Ayy, Lapidot! Yay! So anyways timeline for this is unsure but it's after peridot learns about her powers and after the boat incident. i dont think timeline really matters too much.

Peridot talked a lot.

Like, a lot a lot.

And it wasn't even about anything useful or interesting, as far as Lapis could tell. Not to be mean or anything, naturally. (Okay, sometimes to be mean. But could you really blame her?) It was always about something that Lapis just... Didn't care about. A TV show, what Amethyst said the other day, something about the Diamonds.

Of course, Lapis could also recognize that it was in part a problem on her end, too. She didn't seem to have an interest in anything, and even things she once liked she just couldn't bring herself to care about any more.

Pearl said it was depression. Steven said it was scary.

Lapis said it was nothing.

However, Lapis could still (sometimes) recognize when something was important enough to Peri that ignoring her would cause problems. An upset Peridot was even more obnoxious.

And... Okay, she would admit it. She didn't like seeing Peri upset.

Despite not really connecting at first, Lapis had to admit that Peri had her charms. She was a lot more innocent than Lapis had expected, and they both had bonded over how Jasper and the Diamonds had treated them. And they both loved Steven, which Lapis had to admit was important to her.

Even more importantly, Peridot showed regret for the things she had done in the past, and she understood some of what Lapis went through. When Lapis needed to be alone, Peridot found a way to be at a distance and still provide comfort by mumbling to herself and cracking jokes at Jasper's expense. And while neither were really good at comfort, they had both found that a stressful day or powerful flashback could often be helped by sitting in front of the TV with Camp Pining Hearts on.

More than once that had involved physical contact that made both of them blush, like a hand on a shoulder or a head on a lap. It was uncertain and shakey and maybe a bit embarrassing.

It wasn't perfect, and that was sort of what made it work.

So naturally, when Peri walked into the barn with her chest puffed up and a spoon in her hand, Lapis rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the green gem.

"Want to see me move a spoon with my mind?"

"Sure."

Of course Lapis had never heard of it happening, but she herself could manipulate water. The idea that a tech-based gem could move metal wasn't that out there. Peridot, strangely enough though, had no idea that she could do it. It made Lapis wonder if the Diamonds knew. And if not, she wondered what else they didn't know.

She giggled as Peridot wiggled her fingers to move the spoon across the floor. It was pretty cute, Lapis had to admit. "That's interesting. How did you figure out you could do it?"

"Oh!" Peri beamed and turned towards Lapis. "Well, Steven and Amethyst wanted me to shape shift, but... Well, I can't." She turned away, suddenly embarrassed by her own outburst. "B-but! I learned that I can do this! So, even if I can't do the normal things a gem can do, I can do this at least!"

Lapis smiled. "It's very cool." She tilted her head to the side, "But you can't shape shift? Can you fuse, then?"

Peridot was very focal about fusing. While at first she had been disgusted and confused, she slowly took a more logical and intrigued point of view. And the last time they had talked about it, which had been a few days ago, she had seemed almost interested enough to try it.

From the look on her face, she seemed more than a bit interested now.

"W-well, I simply do not know that. While there are some variables to test and explore, I certainly can not say one way or the other." Peri fiddled with the spoon and rubbed the handle with her thumb. She was obviously nervous, and Lapis felt a twinge of sympathy.

"Ah." Not one for words or comfort, the blue gem found herself at a loss. She could understand Peri's feelings of being left out even if they went unstated. But on the other hand, she could not fix the problem.

Assuming there was a problem, that is. And that gave Lapis an idea.

She closed her eyes and smiled before she stood up and reached out a hand. "Come on."

"Lazuli, I am not sure where you are going with this," Peridot frowned as she took the offered hand with a slight blush, "So I hope you know what you're doing."

"Honestly?" Lapis pulled Peri closer and tilted her head back in a laugh. "I have no idea. But... This is what Steven would do, I think."

That seemed to satisfy Peridot, who squeaked and blushed as Lapis put a hand on her waist and pulled her closer. It was true; Lapis had no idea what she was doing. Sure, she had fused before, but it had been unpleasant and traumatizing. Truth be told she never thought she would have the urge to fuse again. Having Jasper sharing her mind and body was... Unpleasant.

So, she wondered to herself, what made her feel like Peri would be different?

Maybe she didn't know for sure. Maybe it was impulsive, it wasn't thought out, it was just to feel something again.

But even if it wasn't for the best reasons, Lapis still felt like she could trust the shorter gem. Nothing Peri had done since Lapis returned had even hinted to her having a hidden agenda or any negative thoughts towards her, and that was something that Lapis look comfort in (despite the few times when the darkness in her mind tried to rear up again, tried to tell her they all hated her and wanted her hurt. But she didn't believe that voice. Not all the time, anyways.)

So, Lapis mused, that was probably why she felt the need to pull Peridot close and step back a few steps. She felt a warmth in her chest as she saw Peri's face light up and her eyes shine in awe as they began to sway back and forth.

"B-but what if I can't?" Peri's steps faultered and Lapis saw the light shimmer in unshed tears.

"Then we just dance. Is that a crime or something?" Lapis teased gently as she and Peridot spun around in the middle of the open floor.

"W-well no! But... I don't want to waste your time, and..."

"You're not a waste of time. And you're not her."

Peridot looked up quickly and blushed at the acknowledgement of her unspoken fear. In her haste to say something, anything, she tripped on her toes and fell forward with a yelp.

Lapis, for her part, could only laugh Peri toppled into her. One second Peri's head fit perfectly in the crook of her neck, and the next the both dissolved into a bright, white warmth.

heh.