Work Text:
Lapis couldn’t believe it. Of course they fell into a trap. This is what she got for letting Peridot talk her into coming here—an abandoned warehouse, once in gem-controlled territory. Said she wanted some specific parts for a new ‘pet project.’ Enabling Peridot's habits always meant trouble.
They both pounded on the solid walls that were closing in on them. Lapis couldn’t fly them out, because the ceiling had been a trapdoor that closed behind them. And despite the doors being metal, it was so refined that peridot could only stop them for a second before being exhausted.
Lapis watched as Peridot turned toward her, hesitating to reach out. She stared at Peridot’s outstretched hand, flinching when she reasserted her request, pushing, demanding. “Lapis, I—I’m sorry. I know you hate fusion, but it might be our only option. I really don’t want to—”
“What do you know about fusion?”
Peridot flinched, holding her hands up—attempting a placating gesture.
“I—W-well, it requires you to dance, I think? And you have to be on the same emotional wavelen—”
“Just because you made a sad attempt at fusion with Garnet doesn’t mean you know anything about fusion.”
Peridot began to sweat as she looked around at the very refined metal walls closing in on them. “Y-you saw that?”
Lapis crossed her arms and looked away. “Yeah, it was pathetic.”
Peridot flinched at her word-choice, but opted to swallow down the slight, and her own budding panic. “I—I think I know what I did wrong.”
“What?” Lapis glanced at her.
Peridot twiddled her fingers together for a split-second before catching herself. She balled them into fists and stood up straight and tall—relatively speaking. “I wasn’t ready for fusion. I had reservations about what it meant to fuse, and-and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.”
“Tsk. Yet you tried to force it anyway.” Lapis turned to one of the walls, as if they weren’t closing in on them, threatening to crush their gems into a fine dust. She placed her hand on the wall, her blurry blue reflection reminding her of the ocean. “I’d rather this crush me than fuse again.”
Peridot let the possible implication of Lapis not wanting to fuse with her specifically pass through her with just a shudder—she’d need to talk with Garnet or Steven after this was over. If.
“Garnet wanted me to fail.”
“Why would she want that? I thought she loved to just fuse with any gem.” Lapis gritted her teeth.
The walls were almost four Peridots apart, closing in on three and a half…
“I believe she meant to induce a reaction out of m—”
“English, Peridot.”
“She wanted me to feel conflicted so I would fail. She knew I’d focus on that later, trying to piece together the why.”
“Guess she knows Peridots love a good challenge.” Lapis smirked.
Peridot returned a half-hearted smile of her own. “My point is, Lapis, that despite my feelings about fusion, I didn’t know Garnet at all. Garnet didn’t know me either.”
Lapis furrowed her brow. “Then what makes you think we could fuse?”
Peridot swallowed, her eyes flicking between Lapis and the two walls that were nearly her shoulder-width apart. This could either work or backfire horribly. But it couldn’t be worse than being crushed to Peri-dust.
“You know me. A-and I know you.”
Lapis’s eyes filled with rage and she took a step forward. Peridot fell backwards and held an arm out as if to defend herself.
Lapis’s anger instantly crumbled at the sight—Peridot cowering, nearly shaking in fear. Lapis did that to her.
Lapis crumpled to her knees, letting out a deep exhale. Before now, she had no problems with reeling on Peridot and letting her know who owned the barn, that she could leave anytime she wanted if Peridot so much as “rocked the boat,” as Steven would say. But right now… with fusion the subject at hand—it could almost be compared to their life at the barn.
There, their lives were intertwined. They decided on additions together, knew each other's routines, knew how to not anger each other, and how to apologize if they had. When Steven wanted to visit he’d say, “I’m coming to visit you guys” or “I’m going to visit Peridot and Lapis.” It wasn’t a perfect comparison, but she’d be lying to herself if she said it didn’t fit.
Lapis squeezed her eyes shut, hard, and brought her hands up to cover them. She never wanted to see Peridot react to her like that ever again. But she would, because that reaction was familiar. Familiar in the same self-destructive way Steven used to smile and pull everyone along with him. Familiar in the same way… Jasper flinched and surrendered.
“I—” Lapis’s voice cracked, the weight of her sorrow balling in her throat. “I did it again…” her breathy voice trailing off into an implication they were both privy to.
“Lapis?”
She heard Peridot shuffle closer. Her instinct was to run, but she forced herself to stay put. If—if Jasper and Peridot had to endure her chains, so could she, so should she.
“I’m not entirely certain what you mean.”
A quiet sob escaped her throat. “I—I treated you like how I treated Jasper!”
“Lapis?”
She didn’t respond.
“Lapis,” Peridot stated more firmly. “Look at me.”
Lapis peered through her hands, Peridot’s eyes piercing through her, right down to her gem.
“Have you ever fused with me?”
“What? No—”
“Did you ever lock me in the barn?”
“N-no, but I—”
“Have you ever dragged me anywhere against my will?”
Silence followed, except for the ominous scrapping of the metal walls on the cold stone floor. Peridot’s eyes still stayed locked on hers.
“You have not. If you had, I would not still want to be barn mates or spend time with you. Or even… the fact that I want to fuse with you.”
Her breath hitched. Peridot… wanted to fuse with her? But…
“Why? Why would you want to fuse with me?” Lapis asked, her voice a whisper being drowned out by noise.
Peridot seemed so panicked about their entrapment beforehand, but now, alongside Lapis, she wordlessly shrunk her form down so she wouldn’t be crushed… just yet.
“Lapis… I wish you could see what I see.” Peridot scooted closer, and gently took her wrists. She moved them away from her face like one wrong move would shatter her. Lapis wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. “You’re brave.”
“That’s not true.”
“You stood up against Blue Diamond and put up a fight. You surprised her. She didn’t expect you to endure, but you did.” Peridot looked at her and spoke like she was talking about her Diamond, Yellow Diamond—as if Lapis could compare.
“You put up with my awful taste in art, my snoring, my loud obnoxious rants about tech you understand none of.” Peridot smiled.
Lapis sniffled and snorted in laughter. “T-that’s true, not a thing you say makes sense.” Lapis froze after realizing what she said. “I’m sorry, I—I didn’t mean—”
Peridot’s face was inches from hers. She was smiling, but it looked forced. Lapis started to feel the walls closing in on them, so she shrank again, but her gem now took up the entirety of her chest and her form wouldn’t budge anymore. Peridot couldn’t shrink anymore either.
“Lapis… we need to fuse or we’re going to be shattered.”
She wasn’t sure whether she was more terrified that Peridot didn’t seem panicked or that she felt pressure to fuse. “N-no, you—I won’t!” she cried. “I won’t be forced to fuse… I—I don’t want to hurt you like… why is fusion always like this with me!?”
“Then don’t.”
“W—what?”
“If you don’t want to fuse… I’m okay with that.”
Peridot sounded… genuine, like she’d rather be shattered than force her to fuse. “Y-you don’t mean that.”
Peridot answered with a genuine smile. Lapis held her breath when Peridot cupped her face in her hands. “Um… Peridot?”
Peridot leaned closer (Lapis refused the urge to jerk away) and pressed her gem against Lapis’s forehead. “I’m not lying. About wanting to fuse with you, because I do. I’m also okay if you’re not ready. You mean the Earth to me, Lapis.”
Lapis giggled before she could hold it back. Peridot look horrified. “N-no, no. Peridot, I just—sorry, it’s ‘you mean the world to me’, not ‘Earth’.” But then Lapis laughed even more and couldn’t stop. Peridot’s shock melted into laughter as well, both of them cracking up so much Peridot started to hiccup.
They stopped when their forms started to feel like they were being squeezed.
“Peridot I—I d-don’t want to fuse… but I—I want to live longer with you. I just…” she started to cry again, as she felt Peridot press their heads together. “It’s so unfair,” Lapis whimpered. “Because… I do want to… fuse with you, just—not like this.”
“You want to fuse with me?” Peridot sounded breathless.
“Yeah, I do.” And she surprised herself with how serious she was. How… excited she felt? Her whole body felt warm and tingly.
“Wow, I must be the luckiest Peridot in the world.”
Their forms started to flicker.
“Oh,” Peridot said, “maybe not quite so lucky.”
“I don’t want things to end like thi—!” They both looked at Lapis’s glowing gem. Peridot jerked her hands back.
“Lapis… d-don’t force yourself. You don’t have to fuse, because… well…” Peridot blushed. “I would let myself get shattered if it meant you ended up okay.”
Lapis felt… not emptiness exactly in her chest, but a vast openness? It was a feeling like taking the first breath of air on a slightly cool rainy day. Like breathing in the smell of Steven’s hot chocolate and being aware of the pleasant warmth filling you up to the brim with coziness. Bright light? Her arms were pure light, and when she took Peridot’s hands in hers she immediately knew they belonged there. And when Peridot’s hands began to glow, heat traveled up her arms. The vastness Lapis saw, narrowed… focused? Resolved? … into the shape of Peridot.
Lapis could do whatever she wanted? She could, right? But she didn’t need to choose any which way, did she. No one was going to take this decision away. The wall could crush them any second, and that would be her choice. She could fuse with Peridot, right now, and that would be her choice. But what she wanted… “What I really want is…”
“To be Turquoise.”
At first, she didn’t recognize the lack of pressure all around her. She was too focused on her hands—circuit-board green blended with ocean-blue to make turquoise. Turquoise. Wonder guided her gaze to her new four arms, long, flexible and muscular. Good for controlling water, metal, or fabrication.
Steven would say they’re really good for hugging. That made her snort in laughter. Her voice was pitched high yet soft, giggles punctuated by raspy voice cracks that she could only describe as endearing. Warmth filled her form, flowing from her core. “I feel… I-I’m okay. This is nice. Really nice. I—”
She took her reflection in, dual-toned blue and green eyes stared back at her in the metal. She probably stood a head taller than Garnet. A Peridot gem was on her right shoulder and a Lapis gem on her left. Her deep blue hair flowed like water to her shoulders. She sported a pair of long culottes colored with a gradient that went from dark green to blue. Her midriff was exposed, a dark blue wrap around her chest, dotted with dark green stars. “I look… amazing. I—” she sniffled and started to tear up. “I didn’t know it could feel like this-how it’s supposed to feel. I can unfuse right now if I wanted. I’m not trapped. I-I think I want this? Is that okay?”
“Lapis! Peridot! Are you guys in here?!” She heard a panicked Steven up above her, now just realizing she was still inside a trap that now appeared to be broken. “My AirTag said Peridot wandered into an old—I mean… w-what AirTag? I didn’t say that, Haha… Peridot! Lapis! Where are you!?”
Before he got far, without thinking, Turquoise liquified and parted the metal above her with ease and jumped up onto the floor above. “Steven?”
Steven turned around and his eyes went bug-eyed. “Wha—are you—did you guys… Fuse!?” Steven ran up to her and started to examine her form, nothing but awe and pure excitement radiating from him. She blushed at the attention. Then he noticed the hole in the floor behind her, and frowned.
“The trap was triggered. Oh no, please tell me you guys didn’t fall down there. You weren’t…” Steven winced as he said it, “forced to fuse, were you?”
“Y-no. No, we weren’t forced. I—we might have been a little incentivized to fuse-b-but Peridot let Lapis choose. They both wanted this, me. Turquoise.” She looked down at her four hands. “Steven, is this okay?”
“Is what okay?”
“Is it okay to like this, to want this to work so badly?”
“Of course it is. This is fusion we’re talking about. It’s awesome!” He frowned when she didn’t seem convinced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore what happened with—”
“I’m not good at this. Every time I have fused in the past, I was horrible, Steven.” She laughed. “Peridot doesn’t want to hurt Lapis, and Lapis doesn’t want to hurt Peridot.”
Steven smiled one of those bright smiles that made her feel like she was back in the mirror, looking back at him. He walked up to them and gestured for them to lean down. She did, and he took her hands. “Fusion isn’t perfect. It takes two to tango, after all. It won’t be easy. But you’re here now, and you’re made up of two awesome gems who love you. And as long as Lapis and Peridot both want this, enjoy it. I think you look great together.”
Turquoise giggled. “How can you be so sure I won’t screw it up?”
“You will,” Steven said, so unbothered it gave her pause.
“What?”
“Making mistakes comes with being a fusion.”
She bit her lip, then looked down when Steven squeezed her hand. “You aren’t alone. Me and Connie sometimes had a rough time being Stevonnie. But we talked through it.”
She breathed out sharply. “I’m used to running, not talking.”
“You can talk now.”
“Oh, I guess I can.”
A flash of light, and both Peridot and Lapis appeared, hand in hand.
Peridot held both of Lapis’s hands. “Lapis, it’s okay if you run away. I know you’ll come back.”
Lapis looked away. “It’s not—I don’t want to do that to you again,” she whispered.
“I forgive you, Lapis. In the future as well, I’ll forgive you.”
Lapis blushed and giggled. “You are so sappy.” Lapis looked back at Peridot, who was hesitantly smiling. “And small.”
“Wha—hey!” Peridot said, her smile blooming into a teasing grin. “Being small has significant advantages. I can fit in tight spaces and my center of gravity is lower to the ground, making balance on the trash lid easy.”
Lapis barely caught herself before snorting in laughter. “That’s it?”
Curiously, Peridot seemed to become embarrassed. “W-well, in all honesty, I don’t really think about my height all that much. Being around you makes me… feel a lot bigger.”
Lapis buried her face in her hands and made an indignant “eep!” sound that should only be reserved for Peridots. “Steven, do something! Tell her she’s failing human customs or—something!”
Steven laughed. “Sorry Lapis, but she’s doing it right. She’s being honest and vulnerable with you.”
“I don’t know how to do that or deal with that. But…” Lapis peeked through her fingers toward Steven. He smiled gently and nodded. She closed her eyes, removed her hands from her face, and took a deep breath.
She looked at Peridot who still unfortunately looked just like she did after ‘bothering’ Lapis in the past.
“But I want to try, Peridot. Is that okay?”
Peridot’s smile returned. “Absolutely!” Peridot stated and wrapped Lapis in a hug, with little warning. Lapis froze, but slowly eased into the hug. She was okay. They were okay.
*Snap*
Both of them turned to see Steven peek from behind his phone. “That’s another for the scrapbook.”
“Steven,” Lapis said, “delete that.”
“Aww, but you guys are so cu—AHH!!!” He yelled as he took off out of the warehouse, a Peridot on all-fours close behind him. “You’ll never catch me!” She could hear, fading into the distance.
She snorted, a soft giggle that broke out into teary-eyed laughter. She felt so warm and fuzzy inside, as she clutched her stomach and doubled over. After her amusement subsided, she hugged herself, smiling as she playfully flared her dress side to side.
She loved it here, on Earth. And she was staying put. It was her choice after all.