#halfidot

Amethyst’s lips were on Lapis’.

---

A few minutes before, Lapis had just been sleeping next to Amethyst in her room, but when she woke up, the shorter gem was looking at her strangely. “Amethyst, are you okay?” Lapis cocked her head to one side. “You aren’t still mad at me over our fight, are you?” “No, I just...” Amethyst trailed off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. It’s not your fault you love Peridot, and it’s none of my business.” “Amethyst, I wish we had met under better circumstances. I’d never even spoken to you and then we hated each other.” Lapis grinned again. “I mean, if I didn’t already have Peridot, I bet we would have gotten along very well.” “You’re a flirt, Lazuli.” Amethyst held her by the shoulder. “But flattery will get you nowhere.” “No, I mean it. You’re funny, and you’re so passionate about what you do.” Lapis paused for a moment, thinking of Peridot. “And who you love.” Then, Amethyst’s lips were on Lapis’. Lapis certainly didn’t see it coming, and even Amethyst seemed surprised at herself. It was a very brief kiss: the kind where you notice halfway through that it was probably a mistake. Amethyst pulled back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that...” “No, you really shouldn’t have.” Lapis turned away. “I’ve been through enough already trying to figure things out with Peridot, and now the person who got me mad at her in the first place is all over me.” She turned around, revealing her eyes welled up with tears. “Why did you do that?” “I’m sorry.” Amethyst was getting a bit teary herself. “Let’s just check on Peridot. If we work fast, she might fix the fountain today and this will all be over.” “Yeah.” Lapis wiped her eyes. “Let’s get out of this dump.”

---

“Peridot, wake up.” The small gem’s eyes started to open, then drifted shut again. “Peridot, come on. You need to wake up.” Lapis looked at Amethyst. “Is it normal to have this much trouble waking up?” “Sometimes, but I usually wake up fine.” Amethyst touched Peridot gingerly. “I hope this isn’t also because of her scratch.” “And this is all because of Halfidot?” Lapis frowned. “No wonder you want to kill her.” “Kill who?” Peridot opened her eyes. “Nobody.” Amethyst shot Lapis a not now look. “I was just telling Lapis a story.” “Right.” Lapis rolled her eyes. “That’s not why we’re here though.” “Why then?” Peridot struggled to stand up. “Is Steven ready to fix my gem?” “Not exactly.” Lapis caught Peridot as she nearly collapsed. “Just before you were poofed, you were working to fix Rose’s fountain.” “I remember that.” Peridot yanked her arm from Lapis’. “Steven explained it already.” Amethyst smiled that Peridot was still sassy despite her injury. “If you can finish fixing it, we’ll finish fixing you. We want you to get those memories back as soon as possible.” “Wow, thanks.” Peridot didn’t sound impressed. “How soon do you want me to start this project?” “As soon as you’re ready.” Amethyst smiled. “We don’t want to rush you” “As soon as I’m ready?” Peridot sat back down. “In that case, I’m willing to wait.” Lapis frowned. “How long?” “Until you tell me what I missed.” She closed her eyes to go back to sleep. “What do you mean?” Amethyst crouched down by the toilet, her face inches from Peridot’s. “You'll get your memories back as soon as the fountain is fixed. I promise.” “But you could give them back to me now!” Peridot stood up and walked over to Lapis. “Why don't you just tell me?” Amethyst gave Lapis a pleading look, as if to ask can’t I just tell her? Peridot noticed her expression and her eyes darted between the two. “Hold on, I think I get what happened!” “You... Do?” Lapis smiled. “Then do you forgive me?” “There's nothing to forgive.” Peridot smiled knowingly. “I'm totally fine that you're dating Amethyst.” Amethyst coughed in surprise. “She’s what?” “You two must have started dating in the past month.” Peridot grinned wider. “I never saw that one coming, but I’m happy for you anyway.” Lapis did not get she was joking. Instead, she glared at Amethyst and left the room. Peridot frowned, confused. “What’s her problem? Can’t she get a joke?” “No, she just...” Amethyst paused to consider her phrasing. “Things have been difficult for all of us.” “Amethyst, why can’t you just tell me what happened?” “I’m sorry, I want to, but I can’t.” Amethyst hesitated again before saying, “I promised.” “You promised who?” Peridot stared at the door. “Lapis? Did she do something she doesn’t want me to know about?” “Just fix the fountain, please. Everything will be fine once you’re healed.” Peridot was not convinced. “I know I’m forgetting something important. You need to tell me what it is.” “Something important? Like what?” Amethyst tensed up a bit. “I don’t know. It just feels like I miss someone.” Peridot was surprised to feel a thin line of tears running down her cheek. “Like somebody left and is never coming back.” “Peridot, are you okay?” “Who’s Fluorite?” “What?” “I heard you say that word when I first reformed. It took me a while to piece it together, but it’s the name of a gem, isn’t it?” “Peridot...” “One who I only met recently.” “Peridot, I can’t...” “That’s why you can’t tell me anything, isn’t it? I’m not allowed to know who Fluorite is.” “Peridot, please stop asking.” “She seems pretty important to you, too.” “Peridot, this already isn’t easy!” “Then just tell me who she is!” Tears spilled out onto Amethyst’s face. “Okay.” She tenderly took Peridot’s hand. “I’ll show you everything.” “Show me?” “Yeah.” Amethyst pulled Peridot in closer. “I think it’s time you meet Fluorite.” Amethyst began to rock back and forth, just like she remembered doing the first time. Peridot looked at her with a puzzled expression but did not protest. As she felt her gem glow, Amethyst leaned in and gently kissed Peridot. “Amethyst, what was that?” And then the two were engulfed in light, and only one person was left standing.

---

Peridot had never had a feeling like this before, or at least she couldn’t remember ever having it. In the top layer of her consciousness, she could only feel herself as Fluorite, the chain-wielding thigh queen. If she really focused, though, she could feel herself in the back of her mind, still clinging to Amethyst, her lips still inches from the other’s. She focused even harder, and she felt her individual self moving in the mindspace. She backed up from the embrace but kept her hand in Amethyst’s. “Amethyst, what did you just do?” Amethyst just smiled. “Peridot, we’ve done it. Fluorite is back!” “But I still don’t understand! What happened to me before I was poofed?” “Fluorite was there. All of her memories are yours, too.” Peridot concentrated, and her memories of being Fluorite came flooding back. She remembered looking down at herself and not being anyone she recognized. She remembered seeing Lapis and breaking her heart a second time. She remembered being the powerhouse of a battle and nearly winning in a landslide. Then, she remembered being torn apart, not just by sharp teeth, but by her own conflicted emotions. “Amethyst, I don’t think I ever told you...” Amethyst frowned. “Told me what?” “I don’t think I ever told you that I love you.” Peridot paused as a flash of pain coursed through her scratch. “And I don’t think I ever told you that I still love Lapis.” “Oh. I see.” Amethyst let go of her hand. “Does that mean you want to... Do you want Fluorite to leave?” “No.” Peridot laced her fingers back with Amethyst’s. “I think it’s about time that she gets to speak with Lapis.”

---

This entire exchange was in Fluorite’s head, so it would only have appeared to take a few moments to any outside observer. There was, of course, no outside observer. She was standing alone in the bathroom. “Okay, I think it's about time I start meeting new people.” Fluorite stretched her legs. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an actual conversation with another person before.” She opened the door and walked out into Steven's home. She stepped out of the house to see Steven comforting Lapis on the beach. “There, there, Lapis.” Steven patted her on the back, careful not to hit her gem. “I’m sure Peridot won’t be mad at you once she remembers.” “Are you sure, Steven? Amethyst made it sound like she was furious.” “Hey Lapis!” Fluorite ran down the stairs to greet the gem that both of her components knew so well. “What do you think of the new bod?” Lapis did not seem happy to see her. “Amethyst, I thought I told you not to tell her anything!” Lapis looked up at the taller fusion. She was exactly the same as the first time she had seen her, except for the scratch across her gem and visor. “And then you go ahead and fuse with her again?” “You’ve gotta chill, Laz.” Fluorite crossed her arms. “Besides, Amethyst isn’t here right now. I’m Fluorite.” “Fluorite?” Lapis sighed. “Fine, I guess I can’t blame you for someone else’s actions. What do you want?” “I wanted to say that Peridot loves you a lot and Amethyst is a pretty big fan of you too. And even though this is our first time meeting...” Suddenly Fluorite picked up Lapis and pecked her on the cheek. “...I can’t help but feel the same.” Steven ignored what was happening in front of him, completely engrossed in the fact he was meeting a new fusion. “Hi! I'm Steven! What's your name? I saw you fighting before! Did you know your chain is really cool?” “Calm down kiddo.” The fusion gently put Lapis back down on her feet. “I'm Fluorite. I think we met before, but I was a bit distracted.” Lapis butted in. “This is a lovely reunion, but I think it’s about time you unfuse.” “Why?” Fluorite looked confused. “I just got here.” “Even though she has most of her memories back, Peridot still needs to fix the fountain.” “Fine.” Fluorite was crushed. “I’ll leave.” After unfusing, Peridot fell to the ground. She looked up at Amethyst. “Well, are you going to tell me or not?” She looked around. “Hold on, when did I get outside?” “Don’t you remember Peridot?” Amethyst took her and and helped her back to her feet. “We just fused. You got your memories back.” “What are you talking about? I think I would remember fusing with you.” She sat awhile in thought. “All I remember is you holding hands with me and then... kissing me... and then... and then I was out here.” “So you’re saying you still don’t know who Fluorite is?” Amethyst paused before saying, “I could show you again, if Lapis is okay with it.” Lapis sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. Just until she’s healed. Then it’s up to her.” Steven watched with stars in his eyes as the two short gems did their intimate dance again and stood tall. “You guys just can’t get enough of me, can you?” Fluorite turned towards the house. “Now, let’s go finish fixing up this fountain of yours.”

---

A few hours later, the fountain was complete. It wasn’t the most beautiful sight, mostly just a pile of stone held loosely together with duct tape, but it would work. Fluorite’s hands weren’t quite as nimble as Peridot’s, so it took longer than she had at first hoped, but finally the water came rushing out. It sealed the cracks between each chunk of inanimate rock and washed away the ugly yet functional duct tape. The basin filled up with “Rose’s lacrimal essence” and Fluorite prepared herself for a swim. Then, a familiar voice choked out behind them, “Please help. I can't... I can't stop it.” Halfidot had found them.

The world was happening around Amethyst. Although other, more painful emotions would set in soon, numbness was all she felt in that moment. Steven carried the scratched gem gingerly as he walked Amethyst back to the warp pad. It went off and brought her back to the home she had been sharing just a few hours ago. The temple door opened and invited her in.

Before Amethyst could turn and walk away, Steven took the initiative to try and reassure her. “Like Pearl said, she's going to be alright. Just go inside and rest for a bit. She'll be back before you know she's gone.”

“Wait, what?” Amethyst snapped from her daze and turned to Steven. “Steven, I know you're trying to help, but I'm not stupid.” She sighed. “When we were Fluorite, I felt her get scratched-- I felt myself get scratched. I mean, I've been cracked before, but this felt different. It felt like something integral to her was hurt. I think Pearl could tell too. It's gonna be a while before I see her again.” She turned back towards her door. “I need to sleep. See you tomorrow, buddy.”

Steven looked down at his shoes. “Okay. Feel better.”

---

More than a week had passed. Peridot was still retreated into her gem, and everyone was on edge. Every morning, Amethyst would come out to find the lifeless stone still sitting in its shrine of protective bubble wrap. She would stare intently at it, as if her gaze might summon out the person held within. It never did.

The gems hadn't gone on any missions since Rose's fountain, and it was clearly affecting their morale. Pearl would isolate herself in her room, practicing her spearwork while Garnet monitored the bubbled gems in the burning room. She insisted that something was going to happen down there, and soon. Connie was in a state of near-constant sleepover, trying to keep Steven calm about his family. Amethyst figured Lapis probably didn't even know what had happened.

In other words, nobody was prepared for what happened next.

Ten days after the events at the fountain, Garnet came out of the temple with two bubbles. Amethyst was trying to entertain Steven and Connie with some lackluster shapeshifting, but she quickly returned to her normal form when she recognized the gems Garnet held.

“Those are the two halves. The one that did this to Peridot.”

Garnet nodded. “Indeed. Even though it's been broken for quite some time, this gem is still trying to reunite itself. For the past few days, the halves have been gravitating towards each other. If we don't do something about this, it will reform and escape.”

Steven smiled. “But that's good, right? It can be happy then.”

“That's why I'm here. I want your opinions. Should we let it go, or will it be too great a threat?” She turned to Connie. “You should leave. This might get ugly.”

Amethyst scowled. “We all know what Steven's about to say. Some emotional junk about how everything deserves a chance to live or whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Me, though? I say we get rid of it. It was dangerous already when it was in pieces, and the last thing we need is more of us getting poofed. If we aren't even safe from it when it's bubbled, we might have to do... something more drastic.”

Garnet avoided eye contact with Steven. “I'm afraid you have a point. Steven, you should go outside with Connie. This won't be pleasant.”

“Wait! Are you going to shatter it? You can't do that!” Steven stood up from where he was sitting.

Garnet looked down at him. “Steven, we can't save everyone. I'm sorry, but if this gem connects its halves, it will still be a monster. We don't have a healing fountain to even try to fix that.”

“But it's wrong!” Steven jumped and grabbed the bubbles from Garnet. “If you won't save it, I will.”

Steven popped the bubbles and light began to snake out of the gems. At first it came into two separate forms, but they started to weave themselves together into one. Its full form came into view, and everyone backed off a bit.

The monster was still split with a jagged line down the middle, matching the one splitting its gem across the chest. On its right side, it was just as corrupt as it had been initially, though a bit smaller. Its arm ended with long sharp claws, its mouth was filled with needlelike teeth, and its eye had a deadened look to it. On the other side, though, she was completely different. Her green hair came up in a neat triangle above her half of a round face and petite half of a body. Her eyes darted around at the people in front of her.

Steven stepped forward. “Are you... a peridot?”

Her left eye met his. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choking and gasping not unlike a jammed garbage disposal. She lifted both her hands and hesitantly touched her face.

“Is there something in your throat? You sound like you’re choking.”

Garnet looked down to him. “There is something in her throat, in a way. All of the corruption in her body seems to have moved to one side of the breach. That side of her is crushing the other like a cancer.” She summoned her gauntlets. “Now please, Steven, it’s best if we just put her out of her misery.”

“D-do...n...t.”

Everyone stared at the half-corrupted gem and Garnet put her fists away. “What was that?”

The Peridot was covering the corrupted side of her mouth and furiously gripping at her throat. Slowly, like her throat was filled with wet sand, she repeated, “P-please don’t kill me.” She coughed heavily.

“You hear that, guys? She doesn't want to die!”

Garnet sighed. “Nobody wants to die, Steven. But her...” She gestured at the half-peridot. “I don't think she has a choice. But if we poof and bubble her right now, she won't be a danger to herself.”

Amethyst chimed in, “Yeah, let's get her out of our house.”

“Hold up, this is about Peridot, isn't it?” Steven glared at Amethyst. “You're just mad because she hurt Peridot!”

Amethyst avoided eye contact. “Steven, stay out of this. You've done enough already.”

The terrible voice of half a monster sputtered out again, “Your... friend.”

Amethyst stared down the corrupt half of her, but avoided the contorted face on the other side. “What?”

“I... remember... your friend.” Each sentence she spoke was punctuated with another coughing fit. “The... other peridot. I remember... seeing her. I couldn't... couldn't control... my body. It thought... she was part of me.”

Amethyst finally met the other gem’s eye. “You remember killing her?” She was screaming now, “You knew what you were doing?”

“Amethyst, stop!” Steven was on the verge of tears. “She's scared. Leave her alone.”

Amethyst turned and grabbed the still-lifeless Peridot off the ground. “That's it, I'm out. You two can do whatever with her.” She walked over to the warp pad. “Meanwhile, I've gotta talk some sense into a certain lapis I know.”

---

Lapis was surprised when she heard something slam on the barn door. “Peridot, are you back already? I thought I made it clear I'm not letting you back in!”

The voice outside was not Peridot’s. “Lapis Lazuli, come out here this instant!”

Lapis opened the door. Her face was the perfect embodiment of unhappy, with her messy hair and wet cheeks. “Oh, it's you. Amethyst, right? What do you want?”

“I want you to stop being so selfish and maybe pretend to be concerned about Peridot.” Amethyst held up the scratched gem. “While you were here moping, Peridot was hurt because she was worried about you.”

Lapis cringed at the sight of the gem. Like Amethyst, she knew what it was like to be cracked. “What happened? How long has she been like this? Why did nobody tell me?”

“So now you care all of a sudden? If you actually gave a fuck cared, you would have known about this a week ago.”

Lapis looked up at Amethyst with fire in her eyes. “What did you just say? How can you really say that I don't care about her?”

“Easy. She told me herself. She said that you care about her just as much as you care about yourself: not at all.”

Lapis was shocked. “She... said that?”

“Yeah. She thought she loved you but in the end you brought her nothing but pain. I could faintly feel her emotions when we were fused, and she was only thinking about you.”

“I hadn’t realized. I-- I wish I could apologise somehow.” Lapis looked away. “But it's a bit late for that, isn't it?”

Amethyst’s expression softened a bit. “No, that's actually why I'm here. What if she's not coming out because she's too worried about you? Maybe all you need to do is tell her you forgive her, and then she'll be alright.”

“I guess it's worth a shot...” Lapis gingerly took the green gem from Amethyst’s hands. “Peridot, I'm sorry. I overreacted and didn't consider your feelings. Please come back. We all need you.”

Tension and silence hung thick in the air. Both gems held their breath and waited.

---

Steven looked to Garnet anxiously. “Should we go after her? She took Peridot.”

Garnet shook her head. “No, it's important she does this. Besides, we have other things to worry about right now.”

The peridot was having increased trouble against herself. Her right side was starting to move independently of her left, as if she had no control over it anymore. It was slowly dragging her forward towards the gems in front of her. “I... can't... stop.”

“Garnet, we need to help Halfidot!”

“Who's Halfidot?”

Steven pointed at the monster. “Her. The half-peridot.” He summoned his shield in case the monster side chose to attack.

Garnet stepped up behind Steven and put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry, Steven, but if we don't poof her now, she'll only end up hurting people. You need to learn that you can't trust somebody just because you named her.”

Steven lowered his shield. “You're right. Let's just make this quick.”

When she saw Garnet’s fists come out again, Halfidot panicked. She backed away towards the temple door before turning and bolting to the warp pad. She barely gasped out an “I'm sorry” before activating it and escaping.

Connie came back inside with Rose’s sword drawn. “Guys, I heard shouting.” She looked around. “Where are Amethyst and Peridot?”

---

Five minutes had passed, and Peridot was still motionless in her gem.

Lapis sighed. “We tried.”

Unexpectedly, Amethyst began to laugh. “Lazuli, look at us. We both picked a troublesome person to fall in love with, didn’t we?”

Lapis couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, we sure did. One time, we were trying to grow cabbage out here, and she...”

The two gems sat side by side for a while sharing their favorite stories about Peridot, and only stopped once the sun went down.

Amethyst stood up. “Well, Lapis, it's been fun. I think I should bring Peridot back now though.”

“Wait. I think that once she comes back, Peridot will want to be somewhere familiar. We should wait here until then.”

Amethyst shrugged and sat down. “If you're sure.” She sat in awkward silence for a bit. “Hey, while we're waiting, I have a great way to pass the time.”

“What?”

“Have you ever tried sleeping?”

Lapis looked confused. “What's that?”

“Pretty much, you close your eyes and think about a whole lot of nothing until your body turns off. You might like it.”

Lapis closed her eyes. “Like this?”

Amethyst laughed. “You've gotta lie down first. It's more relaxing that way.”

Lapis did as she was told, staying perfectly still for a few moments before asking, “Is it working?”

“Not if you keep talking like that. Just calm down.”

Lapis didn't respond, and after several minutes a quiet purr of a snore escaped her mouth.

Amethyst smiled and laid down next to her. “See? You're a natural.” She closed her eyes. “Sleep well.”

---

Pearl tucked Steven in to bed. “Sleep well. Tomorrow we'll go find Amethyst and Peridot, and then we can find this ‘Halfidot’ person. In the meantime, you still need your rest.”

Steven stared at the ceiling. He was having more trouble sleeping than he usually did. He couldn't stop thinking about Amethyst and Lapis fighting, or Halfidot hurting people without wanting to. “I hope they'll be okay,” he whispered to himself.