Chapter Text
Lapis was bored. Perhaps more bored than she normally was, if that was even possible. She lounged on the roof of the barn, sitting in the camping chair and under the parasol that she and Peridot had set up together to watch Camp Pining Hearts. Now, the show didn’t interest her. What had caught her attention was the little green gem darting in and out of the barn, grabbing tools and way too focused on whatever project she had going on with her little robots. Not that watching Peridot wasn’t entertaining in itself, but there was something more pressing on her mind.
A few weeks ago when Lapis and Peridot had been on their fifth rewatch of Camp Pining hearts (They were only halfway through season three), something strange had happened. She had reached over Peridot’s head to grab a pillow and the soft underside of her arm had accidentally brushed along Peridot’s shiny, triangular gem, eliciting a strangled moan from her. Before Lapis had time to process what had happened, Peridot had stiffened and sat up, back straight as a board, and moved out of her lap to sit next to her. No matter how long she looked at her roommate with a curious gaze, Peridot refused to tear her eyes away from the screen. Yet somehow, Lapis knew she wasn’t really watching the episode anyway.
This had reminded Lapis of something she had long since forgotten. On Homeworld, in a society laced with strong, strict rules that kept every gem in line, there had been taboos. Deep, underground taboos that had danced around the shadows of Gem high society, entertaining only the most privileged of nobles in the courts of the Diamonds. In Era One, Gems were strong and beautiful; a result of the rich minerals within Homeworld where they were grown. They could experience pain and pleasure, develop abilities like her own, and contributed to the expansion of the Gem Empire. From what Lapis had seen, things had changed drastically since the rebellion of the Crystal Gems and the shattering of Pink Diamond. Gems in Era Two and Three were different: fit to fulfill a duty and purpose. The Diamonds had gone from populating their society to creating tools for their empire, disregarding the strong and brilliant in favor of the subservient and easily controlled. As fond as she was of Peridot, even she was an example of this, a gem outfitted with limp enhancers and made for technological maintenance. She wouldn’t know of the pleasures of Gem high society, the way Lapis would.
In the dark closets and behind the extravagant staircases of the palaces on homeworld, Gems would duck away from the crowded parties when no one would notice them gone and indulge in Gem Touching. Sometimes as an act of love, a pair of Gems drawn to each other sharing a connection like fusion, and other times as a play of power, to exert dominance and create a thrill only the most elite would yearn for. Lapis herself had only seen passing glimpses, hushed moans and the occasional locked door that told her exactly what was going on in that room. But after last night, this deeply buried memory had resurfaced in a completely new way: She was curious to try it herself
Peridot seemed like she was slowing down, that fervent focus she had been locked in all day starting to wander as the sun set. She sat back from her workbench, glancing around. First into the barn, then out at the field of corn where the orange sun was melting into the thick stalks that grew for miles and miles, and finally up towards the roof where she sat.
“Lapissss!” Peridot shouted in that shrill voice of hers, way too loud to get her attention, considering they were the only ones around.
Lapis didn’t move an inch. “Yes?”
“Wanna pick up where we left off yesterday? Season two episode three?” She said, getting up from where she sat on the ground and dusting herself off. She craned her neck to look up at Lapis, small hands on her hips.
Lapis considered this for a second. Not really, she thought. But simply coming out and saying she wanted to see what would happen when she touched Peridot’s gem simply wouldn’t do. She didn’t want to scare the younger Gem off.
“Sure. Inside, though.”
As Peridot nodded and went inside, Lapis sprouted her water wings and followed. Luckily, Peridot had rigged them another screen in the loft level of the barn, where their couch and hammock was. They tended to trade off, but sometimes found themselves tangled up on the couch together anyways.
Truthfully, Lapis had been thinking about Peridot for a while. Watching her. She’d like to attribute this strange fixation to the thousands of years she had spent in the mirror making her ache for the connection of another person, but deep down she knew something was special about Peridot. The way her compact body fit into Lapis’ lap like it belonged there. The swell of her hips leading down to the curve of her waist that Lapis would trace with her fingers while Peridot slept, once the TV screen had turned to static on late nights where her thoughts had kept her awake long past midnight. The way Peridot’s face betrayed her every emotion so easily. When she lit up with excitement after she got something she was tinkering with to work, or the way her face had crumpled with disappointment the first time they had watched the finale of Camp Pining Hearts. It was all so captivating. Her voice, too. The cadence of her speech. Maybe at one point in time she may have considered it, well.. Annoying, but that time had come and gone. Now she heard it in her dreams. At first it was simple, dreaming of the two of them flying above the clouds together, Peridot’s laughter. But slowly it had transformed into something softer. Quieter. Darker.
The way her voice would quiver with heartbreak. The way she whispered when she thought Lapis was sleeping. But most of all, that gasp she had made when Lapis grazed her gem, that almost sounded like a moan. That sound haunted her dreams.
Lapis didn’t think she could go another night simply dreaming about it. She needed to hear it again.
She landed on the loft platform just as Peridot had reached the top of the ladder and joined her.
“It never gets old. Don’t you think so, Lapis?” Peridot mused as she plopped down in front of the TV screen and grabbed the VHS tape.
“...Yeah.” Lapis said quietly, eyes never leaving Peridot as she came to sit beside her. It did get old. But watching it with Peridot did not.
As the TV flickered to life, the familiar image of the wooded campgrounds appearing on it, Lapis grabbed a pillow and fitted it behind her back. Sometimes if she sat like this, Peridot would come sit in her lap and rest her soft hair against Lapis’ chest. She smelled good. Like wildflowers and sunlight. It was strange, paying this much attention to another Gem.
Peridot did just that. She scooted over and fit herself snugly between Lapis’ outstretched legs, sighing as she settled into her spot. Lapis suppressed a grin.
Peridot clicked the remote a few times and the episode began. With her face just inches away, the blue gem had a chance to study her companion. Peridot’s bright, rounded lime green gem looked beautiful with the dancing light from the TV screen flickering across it, casting a glow over her wide eyes of the same green color.
Lapis wondered if tonight would be the night she would have the courage to try and break this unspoken barrier between them, the one that kept them from speaking about that night. She wondered if Peridot thought about it too.
Lapis slowly slid her arms under Peridot’s wrapping them around her waist snugly. She relished the feeling of contact, the soft projection of her roommate’s jumpsuit just below her fingertips. She took a shuddering breath, feeling guilty knowing she was getting such a thrill out of this experience while Peridot remained oblivious to what her true intentions were.
“...Peridot?”
The smaller gem grunted in response, too engrossed in the episode to really respond.
“Do you remember the night when I.. touched your gem?”
Peridot instantly stiffened. She didn't turn her head, but it was clear she wasn’t paying attention to Camp Pining Hearts any longer.
Lapis waited for Peridot to respond. Under her hands she felt the green Gem draw in a large breath as if she was preparing to respond, but after a moment she let it go. She did this a few more times before finally replying in a meek voice, sounding strangled in her confession.
“I.. Yes, I do. I guess I.. Hoped you would not.” Peridot let her gaze fall to her midsection, to Lapis’ firm hold around her waist, and relaxed a bit.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never..” She seemed to search for the right word, “malfunctioned that way before. I intend to make sure it never happened again.” Peridot said sheepishly, her voice getting quieter as she finished her thought. Lapis instantly interjected, barely allowing Peridot time to finish before she blurted, “No!”
Peridot’s head whipped around, her whole body shifting out of Lapis’ grasp as she turned to face the blue Gem. She looked incredulous. Eyes wide, full of confusion and embarrassment as they searched her own for some kind of explanation. It was the expressiveness Lapis adored so much, melting the words in her head so she had to sort through her thoughts to find them again.
“...No. That’s not what I meant.” She breathed realizing in that moment that her face was inches from Peridot’s.
“I was actually wondering if..” Her eyes darted away, suddenly feeling bashful in her proposal. It was clear she would have a lot of explaining to do. “I was wondering if you wanted to do it again.”
Peridot balked at her. “Again?” She asked, voice shrill. “Stars, why?”
Lapis felt a grin tug at her lips. Despite all the awkwardness of this situation, she couldn’t help but find it mildly humorous. “Well.. It felt good, didn’t it?”
Peridot’s face bloomed a deep cyan. She opened and closed her mouth stupidly like a fish, sputtering in a speechless response. That smile finally reached Lapis’ lips. If she had known this was the reaction she would get, she would have brought this up sooner. Regardless, she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Peridot hadn’t said yes.
The soft drone of the TV program was the only sound to be heard in the barn, save for the quiet breeze and occasional cricket from outside. Neither of them said a word.
Finally, in the smallest, tiniest voice Lapis had to strain to hear,
“Yes…”
Lapis felt her heart skip a beat. She raised an eyebrow, acting coy. She waited for the smaller gem to continue.
“How.. How did you know?” Peridot whined, looking up at Lapis like she was about to cry. Her lower lip quivered.
Unexpectedly, this sparked something inside Lapis. She felt a strange warmth in her gut at the sight of Peridot near tears, her glistening eyes pulling some previously-undiscovered string inside the darkest corner of Lapis’ desires. She reached out a hand and cupped the side of Peridot’s face in a gesture she hoped was comforting.
“You didn’t malfunction, Peri… they just don’t teach you about this stuff on homeworld.”
Peridot looked confused again.
“Can I just… Please?”
Peridot pursed her lips and slowly nodded. She squeezed her eyes shut like she was bracing for impact.
Lapis reached up and traced a gentle finger across the rounded facet on the left side of Peridot’s gem. Instantly, her expression changed. Her eyebrows knit together in a way that made her look like she was pleading, and a whimper escaped her lips. She seemed to instinctively lean into the touch. Lapis felt the green gem shiver under her fingers.
Lapis gulped. This wasn’t like what she had imagined. It was so much better.
Riding the momentum she had gathered, she dragged the pad of her finger around the curve at the bottom of Peridot’s gem.
Peridot shuttered, whining and letting out a breathless, “Oh, stars..!”
The taller gem wrapped her other arm around Peridot’s hips and draped her closer until their bodies pressed up against each other, feeling every twitch Peridot made as a result of her touches.
The heat in her gut swelled, sending a buzz through her body that compelled her to see just how far she could go. She swirled her finger over the flat face of Peridot’s gem, eliciting another desperate moan. The green gem still hadn’t opened her eyes, but her mouth hung open, slack jawed. Lapis paused her touching, tilting Peridot’s face up by her chin so she couldn’t hide. This was the moment Lapis had been waiting for, to see Peridot’s uninhibited reactions.
Peridot frowned, puzzled when Lapis didn’t continue, and finally opened her eyes. Lapis’ expression softened into a small smile, eyes hooded with lust in an expression that was meant for Peridot alone.
Peridot’s face went from puzzled to surprised, breath catching as the two gems studied each other from inches away. Their breathing mingled in the quiet space, neither saying a word as the tension grew between them. Peridot licked her lips.
At that moment, Lapis was struck with an idea. She pulled Peridot’s face closer and tenderly kissed her gem. Peridot yelped, jerking as if lightning had discharged through her. Peridot’s hands balling into fists in the fabric of Lapis’ dress when she didn’t pull away, continuing to place soft, sensual kisses on her gem. A loud, broken sound that seemed to rip from her throat in a way that neither of them could have possibly anticipated.
Suddenly Peridot tensed, stilling completely as her moans gave way to a quiet whimper. Slowly, each part of her body untensed and she collapsed in Lapis’ lap like a marionette with its strings cut.
Lapis stared down at Peridot in shock. Taking the smaller gem gently by the shoulders, she shifted her around so she could look at her face. Peridot groaned, half lidded eyes unfocused as she came down from her high. Her head lolled into the crook of Lapis’ elbow, nuzzling her face there. Lapis continued to stare, studying her flushed green cheeks and disheveled blonde hair. Peridot was so vulnerable in her arms, in a way she never had been before. Sure, they sleep in the same bed, and spend nearly every moment together. But this was something completely new. This secret Lapis wanted to keep for herself. This moment. Her Peridot.
“You ok?” Lapis asked gently, cradling her companion against her chest.
Finally, Peridot opened her eyes. Her pupils were blown wide, a hazy look in her eyes. Rendered speechless… This was a good look for her.
“I’m.. yes,” Peridot said quietly, seemingly ashamed of her erotic display. All of a sudden there were tears welling up in her eyes, and Lapis watched in shock as her little nose scrunched up, lip quivering. Why was Peridot crying? Didn’t it feel good?
“Are you.. Crying?” She asked. Stupid, of course she was. But why?
“No.. Yes! No I’m..!” Peridot sputtered, weakly trying to push her way out of Lapis’ reach. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry..” She blubbered through her tears, covering her face with her arms when her attempts to escape were unsuccessful.
Lapis realized what she was doing, hating herself for a split second and released her tight hold on Peridot’s waist and arms. She didn’t understand what was happening. What were these nonsensical pleas?
Peridot all at once climbed out of Lapis’ arms, hesitating for a moment to look back at the blue gem with an expression Lapis couldn’t read before hurrying out of the loft.