Would you be up for giving lapinet a shot? c:
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Lapis laid in her hammock, her eyes shut even if she wasn’t asleep or even remotely tired. It had the same blissful feeling as floating in the air, on her back, supported only by her wings– but with the bonus of not having to exert any of her gem powers.
Today though, Lapis needed that kind of relaxation. She had a lot on her mind. Granted, she had a lot on her mind most days, but today was particularly heavy. The close encounter she had that morning had been… hard to take in all at once. But despite that (or maybe because of it), she hadn’t told anyone what had happened. And by anyone, of course, she meant Steven and Peridot.
She hadn’t told Peridot because, frankly, as entertaining as the show could be, Peridot had gotten a lot of her ideas of social interaction from Camp Pining Hearts . She would most probably suggest a reenactment of Percy and Paulette’s confession scene, and Lapis thought that wouldn’t help her situation much.
As for Steven… Lapis didn’t want him to try and help. He meant well of course– he always meant well– but his overeagerness could get a little out of hand at times, and this matter needed a delicate touch.
Like pretending it never happened and moving on with life.
Lapis had gotten pretty good at that, honestly. Whenever there was a problem, she’d just lay in the hammock and try not to think about it. And if Lapis’s mind were a bit more willing to go along with that plan, that would be great too.
The voice made Lapis’s chest feel tighter. She raised her head, trying to peer past the hammock and see who was at the barn’s entrance, even though she was fairly sure who it was.
“Garnet,” Lapis said, trying her best to sound neutral and at ease. “If you’re looking for Peridot, she’s not around…”
Garnet didn’t respond. At least not to that. “You’re alright.”
Lapis shrugged. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You left rather abruptly,” Garnet answered. “Because of what I–”
“No,” Lapis cut in. “I just… I decided I didn’t want to help, that’s all.”
That didn’t sound convincing, not even to Lapis, who didn’t have the benefit future vision. And sure enough, Garnet didn’t look mollified.
“Sorry if we pushed further than you liked, Lapis,” she said. “It was a bit of an… intense moment.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “ I’m sorry.”
Lapis shrugged again. “Nothing to be sorry for. Though… everyone is safe, right?”
Lapis sighed. That was certainly a load off her mind. That was probably her biggest regret, to just leave like that– to leave Garnet, Steven, and Peridot to face down that corrupted gem… She wasn’t proud of it, but the alternative had been… more than Lapis had been prepared to handle.
“It’s alright,” Garnet said easily. “You weren’t ready. I shouldn’t have asked in that kind of situation.”
Lapis felt her tongue moving within mouth, trying to form words, but she kept her lips sealed.
“Steven and Peridot aren’t upset with you. They understand it was too large a step.” Garnet paused, waiting to give Lapis a chance to speak. When she didn’t, Garnet continued, “If you need to talk, Steven is at Temple. As is Peridot.”
Another pause, then Garnet gave a curt nod and began to walk away.
Lapis quickly rolled out of the hammock and onto her feet. “Wait, Garnet.”
Garnet stopped in her tracks, turning back towards Lapis. With some effort, Lapis took a few steps towards Garnet, but she was unsure of what to say exactly. “I… Back there, during the fight. What did you… Why did you choose me to fuse with?”
Garnet looked at her, sunglasses obscuring her eyes, but Lapis was sure that all three of them were on her. “We were near a body of water,” Garnet said. “Your hydrokinesis, mixed with my electrokinesis would allow our fusion to easily take down the gem monster.”
“But you can see into the future,” Lapis responded. “You had to have known I would… that I wouldn’t do it.”
Garnet shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. The future isn’t a single stream of events. Rather, it’s more like an ocean, filled with possibilities. I saw possible futures of you refusing, yes. But I saw just as many of you agreeing.”
“Really?” Lapis blinked. “Huh…” Lapis shifted where she stood, rubbing her foot against the the back of her leg. “Can I be honest with you, Garnet?”
“Even when you offered, I didn’t actually think you’d fuse with me.”
Garnet was silent, only tilting her head slightly to the side.
“I mean, you’re a master of fusion. You’d have to be, right? And me… well, I’m kind of a screw up at fusion.”
“Ah. So that was the problem,” Garnet said. “You didn’t want to fuse with me .”
“N-no! That’s-!” Lapis quickly sputtered. “That’s not it… Why wouldn’t I want to fuse with you? You’re…” Lapis grimaced at her bare feet as she felt her face flush. “You’re great… You’re calm and serene. You always have an answer to a question and you’re always supportive of others, including me. And…” Lapis trailed off into a series of mumbles.
“Come on, Lapis,” Garnet smiled. “You’ve made it this far.”
“I said I really like your mass.”
“I see,” Garnet chuckled lightly.
Gathering up what little will she had left, Lapis went on, “When you asked me to fuse, I was scared. I didn’t want you to think less of me, but…”
“You were concerned about your own abilities with fusion,” Garnet finished for her.
Garnet took a step towards Lapis, and Lapis felt herself tense, her hands clenching into tight fists. But Garnet simply put an easy hand on Lapis’s shoulder. It felt comforting, calming, to feel Garnet’s gem against her bare skin.
“You like me.” It wasn’t quite a question and Lapis didn’t quite give an answer, but she felt the heat on her face intensifying.
But then Garnet didn’t need answer.
Garnet smiled. Her hand trailed down Lapis’s arm until reaching the wrist. Lapis slowly uncurled her fingers. “Well,” Garnet said, holding Lapis’s hand, “I like you too.”
Her words hit Lapis hard, so much that her first reaction was to try and jerk away from her. She resisted the urge for the most part, but her muscles still twitch a little, telling Garnet reaction nonetheless.
“It’s okay,” Garnet said softly, a slight smile still on her lips. “I know I put a significant emphasis on fusion. Probably more than anyone else.” She lowered Lapis’s hand, before letting go. “But you move at your own pace. I couldn’t think less of you for that.”
“I… Right. Thank you, Garnet,” Lapis said numbly.
Garnet gave her one more nod before walking away. Just as she reached the barn door, she paused and looked over her shoulder. “For the record, I had three other plans to take down the corrupted gem just as easily as our fusion could have. But I figured it didn’t hurt asking you first.”
Lapis’s jaw dropped with Garnet’s revelation. Garnet’s smile widened, and Lapis had the sneaking suspicion that, underneath the sunglasses, Garnet had just winked at her.
“I’ll… see you around, Garnet.”
Lapis returned quietly to her hammock.
She had a whole lot more to think about now.
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