Work Text:
Spies
( Lapidot Week 2019: Day 5 )
~
Peridot peeked around the corner of the doorway, her eyes narrowed and heart pounding in her chest. She snickered quietly, trying to suppress little giggles of excitement. Lapis stood over her and leaned to the side, awkwardly peeking out above Peridot with raised eyebrows and shifting eyes.
“Where is he?” Peridot whispered, glancing around the room in front of them- the main area of the Temple.
“You know where he is, Peridot.” Lapis rolled her eyes, sighing. To her, this was all very silly.
“Shhshshhh.” Peridot caught Lazuli by surprise, turning and leaning onto Lapis before pinning her down, straddling her, and pressing a hand onto her lips. “I think he’s trapped somewhere.. Somebody’s holding him captive!”
“Oh, he’s fine. The gems are probably with him. Lapis moved Peridot’s hand from off her mouth, grinning mischievously as she played along. “You can hold me captive instead. For as long as you like..”
“What does that mean?” Peridot chuckled, rolling her shoulders back.
“It means exactly what you think it means. And I think that’d be way more fun than-“
From the nearby doorway, the sound of somebody clearing their throat made it’s way to the gems. Peridot scrambled off Lazuli, sitting like a cat beside her on all four legs as her partner beside her sat upright and was met with Connie’s gaze. The sword fighter had her hands on her hips with an expression that sported a quirky smirk and read ‘I totally saw all of that’.
“S- Sorry Connie! We were, erm.. Playing.”
“Playing? Gems play?” Connie tilted her head.
“Well, she does.” Lapis said with newfound confidence, pointing to the gremlin who’d spoke earlier- basically saying: ‘Yup, that’s my girlfriend.’ “It was some sort of thief thing.”
“No! It was Spies!” Peri grumbled, swatting at Lapis.
“Ooh!” Connie giggled, leaning down. She may have been 14- but she could still relive that playful demeanor from so long ago. “Can I play along? Sometimes it’s fun. Especially when the people we’re spying on have no idea what we’re doing.”
Lapis stood. “If she’s in, I’m out. No offense, Connie, but this game is boring me. And I have more Hunger Games to read.”
“What?” Peridot pawed at Lapis feet, eventually clinging to her leg. “You can’t do that, you’re my partner..”
“Yeah, Lapis.” The human in front of her giggled, crossing her arms. “You’re her partner.”
The ocean gem sighed. “Okay, fine. Show me how to play.”
“I just showed you how to play!”
“I was too focused on how cute your rambling was to pay attention. Duh.”
“I am not cute!”
“You have to accept it sometime!”
“Never!”
Connie was too busy rolling around on the floor and peeking out over countertops to laugh at the girlfriend’s simple dispute, watching Steven with a determined look on her face. Steven glanced over, tilting his head and lifting his chin. Connie simply pushed a finger to her lips before pointing behind her at Peridot and Lapis. When that didn’t give Steven the message, she spelt ‘Spies’ out in Sign Language. That didn’t work either.
“We’re playing spies.” She spat with a tiny giggle.
“Sheesh, Okay.” He chuckled, shrugging and continuing to make his sandwich.
All the sudden, Connie felt a tap on her shoulder and almost shrieked. She turned. It was just Lapis playing the game, being stealthy and silent. Then she felt a poke on her nose and heard a quiet “boop-!”, turning to see Peridot on her opposite side. Completely different gems, she would tell them- and they never listened to her.
“Okay, we need to track down the salt.” Connie whispered just barely over her own breath.
“The Pearl?” Peridot was much louder in her whispers.
“Yes. Let’s move.”
The three of them crawled to the table. Well- no, actually, two of them crawled to the table while Lapis just took a magazine and hid most of her face with it. Meanwhile, Connie was crawling under the table, and Peridot was sitting on top of it with crossed legs and shut eyes.
“Peridot, that’s not how a spy would.. Spy.” Steven admitted as he walked by with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand.
“If I can’t see you, you can’t see me!” Peridot hissed.
Steven shrugged and walked up the stairs to his loft, humming quietly. Definitely quiet enough to the point where the warp pad sounded over it- and our came Pearl and Amethyst. They were chatting up a storm until they saw the two practically piled on top of each other. Pearl pointed at Peridot first, then looking at Lazuli with a furred brow.
“Do you know anything about this, Lapis?” She spoke in a mellow voice, despite her harsh expression.
Lapis shook her head.
“Alright- well, Connie, it’s time to practice your sword fighting. We haven’t had time lately, and I thought you’d be excited..”
Connie crawled out from under the table. “No, I’m ready! Let me get the s-“
Amethyst pulled out the sword, safely in it’s unique sheath, from behind her back, while Pearl scolded her apprentice. “You left it at the Arena yesterday. I know it’s never happened before, but that’s hand-made. You need to be more careful.”
“O- Oh!” She murmured. “Will do, Pearl.”
“Aww.. You aren’t gonna play spies anymore?” Peridot sighed. “A good member lost to the chances of time.”
“Ya’ll were playin’ spies?” Amethyst snorted. “Sheesh. I didn’t know you were such a drama queen, P-Dot.”
“I’ll be back in a little while, Peridot! I promise. Plus, isn’t Lapis your one and only Partner?”
Peridot, of course, looked over to her one and only Partner with the hugest smile on her face. Lapis narrowed her eyes and slowly moved the magazine down, revealing a tiny grin. “Yes, Peridot, I am your partner. Now what do you want to do?”
Pearl and Amethyst couldn’t resist quiet giggles and snorts at the two as the mentor and apprentice paired up and warped away.
For the rest of the day, Lapis and Peridot talked in the silence of the Temple, with Steven listening in above them. They’d murmur and giggle happily, occasionally leaning down to kiss each other and simply enjoy the moment. Their hands were twined together, their hearts beating in-time as they basked in the bliss.
“Hey Lapis?”
“Hmm?”
“ ..Will we really be together forever?”
“Of course, Peridot.”
“Always.”