals from her fingers.

"Whatever path you walk on all depends on your own choices… and Amethyst's."

Peridot flinched at Garnet's next words of advice, and bowing her head to the grass momentarily, she mulled them over. When she picked her head back up, she nodded. "I understand." She stood up. "I think I'll be going back to the barn now."

"You sure? You can stay with us," Steven offered.

"No, but... thank you," Peridot added, to sound less dismissive of Steven's request.

Steven held out the jar filled with a small amount of insects flitting inside. "Take them to the barn with you. Maybe you can have some bug friends to keep you company." He beamed.

"Thank you," she replied again, taking the jar. She glanced at the bugs inside for a moment before adding, "I'll be sure to set them free, as well."

Steven grinned at that, and both he and Garnet bid her goodbye. Peridot, still with the recorder in her grasp, took that and the jar toward the Temple.

At the beach in front of the house, however, she stopped. Grumbling to herself, she felt that train of thought going and going, and now… now she knew she had to say something.

Firstly, she untwisted the jar and released the fireflies. They took their time but eventually escaped and started dancing in the air. They blinked as she took out the recorder, as if some forms of odd companions while she thought.

Sitting down, she pressed record on the recorder and said what was on her mind, lights flickering around her head.

Peridot was pounding on the Temple door. Did this door even work like that? She had yet to actually ask about how this door that accessed several different rooms functioned. Only one way to find out. She even yelled out, "Amethyyyyyyst!"

The door slid open much quicker than Peridot predicted, with Amethyst sneering on the other side. "Yeesh, P-dot, how 'bout a little louder?"

"I just can't believe that worked."

Amethyst chuckled. "Yeah, these doors are weird. What're you up to, anyway? Thought you were watchin' your TV shows." She leaned against the doorway.

Peridot said nothing. Rather, she took out her recorder from behind her back and held it out. Amethyst gave her a weird look, shook her head and muttered something like "Ah, geez." Before Peridot could start the recorded message, took the recorder from Peridot.

"Wh-Hey!" Peridot shouted.

"Nu-uh. Just spill, Peri-dough," Amethyst said, crossing her arms. "If you have something to say, just tell me. Then you can have this back." She smirked.

"I'll have you know I worked hard on that." Peridot pouted. "Can't you just listen to it?"

Amethyst sighed. "I'd rather you just tell me to my face, that's all. I don't want to listen to some dumb recording to hear you talk. I mean, what else do you have to say that we already haven't talked about before?"

Peridot grumbled to herself, admittedly wishing she could swiftly grab the recorder from Amethyst's grasp and probably run away to try again later in the future. Yet as Amethyst stood there, leaning and waiting and tossing the recorder in the air, Peridot felt that idea fade away. All that planning, and she simply could not let it all be for nothing! And she remembered what Garnet told her.

"Would you like to stay with me at the barn? For tonight, at least," Peridot added in a hurry, realizing she spoke at a rapid pace. Did Amethyst even catch her question?

Amethyst's eyes grew. That was a firm yes. "Really?"

Peridot's brow quirked. "Is something wrong with that? Aside from the fact that the barn is 'boring', of course." Peridot added air quotes, her tone laced with mock. She could not help but grin.

"Well, we could always spice it up a bit." Amethyst shook her shoulders, similar to a dance style. When she stopped, she continued, "But yeah, sounds fun. Let's go right now!"

Despite it being Peridot's request, Amethyst was still the one to grab Peridot's wrist and essentially drag her to the warp pad feet away from them. Her hand still latched onto Peridot's wrist as the bright blue lights guided them back to the barn within seconds.

The drill rested on the grass just outside the entrance to the barn. All process was completed some time ago, and at most, Peridot and Pearl had gathered tests to see that its uses would function properly. Until the very next day, it would lay on the ground as nothing more than a decoration piece.

"Lookin' pretty good," Amethyst said.

"We worked hard on it, so I would hope so."

Amethyst approached it, eyes flashing with mischief. "Hey, we should take this baby out for a test run."

"What? No!" Peridot's eyes bulged out, and she ran after Amethyst. Amethyst stopped and turned to her, and Peridot stood in front of the drill. She tapped it. "It's be too risky to try and test its functions now. We don't know how much endurance it can take while drilling underground."

Amethyst rolled her eyes, kicking the dirt. "Fiiiine." She let a pause linger, eyes on the dirt. Then she spoke up again, eyes grazing over Peridot. "But about the whole recorder thing… did you really just wanna ask if I wanted to stay over?"

"No." Peridot hesitated, feeling an uneasy sense in her body. "I wanted… to talk about Green Apatite."

Amethyst flinched, visibly discomforted. She rubbed her neck. "I mean, we talked a bunch about what happened with her. Is there really anything we missed or something?"

Peridot caught something in Amethyst's eyes. Couldn't describe it, but nonetheless, she realized that it wouldn't be discussed unless Peridot remained insistent. "Yes, and I'm sure you want to know, too." Amethyst blinked with surprise at her sternness, but Peridot continued. "About Green Apatite… coming back, that is."

"Oh." Amethyst's usual playful tone had long since vanished. She now sounded softer, quieter. She shrugged, eyes falling to the ground. "Uh, yeah, I guess I was kinda thinking about it a bit."

"Green Apatite has plenty of potential, being a fusion between the two of us and all," Peridot said, wearing a knowing grin. "So I would hate to see all of that be wasted."

"Heh, true. She was pretty cool, ya gotta admit that." Amethyst's grin returned, but her face fell as quickly as her excitement had returned, and she leaned away. "There's a but in there, though, isn't there?"

Peridot's hands clenched. "It's just…" She sighed, realizing that words were failing her. If only she had her recorder. She briefly shot a look at Amethyst. "I'm not sure. It's complicated to explain."

"Fusions aren't always so bad like that, ya know. I mean, just look at Garnet and you've seen Opal, too. For a bit, I guess. She's pretty great." Amethyst walked to Peridot's side. "It doesn't have to be a bad experience."

"I'm aware."

"Yeah," Amethyst muttered. After a painfully silent moment, she threw her head back, letting out a loud groan that nearly made Peridot jump a foot into the air. "You don't have to, like, immediately be okay with fusion. I get it. You can just tell me; I'm not going to be… upset or anything." She frowned. "It just sucks that I sorta ruined your first experience with it."

Peridot's eyebrows narrowed. "Oh, please, that was just as much my fault as yours. So there's no need to apologize."

Amethyst smiled.

"And I want to fuse again someday. With you."

"Well, what about the others? I'm sure Garnet would love to teach you allllll about fusion."

Peridot noticed that Amethyst was avoiding her gaze. She stood in front of Amethyst, eyes focused on her. "I'm sure experiencing fusion with the others will be interesting when the time comes, but I want to understand fusion with you."

"Ah, geez, Peri, I'm blushing." Peridot was fairly close to her, their faces not too far apart, so she did not need to be told this. Their eyes locked on one another again, but Amethyst broke the spell with a shake of her head. "So, yeah, if we're done with all this, why don't we watch some TV?"

Peridot grinned. "That'd be great! We could watch Camp Pining Hearts—unless, that is, you have other recommendations." She flustered at Amethyst's look that read 'Don't even think about it'. Perhaps she could get Amethyst interested in a clearly inventive form of entertainment someday.

Amethyst hummed in thought. "How 'bout that other show, Armed and Precious ? You remember that one, right? We watched it a few days back. There's, like, what… a bunch more episodes to catch up on. I think Steven's watched it all with Connie so it can still just be the two of us." Like a flick of a switch, Amethyst's playfulness returned. She leaned against Peridot at the last few words. "Plus, I think she lent him a DVD that I can steal from the Temple."

"Oh, of course. I remember those two human characters who simply failed to see how much they meant to one another. Stupid humans…" she grumbled.

"Oh, yeah," Amethyst said, as if only now remembering. "They have some stuff to work on. But hey, they're in the middle of this whole… rebellion thing. Stuff's complicated, man !"

"Then perhaps they can make it less complicated."

"If only it were that easy."

Amethyst returned as quickly as she vanished to retrieve the DVD for her show. Once she inserted the disc into the DVD slot for Peridot's television, she slumped onto the floor in front of the couch, exhaling a sigh of relief. She grinned at Peridot, who sat down beside her crossing her legs. "So where we at?"

They started the show several episodes in. Peridot quickly fell into the same routine that she participated in while watching Camp Pining Hearts. She gradually scooted closer and closer to the television until Amethyst dragged her back to her side, shouting, "No blocking the TV, P-dot! I wanna watch, too!" After some complaining during the long, long intro, Peridot eventually caved into simply sitting in front of the couch.

Almost ten episodes later, however, Peridot could barely contain herself. A beloved side character sacrificed her own life to let the others survive, and another was revealed to betray their own group. Peridot even noticed Amethyst's own intrigue of the show. She started complaining at the TV when the slower moments replaced the action scenes, wanting something to "explode already!"

Once the introduction for the two-part finale, Peridot reached for the remote to pause the television. Amethyst shot her a confused glance. "How are we almost finished? There are so many conflicts to be resolved. Leader M's arc, the whole reason behind the attacks, Lacey and Abbey's relationship, now with Marcy in the mix! They can't be all finished within two episodes. Camp Pining Hearts usually has everything brought together in one finishing conclusion—often with a cheesy song about teamwork and friendship somewhere at the end. They aren't that great," Peridot admitted with a grimace.

Amethyst rolled her eyes at the mention of Peridot's favorite program. "You don't get all the answers and stuff in fifteen episodes. That's just no fun. I think there's another season that's supposed to come out... next summer?"

Peridot slumped against the couch. "Well, let's hope I'm not feeling disappointed until then."

"Alright, then!" Amethyst angled her body toward Peridot. "What do you think will happen, Miss Everything Should Go My Way?"

Peridot stopped her intention of taking the remote. "Well—"

"Okay, excluding Lacey and Abbey smooootchin'!" Amethyst pointed a finger in the air, laughing.

Peridot glared at Amethyst, but Amethyst just flashed her a smirk. After a moment, Peridot nonetheless followed with entering a long explanation of her theories concerning the show. Her back pressed against the couch as she leaned back and explained Leader M's continuing arc and all she could figure out of the smoke monster. That familiar burst of pride swelled within Peridot's chest, because of course she paid attention to every detail. As if she would do anything less.

Peridot eventually realized how long she was going on for and looked down. Amethyst was close to leaning against Peridot's shoulder, eyes watching over Peridot with this sparkle in them. "Look at you, smarty. You've been paying attention. I know I missed some of that stuff. Okay, finale time!"

Amethyst started up the show once more. There was a battle in the square of the large town. The Initiation faced an army of mind-controlled people. Peridot noted how this was nothing like Camp Pining Heart's season one finale. It had much more going on than a scavenger hunt in the forest at night.

Once the battle ended, the town was labeled as a safe space. Lacey had been injured and rested in an infirmary with a broken leg. Abbey promised, at her side, to take care of her. In a clearly intimate moment, Peridot sneaked a glance at Amethyst. They exchanged looks, grinning at one another. The episode ended with Lacey and Abbey smiling, then going to the rest of the group staring at the new, safe city with darkness shrouding the mountains. The screen blanked.

"Uh, next season when?!" Amethyst said in a joking voice.

"What is this? I was expecting them to kiss!"

"Aww, poor Peri."

Peridot straightened herself up, pouting her lower lip. "It's not an impossible expectation, although at least we got something. I was worried that they would drag Lacey into an awkward romance with Marcy out of nowhere. Their relationship was never even given time to actually develop. Their issues were never discussed, yet they went out for a date! Lacey and Abbey never went on dates."

Amethyst gave her a small smile. "It ain't perfect, but hey, now Lacey and Abbey have each other." She brought herself closer to Peridot, hair just barely brushing Peridot's legs. "Doesn't need to be a kiss, right?"

"I suppose." She didn't really agree—how dare they not kiss?—but she couldn't argue with Amethyst that close to her face.

Amethyst glanced outside. Darkness washed over the sky. "Dang, we really binged on that," she said, yawning. "Let's hit the hay."

Peridot looked down, humming in thought. "I don't think there's any of that here—"

"Nooooooooo!" Amethyst slowly clasped her hand over Peridot's mouth, silencing her. "We need a full day reserved where I just teach you about earth sayings. But another time. I need a nap! Hey, how's that couch?"

Peridot glanced at the green couch behind them. She shrugged. "It's alright."

"You're not sleeping on the floor, are you?" Amethyst jumped onto the couch, which let out a groaning creak.

"I'm not exactly tired."

Amethyst tisked. "Liar. You looked wiped." She leaned down, teeth showing in a playful smile. "You aren't afraid to getting clingy, are ya?"

"What?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about!"

Peridot was feeling uneasy already. "If you could inform me, that would be nice."

Amethyst patted the cushion beside her. Peridot didn't bother arguing and sat beside Amethyst, who crossed her legs to tell her story. "So you remember me staying over here that one night?" Peridot nodded. "Well, I got up to grab a nice midnight snack back at the Temple. You were knocked out by then. I sat down, and it takes, like, a minute before you kinda wake up... except you're more, uh, half asleep I guess. Lil' drowsy P-dot." Amethyst booped her nose, and Peridot covered it with flailing arms. "And you basically tried to cuddle up against me."

"Cuddle?"

"Peridot, you basically hugged me in your sleep and just did not wanna let go."

"What?" Peridot exclaimed, her whole body heating up. The memory of waking up in Amethyst's arms several days before suddenly popped up, and if she could sink into the wood floor, it wouldn't be the worst possible thing now.

"It was cute! I didn't have it in me to wake you up." Amethyst's smile, rather than something mocking, was far more innocent, like she was caught in the act of something.

"Oh, stars." Peridot bowed her head, hand clasping the side of her head. "That's not cute. That's embarrassing."

Amethyst shook her head. "Don't think about it too much. I just thought it was funny. I mean, who would've thought that you, Peridot, would be super clingy in her sleep? Like sleepwalking, but more adorable."

"How embarrassing..." Peridot muttered again to no one in particular.

Amethyst wrapped Peridot into her arms, pulling her into her chest. "I thought about waiting to use it for, I dunno, blackmail, but eh, I couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Well, if I start clinging to you in my sleep, I apologize," Peridot said, somewhat turning her head to Amethyst.

"No worries, Pear-bear."

Peridot rolled her eyes at the new nickname. Amethyst's grasp tightened on her, but still not too tight. Peridot felt her back press against Amethyst's front. The feeling of being held in such an intimate way made any sort of stress on Peridot's shoulders breeze away.

"I like it," Amethyst added softly.

Peridot smiled warmly. Perhaps it was the growing relaxation in her body, or how she was fairly tired, but she responded, "Well, I like you."

Amethyst started snickering. Peridot nearly started panicking, but then Amethyst spoke up between bits of laughter. "Oh my gawd, Peri!"

"What?!" Peridot asked with a weak croak, realizing what she said and feeling her face burn.

"You know what! That was sooooooo cheesy. You're killin' me here!" Amethyst, still unable to control her loud laughter, buried her face into Peridot's neck. Her snickering practically brushed against Peridot's ear, which made Peridot shiver.

She turned away, however, pulling herself from Amethyst's hold, and Amethyst gradually calmed down. "But it's true! I like you a lot! I even have notes to show for it. They're a few days old, but I'm sure they still hold up."

Amethyst's excitement faded. Now she looked confused, but not entirely. More like she was figuring something out. She pointed at Peridot. "Wait... notes."

"Yes?"

"Steven said you had all these notes all over the place in here a few days ago. You're telling me they were about me?!" Amethyst's eyes were huge by this point, her voice high and shrill.

"Is that not normal?"

Amethyst thought that over. "Uh, not totally, but well, since when were you ever normal? But still... why?!"

Peridot had trouble meeting Amethyst's gaze now, now that she was actually talking about something she swore to keep secret. "I was trying to figure out the conclusion to a problem I was having."

"And... I was the problem?" Amethyst's tone implied she was only growing more confused as opposed to enlightened.

"Gyah! No!" Peridot sighed, collapsing further against the couch. "It wasn't a problem, per say, but I didn't just use notes. I brought what I was thinking to Steven several days ago. I thought perhaps he could help explain these... weird feelings I've been having... for you, I should clarify. That's where you come in." When she weakly gestured to Amethyst, Amethyst just blinked, her cheeks darkening. Peridot's own face was doing the same as she attempted to continue. "And he said it was... well, then I guess I realized it was..." Her voice failed her, however. If only she had her recorder—

Amethyst inched closer to Peridot, whose train of thought, or whatever was left of it, stopped with a screech. Her rambling ceased. "What was it, then?" Amethyst asked, wearing a nervous smile.

Garnet's words resonated in her head. Whatever path you walk on all depends on your own choices… and Amethyst's. Choices required voluntary action. Coming to a decision, saying something, or even doing something. Accomplishing nothing would lead to exactly that… nothing. And they would stay that way.

Beyond that thought, Peridot did not hesitate. She broke the very little distance between them and pressed her lips against Amethyst's.

Kissing was an unfamiliar concept beyond observation through the television. However, it gave Peridot that sensation that made her realize why so many humans in those shows and movies participated in it. There was this spark that ignited, which amazed Peridot because their bodies were never known to conduct electricity. And it was just their lips, hers and Amethyst's because really, she wouldn't want to do it with anyone else, and Peridot was trying to take in all these new experiences from this one moment and it was going to make her lose her mind—

Peridot pulled back and realized Amethyst had remained frozen all throughout the kiss—which wasn't long considering the kiss lasted around four seconds. Stars bloomed in her eyes, and Peridot nearly got lost in her gaze.

"Does that answer your question?" Peridot asked, blushing.

Amethyst's starstruck gaze melted. Her un-starry eyes blinked and met Peridot's. The longest minute came into existence before she smiled. Then she started laughing, which made Peridot stiffen. "I think I've got an idea now," Amethyst said in a low voice.

Peridot gasped as Amethyst pulled her by the waist and brought their bodies together. She pushed their faces together in another kiss, one that lasted far longer.

When they separated again, their flustered faces were inches apart. "Much better than Lacey and Abbey, amirite?" Amethyst asked, grinning ear-to-ear.

Peridot perked up. "Absolutely! We'll excel over most couples, I imagine. I mean, just look at us." She reached a hand around Amethyst's shoulder, pointing the other between the two of them. "I can even make a chart, to prove it."

"C'mon, do we really need a chart to prove it?"

"... You make a good point. It should be fairly obvious," Peridot said, but finished with a yawn.

"Tired?"

Peridot sighed. The exhaustion was beginning to overcome her; she supposed a severe lack of sleep the other night did help that. "Admittedly, I am tired, but I can't help but worry that..." She stopped mid-sentence, knowing that she didn't need to say anything.

Amethyst's expression softened. "I feel ya. C'mere."

When Peridot brought herself into Amethyst's arms, they lay together against one end of the couch. Peridot looked up at Amethyst, this feeling of warmth washing over her. A feeling that made her not want to move, and rather just lay like this for hours. Her entire body relaxed.

"I'm getting the idea that having close company makes sleep much easier to accomplish," she muttered with a sigh.

"Well, I'll be sure to scare them nightmares away," Amethyst said in her ear.

Peridot peered down at Amethyst hand and took hold of it. "Me, too."

"You'll scare your nightmares away?"

"You know what I mean!" Peridot exclaimed.

"Just kidding!" Amethyst chuckled, then kissed her cheek. "I know."

Peridot smiled at the contact on her cheek, and there was this lingering feeling still there, like an aftermath of the tender moment. Still smiling, she fell asleep with ease. In Amethyst's arms, she felt at peace, truly at ease, on Earth for the first time.

Thank you all for giving this crazy support. I'm sorry it took so unnecessarily long to get it out, but hey, stuff happens. I hope you enjoyed the story, and have a wonderful rest of the week.