Trope Bingo Amnesty? - Like Coming Home

[seerofbread]

(Working??) Title: Like Coming Home
Length: 600 words
Fandoms: Steven Universe
Description: Peridot has no reason to believe that she's even capable of fusion, but it sounds too good to not even try.
Top Notes:I have this headcanon that shapeshifting isn't the only ability that Peridot lacks because "they don't make gems like they used to." For trope_bingo, Amnesty Round, Virginfic slot. (This totally counts, right?)


- The dance was brief, but Garnet knew fusion better than anyone. She made the moves easy for Peridot to follow, and for a moment Peridot relaxed in Garnet’s arms. The contact was surprisingly comforting.
- “Get ready,” Garnet murmured.
- Peridot tensed again, and it failed, and she knew why: “I can’t do it.”
- “That’s fine!” Garnet didn’t understand.
- Later, once they were friends, Peridot explained.

- “I wasn’t made for strength. Every gem has her place, and an extensive list of roles she will never fill and abilities she will never use.”
- “I wasn’t made for fighting. My job is to assess Kindergarten development and solve problems before they result in gem malformation. If my duty takes me to a place where I need to defend myself, I could take an escort. And I could easily be replaced if that failed.”
- “The resource shortage has made it impractical to give a gem abilities that she can’t expect to use. I wasn’t supposed to fuse with anyone.”

- Garnet always looked grave, but now she closed her fists. “Do you know that you can’t?”
- “There was never any reason to doubt it. Peridots don’t fuse.”
- Garnet frowned, momentarily silent. “It’s different with other gems. Nobody would tell you that you could do that.” Her hands relaxed. “You could keep trying, if you really want to fuse. Different dances, different styles, and different gems. Maybe one of them will work.”
- Peridot had her doubts, but in the face of newfound understanding, she was eager to listen to Garnet describe the principles.
- The choreography didn’t matter, but Garnet expected dance to be key in enabling a gem to fuse despite the lack of necessity. Peridot’s options were limited: Pearl, with her unmatchable opulence in every motion, or Steven, a multitude of unknowns beyond Peridot’s knowledge, or...



- “C’mon, you can do it.” Amethyst restarted the music.
- Peridot wouldn’t call either of their dances beautiful, but Amethyst’s was--mesmerizing, at least. The glow of gemlight played its own dance and Peridot’s heart soared with glee.
- For her efforts, Peridot’s reward was the finale into Amethyst’s embrace.
- “Okay, maybe if...”
- Peridot shook her head. “I told you. They don’t make gems like they used to. Let’s do something else for now,” she added before Amethyst could argue.
- They lay under the stars, cradling each other, bodies touching along unbroken lines, perfect complements in their anatomy--an enjoyable proximity, but undeniably a step below fusion.
- Peridot sighed. “What’s it even like? Is it really that nice?”
- Amethyst thought.

- “It’s like, I don’t know. It’s just fusion. You just... become someone new.”
- “It’s like coming closer to being your favorite person. You’re half you and half... whoever. You love them, and you love being them.”
- “It’s like you don’t have to try anymore. You know they love you, because you can feel it, and you don’t have to impress them.”
- “It’s sort of like coming home. You forget what you were worried about, because you know that you’re not alone anymore. You don’t have anything to be scared of because they’re with you.”
- “It’s like being yourself, but easier.”

- Peridot didn’t need to explain how much she had changed since she came to Earth: the very planet had become her way of life. Amethyst, a relative constant and a real friend, had taught Peridot so much about herself, had listened to so much without judgment, had changed Earth from a mission to a home.
- “I wouldn’t even be who I am now without you,” Peridot explained. “And I’m a better person now.”
- Amethyst squeezed Peridot’s shoulder. “I love you too, Peri.”


Bottom Notes:
This was originally going to be a classic drabble (100 words) but instead it's some hex-drabble monster with this super contrived wordcount pattern for some reason?

I'll probably post this to AO3 eventually, after changing twenty more words (and changing 18 of them back) and once I have enough shorts for a collection. (600 words isn't a real fic in my brain, apparently.)

This isn't technically meant to be the final version so concrit is very welcome!