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It was Homeworld’s first ball since Steven integrated the courts- and with the Diamond’s insistence to the Agates, all of the Crystal Gems had been welcomed to the celebration with open arms. And that celebration had some big arms, to say the least.
“Now, everybody, make sure you’re looking your best!” Pearl shouted throughout the Temple, trying to address everybody at once as she fixed up her light-blue suit. “We want to impress the Diamonds.”
“And the courts.” Garnet’s voice followed. She stepped out in front of Pearl wearing somewhat of a pink ragtime outfit. She reached out, placing a little teal bow on Pearl’s outfit. Amethyst and Connie raced down the steps of the loft, wearing their own formal attire. Pretty much all of the gems had dressed up in some form of a suite- which made Connie, in her navy blue cloak and golden buttons, really stand out. Despite the top hat- Pearl wanted everybody to wear a top hat. Even Jasper, who practically broke the front door as she walked inside in her bright red outfit and randomly-placed Hawaiian flowers.
“Where’d Steven go?” Connie walked up to Pearl with a confused expression, purposefully standing up as straight as she could.
“He went to check on the barnies!” Amethyst bellowed. “Should be back in a few.”
“No, he will be back in ’a few’, because we are scheduled for boarding at this very moment. Come along.” Pearl placed a little yellow daisy in one of Connie’s upper pockets before the large group warped off.. Just a hot second before the “barnies” showed up.
Lapis slammed the door open, and Peridot followed close behind, their top hats almost flying off their heads. Steven pushed them aside, lifting his chin to glance around the Temple. They were each wearing something similar to the rest of the Gems, a colored suit of their choice with a striped top hat and a flower or two. Lapis’ suit was a deep ocean blue, with golden lining and a striped tie. Peridot’s whole outfit was dark green, like usual- besides her red bow. Steven had put his own spin on Pearl’s instructed outfit. He wore a rose gold tuxedo with some splashes of turquoise here and there. And, of course, there was a rose in his pocket.
“Just in time! Hurry!” Steven panted, racing onto the warp pad and signaling for them to follow.
“ .. Steven, can we have a second?” Lapis spoke out, taking her hat off and holding it down by her side.
Steven raised a brow. “Why?”
Peridot stammered a tiny response. “To t- talk.”
After a few moments, a huge grin formed on his face. And that’s what made the two wince. He knew- they knew he knew. “I got ya, I got ya. But be there before Pearl freaks please!”
“Course.” Peridot nodded with a nervous chuckle. “Eheh.”
And with that, Steven warped away in a flash of white, leaving the two alone in the Temple. The silence took over rather fast. It was.. Comforting, almost. Lapis turned, taking Peri’s hand in her’s.
“Do you still plan on telling them?” She muttered, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was referring to her and Peridot’s relationship- which they’d managed to keep somewhat secret until now.
“I mean, they’ll see us dancing together.” Peridot shrugged. “They aren’t complete idiots. Plus, aren’t we presenting ourselves together?”
Lapis gasped. “I didn’t even think about the Diamond’s. And the other Lazuli’s..”
Peridot rolled her eyes, grabbing Lapis’ other hand for support and standing on her tippy-toes. She leaned in, giving her partner a tiny kiss. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise.”
Lapis raised a brow, a playful grin forming on her face. “How can you promise something like that?”
“I’m confident.” Peridot giggled, swinging their arms back and forth.
“You must be a lot more confident than I thought.” Lazuli rolled her eyes with a mischievous snicker as Peridot leaned in for another kiss.
It was a much more passionate kiss this time- much more satisfying than the tiny peck just a few moments ago. Lapis’ hands moved up from Peri’s and to her neck, holding her there for as long as she could. Peridot seemed to hum into the kiss, content with this moment in it’s entirety. She didn’t want it to end. The green gem’s hands moved down to Lapis’ back, caressing her gem lightly before holding onto her in a tight, heartwarming embrace. And Lapis definitely found it heartwarming. She melted into it with no problem. They pulled away for just a moment, taking a few deep breaths before pressing their lips together again.
Abruptly, the warp pad sounded off in a flurry of light. Steven was standing and staring with his hands on his cheeks- and the two only stopped their little love-session when they heard his voice.
”Awww!” You guys..”
They flinched, pulling away with wide eyes and nervous grins.
“That’s so cute-! Why didn’t you tell me earlier..?”
Peridot could barely muster a quiet “uhm..”, so Lapis took it upon herself to answer the question. “You were busy with Homeworld, and I doubt the gems care very much.”
“Okay, that isn’t true, but-“ Steven whirled around, turning his back to them. “-Pearl is freaking out. We gotta move.”
~
“This place is gorgeous.”
Pearl glanced at Steven, pushing a hand to his mouth to silence him as they walked up to the Diamond’s and introduced themselves with Garnet, Amethyst, and Connie. Behind them was Lion- because Lion was Pink Diamond’s ally. Following Lion was Jasper, and following Jasper was Lapis and Peridot.
“You ready?” Lapis murmured, whispering under the bustling noise of the crowd.
Peridot rolled her eyes. “Popped out of the ground ready, thank you very much.”
The largest group presented themselves to the Diamond’s, before walking off to mingle with the other gems of numerous courts. Lion roared to the authorities as some sort of greeting- and Jasper almost silenced the whole room- before Lapis and Peridot came up and presented themselves.
“Lapis Lazuli.” Lapis straightened herself. “The, erm- the Crystal Gem’s Lazuli.”
Peridot was much more excited about the whole thing, saluting- like an army general- before shouting out to them. “Peridot. Allied with the Crystal Gems.”
There was a moment of silence as Blue Diamond leaned forward with a raised brow. She was definitely intrigued. An Era 1 Lapis- a cherished gem- and an Era 2, a simply forgotten, Peridot. And that Peridot’s next words caused Lapis’ cheeks to heat up in a mess of navy blue blush.
“Lazuli’s Peridot.”
“Well then.” Yellow Diamond cleared her throat. “Along with you now. We have others to see.”
The pair glanced at eachother before Peridot’s eyes met Steven’s nearby. The whole group was watching them. Everybody. Besides Jasper, who was busy petting Lion. Eventually Lapis grabbed Peridot’s hand and began walking over to the group, eyes narrowed. As soon as they arrived at the Crystal Gems’ little corner of the ballroom, Steven took Connie’s hand and walked off to dance. Garnet simply gave them a thumbs-up as Pearl stared and Amethyst continued her giggling.
“Don’t mind them.” Garnet insisted, nudging Pearl. “Go have fun.”
And so they did. The music was soft and relaxing, mainly at the request of Steven. It soothed Lapis, even if she felt like dozens of people were staring at her constantly. Peridot constantly leaned forward and gave her tiny kisses and whispered little nothings into her ear- which made it all the better and all the worse.
“Hey, this is the part where I twirl you.” Lapis spoke after a long bit of silence, not waiting for a response before she lifted her arm up and dragged Peridot along with it.
“You could’ve given me a heads up!”
“I did. It worked. The spin was pretty.” Lazuli shrugged.
Peridot scoffed. ”I’m supposed to be the one twirling you!”
“You think you’re tall enough?” She giggled, her hands re-adjusting to the sides of Peri’s naval, lightly teasing her with tiny pinches every time she got too loud.
“Course! I’m tall enough for everything.” Peridot puffed out her chest. “See?”
“See wh-“
Lazuli was interrupted by a kiss on the lips. For a moment, she felt the world close in on her. Somebody had to be watching, at least one person. And yet- it felt like everybody was watching. Everybody saw her, everybody knew her, and everybody was picking out her faults.
But the next second, that disappeared.
All that remained was her, Peridot, and every little good thing that came with their kiss. The warmth spiraling throughout her body, the simple closeness of her Peridot, the feeling of being loved despite her faults and everything she had done in the past. It all rushed to her in an organized yet chaotic fashion, bringing tears to her eyes that turned from frustration and fear to understanding and joy. This was what she came here for- this is who she was now.
And she loved every inch of it.