Camp Pining Hearts - Alternate Ending

by gabgabgabs

Summary:

Peridot falls for her best friend's girlfriend. Things get out of hand. But in this timeline, she puts honesty first.

Notes:

• For kamanzi.
• Inspired by Camp Pining Hearts by kamanzi

Chapter 1

Notes:

IMPORTANT

This is an alternate ending to "Camp Pining Hearts" by kamanzi

It technically CAN be read as a standalone and should be almost fully understandable but I still encourage you to read the original.

This starts with chapter 9 rewritten, specifically from the moment when Jasper comes to Peridot after Counselor Crew's night out.

Alternation: Peridot stops Jasper before she can leave with Onion and comes clean.

Jasper knew. 

She had to know. Lapis had obviously told her girlfriend by now what Peridot—Jasper’s supposed best friend and most trusted ally—had done. And, whatever was about to happen to her and however terrified she felt, Peridot knew deep down that she deserved every bit of it.

Jasper reached the bunk and stretched her arm out. Peridot instinctively flinched, shutting her eyes tightly. 

Well, this is it…

But nothing came. She opened her eyes only to realize she was unharmed. She remained frozen as she watched Jasper overturn the empty wastebasket and balance a tray on top of it. A tray that carried food—a plate of toast, an apple, a cup of juice—and, thank the stars, a packet of aspirin.

“I know you probably don’t feel like it right now,” Jasper chuckled as she sat at the foot of Peridot’s mattress. “But you really better eat something before you hork down the aspirin. You don’t want to puke it back up, yeah?”

Peridot blanked. Jasper’s face was calm, expectant—not furious, betrayed, or even slightly murderous. Just…normal. Normal Jasper, bringing her breakfast like Peridot wasn’t the worst person alive. All she could do was stutter, “Uh—Thank—Thank you.”

She didn't know..? Lapis didn't tell her?

“Still feeling pretty shitty, huh?” Jasper asked with a frown.

Oh, you have no idea.

Peridot gulped. “Yeah. That’s—uh. That’s an understatement.”

“You missing out on Beach Day today?”

Peridot could only nod.

She didn’t know. There was no way Jasper could know that Peridot had basically assaulted her girlfriend and still act like this. Relief flooded Peridot’s muscles, only to be quickly overtaken by an even sharper pang of guilt. Her stomach twisted, revolting against even the sight of food.

“Yeah,” Peridot croaked out weakly. “I—I don’t suspect I’ll be leaving this bed anytime soon.”

Jasper laughed. “Living the dream, Per.” 

Then she snapped her fingers as if suddenly remembering something crucial, and Peridot’s entire body tensed all over again. Jasper reached into her back pocket, and for one terrifying heartbeat, Peridot imagined her pulling out a switchblade.

She was surprised when, instead, Jasper held out Peridot’s glasses, dangling them between her fingers. “Almost forgot—Lapis grabbed these off you last night and forgot to leave them. Here.”

Peridot hadn’t even realized her glasses were missing. With some trepidation, she accepted them and slid them onto her face. Being able to see more clearly immediately settled her stomach a bit.

But only a bit.

“Thanks…” Peridot mumbled, her throat tight. “Jasper?” she squeaked out. “I—I should tell you something.”

Jasper’s expression shifted into a concerned frown. “Yeah?”

And just then, the cabin door swung open and one of Jasper’s Yellow campers toddled inside. Peridot vaguely recognized him as Sour Cream’s little brother, Onion—odd name, odder kid—who shuffled up to Jasper and placed his hand on her knee, staring up at her expectantly.

Perfect timing, Onion. No, really. Absolutely stellar.

“What?” Jasper’s voice was strained with mild annoyance. “Is it time to go?”

Onion nodded, tugging on Jasper’s fingers with a stubborn look in his eyes. Jasper groaned, pushing herself up. She glanced back down at Peridot, giving her a gentle, apologetic smile. “We’ll talk later, yeah?”

Peridot’s heart skipped a beat. She sprung forward, grabbing Jasper’s wrist before she could leave. “N-no, wait!”

Jasper halted, her body stiffening. She looked back, worry deepening the lines across her brow. “Per?”

“This—this is really important,” Peridot stammered, feeling as pathetic as she sounded. She hated how pleading her voice had become. She might as well drop and beg on her knees while she's at it. 

But screw that. Jasper couldn’t leave without knowing. It would eat Peridot alive. If Lapis didn’t tell Jasper, Peridot would. She supposed it was easier that way. She could come clean on her own terms.

Jasper glanced between her and Onion, clearly torn. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she patted the boy on the back. “Tell the others I’ll be there in ten.”

Onion’s face fell into something resembling disappointment (with him, it was honestly hard to tell, maybe he just didn't know how he would communicate the message to the others without speaking), but he shuffled obediently towards the door. Once he was gone, Jasper sat back down, much closer this time, placing a reassuring hand on Peridot’s thigh.

Peridot, however, wasn’t reassured at all. She flinched at the contact. The touch was warm but it felt freezing against her skin. She wanted to hurl a fourth time at the sight alone.

“What’s wrong, Per?” Jasper asked, her voice soft. She actually cared about her. Jasper genuinely gave a shit about her and Peridot just went and assaulted her girlfriend. Great. Just fucking great!

Peridot swallowed thickly. Her hands trembled and her eyes refused—absolutely refused—to meet Jasper’s. Too much shame bubbling inside her gut. So instead, she stared helplessly down at the faded wood floorboards, clutching desperately at the hem of her shirt.

“I—I did something bad,” Peridot managed, her voice cracking embarrassingly. “Yesterday. After the party.”

Jasper let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, you blacked out and had me lug your drunk ass all the way back here. And damn, you stank bad.”

Peridot couldn’t help a small snort escaping her at that. It was quickly washed away by guilt. It wasn’t funny. Nothing about this was funny.

“B-before that, though” she clarified, voice small.

Jasper’s laughter faded into a thoughtful frown. 

“You were with Lapis, weren’t you? You two had a fight or what?”

Peridot sucked in a shaky breath. Now. Say it now. You have to say it now.

“I kissed her!” She blurted out. “I was drunk and—and we were talking, and then I just went and kissed her! Jasper, I’m so, so sorry! I—I don’t know what came over me! I mean, I know what but— And I did it without her consent, too. Not like she would consent— I-I assaulted her—”

“Whoa, whoa, Per, slow down.”

Jasper gripped her by the shoulder, turning her so they faced each other. In Peridot’s anxiously spinning brain, it was the prelude to getting thrown headfirst out the nearest window. Her eyes squeezed shut instinctively, bracing for the inevitable impact.

Instead, Jasper snorted. The sound was so absurd and so wildly out-of-place, that Peridot opened her eyes.

“Jeez, chill out, would ya?” Jasper snorted at her panicked expression. “You look like I’m about to beat your ass.”

Peridot blinked, baffled. “You aren’t?”

Jasper. The Jasper. The one who would beat up a person for even looking at her girlfriend too long. Wasn't going to beat her up. Did she really… trust Peridot that much?

Peridot felt bile coming up her throat again.

Jasper barked another laugh, shaking her head. “Per, please, I do way crazier shit when I’m drunk.”

“B-but I kissed your girlfriend,” Peridot stammered weakly, still stuck on the part where she hadn’t been punted out the window yet.

“Yeah, I’m definitely not thrilled about that part,” Jasper said pointedly, giving her a firm shove with her shoulder. “But it’s not like you’re about to run off into the sunset with my girl, are ya? Just, y’know, don’t make a habit of kissing her.”

Peridot nodded quickly. “Right.”

Jasper nudged her again, softer this time, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. “Probably wanna say sorry to Lapis, though.”

“I will. I promise.”

Peridot deflated, practically melting backward into her mattress as Jasper rose from the bed. Jasper gave her shoulder a final squeeze—warm and reassuring, not murderous and bone-crushing like Peridot had feared—before heading toward the door again. She paused in the doorway, turning back around with a teasing grin.

“Oh, and Per?”

Peridot lifted her head slightly, heart doing an anxious somersault. She changed her mind—she’s going to throw me into the lake after all.

“Brush your teeth.”

Peridot scowled as Jasper’s booming laughter trailed behind her through the cabin door. She collapsed face-first into her pillow, muffling a long groan.

Her heart was finally returning to normal human speeds, but the relief she felt was overshadowed by the growing realization of what she still had to do later tonight.

Lapis.

No, wait— That didn't come out right.

Peridot blushed at her own stupid traitorous thoughts.

She pressed her palms against her eyes and let out a muffled scream of frustration.

She rolled onto her side, staring blankly at the wall. Despite the dread curling in her stomach, Jasper’s reaction had given her at least a shred of hope. If Jasper—the girl whose girlfriend she’d drunkenly kissed without permission—could forgive her, maybe there was still a chance Lapis wouldn’t completely annihilate her tonight.

Maybe.

Notes:

oh, you think things are going to be this easy throughout the whole fic? BWAHHAHAH--- no. it's only downhill from there. feelings are a messy thing. but our trio IS going to talk.

ps. i love the original fic, it's so so well written, like dAMN.
this is my twist on it because yay to honesty, we love honesty on this side of the internet

Chapter 2

Because Peridot was cursed to a life of overthinking, she’d spent the last several hours pacing her cabin floorboards. Soon, the campers and Jasper and—most pressingly—Lapis would return from Beach Day. She had been weighing her options.

Option One: Play it safe and platonic (very tempting). Portray the whole thing off as a drunken slip-up, some sloppy accident completely out of character. She’d pull Lapis aside—far, far away from everyone—and beg forgiveness, explaining it away as the impulsive stupidity of someone who’d had way too much to drink. She could admit just enough truth: that she cared deeply for Lapis (which, stars help her, was undeniably true), and she sincerely regretted her actions, and never meant to jeopardize their friendship. Not entirely true? Maybe. But safe. And safety sounded good right about now.

Or, she could attempt Option Two: The self-destruct and risk two friendships option. She could actually—why was she even considering it?—tell the whole truth. That lately she’d found herself consumed by thoughts of Lapis, enamored to the point of stupidity. That in the delirious haze of alcohol, she’d done exactly what she had wanted desperately to do while sober: kissed her. She could confess how that kiss had shaken her to the core, filled a void she didn’t even know she had.

Peridot winced. She couldn’t deny that the kiss had left an impact on her beyond the twisting guilt and humiliation in her gut. But that wasn’t worth even entertaining the idea of Option Two. Option Two was laughable.

Peridot perched nervously on the steps outside her cabin, fingers nervously picking at the peeling paint. Her eyes were glued to the entrance of the winding dirt path, waiting like a paranoid guard dog for the returning group.

She’d rehearsed her speech exactly twenty-eight times—each attempt somehow worse than the one before. Oh, Lapis, I deeply regret that my lips made unauthorized contact with yours. Yeah, said like a normal person.

Lost in her own panicked spiral, she failed to notice the gentle crunch of approaching footsteps until suddenly a figure blocked her view of the path—something distinctly, unmistakably…

Blue.

Peridot’s heart practically slammed against her ribcage.

Lapis.

“Hey,” Lapis said softly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

“Uh, hi,” Peridot croaked. “What—why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at Beach Day?”

“I stayed back.”

“Why?” Peridot pressed instantly.

Lapis crossed her arms over her chest, staring pointedly back at Peridot. “I just didn’t feel like going. Why are you so mad?”

“I’m not mad.” Peridot took a deep breath before she crossed her arms over her own chest. “You just startled me.”

“Uh huh.” It came out as a chuckle. There was beat of silence, during which time Lapis’s eyes quickly roamed over Peridot before flicking just as quickly to the ground. “So—uh. Feeling better?”

Peridot nodded. “A little, yeah.”

“I see Jasper got your glasses back to you.”

“Oh.” Peridot raised a hand to push her glasses back up her nose. “Yeah. Thanks—um, for that.”

Lapis shrugged lightly. “Anytime.” 

At that point, Lapis looked back up, and their gazes met.

Oh, stars, what was Peridot’s plan for when this moment arrived? Hadn’t she just plotted out her options mere minutes ago? She forced herself to maintain eye contact through sheer willpower alone.

Do NOT notice how pretty her eyes are right now. That’s exactly what got you into this mess in the first place!

Right, Option One. Commence Option One, now.

She took a shaky breath. “Um—” she began, clearing her throat awkwardly, cheeks heating up. “Do you think—uh. Can we talk?”

Lapis nodded immediately, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and offering a sheepish smile. “Yeah. Talk. That’s probably a good idea, huh?”

Peridot forced out a chuckle. It sounded about as unnatural as it had felt. “Yeah.” 

They stood quietly for a moment, neither quite knowing how to start. Eventually, Peridot sighed, dropping her gaze to stare intensely at her sneakers.

“I’m sorry.”

If Lapis was startled, she didn’t show it. She looked down, fidgeting with her hands, as she started to say, “You don’t have to. It’s all—”

“No,” Peridot interrupted. Lapis looked up again to meet her stare. Peridot felt warm and uncomfortable under the intense gaze, but she pressed on. “No, it’s not all right. I was drunk, and I was stupid—”

“Peridot—”

Peridot held up her hands to keep Lapis from continuing. “Please, let me finish. I really regret my actions last night. That—That one action in particular.”

“The kiss?”

Peridot flinched visibly, heat surging through her cheeks. “Yes. That. I—” She had to stop to take a breath. Lapis’s eyes hadn’t left her own. She forced her gaze back down to her shoes, swallowing hard. “I apologize for doing something to make you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intention.”

“What was your intention?”

Peridot’s eyes jerked back up to meet Lapis’s. There was that soft expression that Peridot had come to recognize as something that was so distinctly Lapis. 

What was Peridot’s intention last night? Was it some ploy to get Lapis to fall for her, or was it just for a taste of what Peridot was missing?

Peridot said neither of those things. “I can’t say I truly had an intention. I just—” Her heart needed to stop beating so hard if she was to have a prayer of finishing this conversation. “You’re my friend. I just got confused. Like I said. Drunk and stupid.” After an extra pause, she added, “And I’m sorry.”

Lapis was quiet for a painfully long moment, her teeth worrying her bottom lip in that unfairly distracting way. Peridot stared resolutely at the bridge of Lapis’s nose, resisting the overwhelming urge to glance downward. Her chest tightened unbearably.

Finally—after several centuries, at least—Lapis lowered her gaze, staring quietly out across the lake with a small sigh. “Yeah,” she murmured softly, “I figured it was something like that.”

Peridot exhaled, relief flooding her body. “Good.” 

They stood in silence before the question eating away at the back of her mind forced Peridot to speak up again. “Lapis?”

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you tell Jasper?”

Lapis snorted dryly. “Because she would kill us.”

Peridot rolled her eyes. Jasper wouldn’t—okay, sure, Peridot had spent the entire conversation with her convinced she’d walk away from it with a black eye, but she was alive, wasn’t she? And her face was still in one piece, thank you very much. That had to count for something.

“If anything,” Peridot corrected pointedly, “she’d just kill me.”

Lapis shrugged, and turned away from Peridot. “It takes two to tango, Per. I mean, I’m just as guilty for kissing you back, so—”

“Wait.”

It felt as if the earth had abruptly disappeared from beneath Peridot’s feet. 

“You—” Peridot swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “You kissed me back?”

Lapis turned around to appraise Peridot. Peridot’s stomach flipped when she noticed the unmistakable flush coloring Lapis’s cheeks. Lapis licked her upper lip. “You didn’t—”

“No,” Peridot interrupted.

The silence that enveloped them then was heavy. It did nothing to help sort out the jumbled mess in Peridot’s brain. The only thing on which she could focus was this single thought on repeat: She kissed me back. She kissed me back. Holy stars, she kissed me back.

She was so overloaded she barely registered Lapis moving until the space between them evaporated. One moment they were apart; the next, Lapis’s fingers slid into Peridot’s hair, the other hand curling around the nape of her neck. Peridot’s breath stuttered, her spine locking, as Lapis drew her in and—

Pressed their lips together.

This kiss only lasted a moment, but that was just long enough for Peridot’s to completely let go of whatever control she had left. Those lips, that smell. She was unconsciously raising her arms to grab at Lapis’s hips.

And then it hit her. It was as if a switch was turned off. Panic surged through her veins and she pushed Lapis away.

“No!”

Lapis jerked backward in shock, her eyes wide, stunned and hurt. “I’m sorry! I thought—”

“Fuck! You can’t do this!” Peridot sputtered frantically, heart racing painfully. “I just made up with Jasper—”

Lapis’s eyes widened even more, horror washing over her features. “You did what? You told her?!”

“Of course I told her! Jasper’s my best friend—did you seriously think I could keep something like this from her?”

Lapis straightened sharply. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I should’ve had some say in this?!” She looked furious, frightened—her hands trembling at her sides.

“I thought you didn’t!” Peridot snapped. “But you definitely do now. Because now—now Jasper needs to know everything.”

Lapis scoffed at her in disbelief. “You’re insane! We can’t tell her about this. It would ruin everything.”

Peridot’s anger started flaring. “What exactly would it ruin? Relationships built on lies and secrets? I can’t do that, Lapis. Not to her.”

Lapis’s voice broke, “You don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand,” Peridot pleaded helplessly, her own voice shaking.

Lapis groaned, a frustrated, desperate sound. Before Peridot could even blink, Lapis surged forward, fingers curling tightly into the fabric of Peridot’s shirt and pulling her close—so close that Peridot felt dizzy with the sudden proximity. She froze, stunned into breathlessness as Lapis pressed their foreheads together, her shaky breath brushing warmly across Peridot’s lips.

Lapis’s eyes searched hers with an intensity Peridot had never seen in her before. “Do you want me?”

Peridot shuddered, her heartbeat loud and frantic in her ears. Her fingertips tingled with the overwhelming desire to grab Lapis’s face and close the gap between their lips. She exhaled shakily, forcing the words past her suddenly dry throat. “It doesn’t matter.”

Lapis’s grip tightened on Peridot’s shirt, fingers shaking slightly as she held her close. “It does,” Lapis whispered fiercely. “I want you.”

Warmth surged through Peridot’s chest, pooling heavily in the pit of her stomach, dizzying and wonderful and so utterly wrong. Her body screamed at her to lean in. Her stomach twisted sharply even as butterflies swarmed within it.

“You have Jasper,” Peridot murmured painfully.

Lapis winced, pain flickering across her features as she nearly pulled away. “I know. And I care about her—stars, I swear I do—but you…” Her breath caught, lips almost brushing Peridot’s as she whispered, “I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s driving me insane.”

Peridot’s entire body felt aflame, every nerve screaming for contact, for the warmth that radiated from Lapis’s skin. Her resolve wavered.

“Lapis, please…” she begged weakly, eyes squeezing shut to escape the piercing intensity of Lapis’s gaze, though it did nothing to erase the sensation of her body pressed so unbearably close, the warmth of her breath, the scent of saltwater, the trembling fingers clutching her shirt. It was overwhelming, consuming.

“What if I wasn’t with Jasper?” Lapis breathed desperately, urgently, achingly. “What then?”

Peridot’s heart twisted painfully, caught between overwhelming desire and unbearable guilt. It was an unfair question. She opened her eyes slowly, forcing herself to meet Lapis’s pleading gaze again. “But you are. And I can’t—I won’t do this behind her back.”

Lapis’s breath hit Peridot’s lips one last time, a sigh of resignation, as she finally released her grip. She stepped back. Her arms hung limp at her sides, no longer holding Peridot—and thank the stars they weren’t, because Peridot wasn’t sure she’d be able to say no if Lapis touched her again.

“Right,” Lapis said hollowly, looking everywhere but at Peridot. Her voice had that awful, strained lightness that Peridot recognized instantly—Lapis was trying not to cry. “Of course. I forgot I’m the bad guy.”

“That’s not fair,” Peridot snapped, the ache in her chest turning bitter. “You don’t get to drop this on me and then act like I’m the one hurting you.”

Lapis’s laugh was brittle. “No, you’re just being good. You’re better than me.”

“I didn’t say that!” Peridot threw up her hands, then dragged them down her face. “You think this is easy for me?”

Lapis didn’t answer. 

The quiet stretched.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Lapis said without facing Peridot. Her voice wasn’t angry anymore. It was tired. “That wasn’t fair. I just—I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Peridot stepped forward instinctively.

“Lapis, I—”

“Hey! There you two are!”

Lapis practically leapt away from Peridot like she’d been burned. Peridot stiffened, sweat beading instantly at the back of her neck.

Jasper.

Still damp from the lake, a towel slung around her neck, a beach-ball tucked under one arm, and a satisfied grin on her face.

“Been lookin’ for you two everywhere,” Jasper said then nudged Peridot with her elbow. “You say your sorry yet?”

Peridot winced. The words felt like needles. She nodded once. “Yeah. I did.”

“Good.” Jasper clapped her on the back with just enough force to almost knock her off balance. “Proud of you.”

Peridot gave her a pained smile, which Jasper didn’t notice.

Jasper’s eyes flicked between the two of them. “And things are chill?”

Peridot looked at Lapis.

“We’re good,” Lapis said.

“We’re good,” Peridot echoed.

“Great.” Then Jasper turned to Lapis, her grin softening just slightly. “Thanks for not making it a big deal.”

Lapis didn’t answer.

She just smiled. A small, hollow, tragic smile.

Peridot felt it in her gut.

“Man, Beach Day was awesome. You two really missed out.”

Peridot stared at Lapis. Lapis stared at the ground. The moment felt like a cruel joke.

Notes:

drama :0

and that's not even half of it yet. man, them feelings

Chapter 3

Amethyst lay sprawled across her mattress. A portable speaker near her head hummed a lo-fi beat, and she was very visibly three seconds from snoring when—

Click.

The door creaked.

Her eyes cracked open halfway. One glance at the figure in the doorway was enough. She sat up and killed the speaker off with a thumb tap.

“Yo, Peri,” she grunted. “It’s, like, illegal to look this stressed before lunch.”

Peridot stood frozen in the doorway, fists clenched at her sides, eyes darting anxiously behind her glasses. “It’s— It’s about… feelings.”

Amethyst made a face, flopping back down onto the bed. “Gross,” she muttered, waving a lazy hand. “Proceed.”

That was all the invitation Peridot needed. She flung herself inside and flopped to the floor beside the bed.

“I’ve doomed myself,” Peridot let out a strangled noise of frustration. “Absolutely, irreparably, totally doomed myself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Amethyst yawned, stretching. “Lay it on me, homegirl.”

So Peridot did. 

The drunken kiss. The coming clean to Jasper. The apology to Lapis. The wow it’s mutual. The second kiss. The push. The yelling. The forehead touching. The do you want me and it doesn’t matter and what if I wasn’t with Jasper. And now—this impossible, horrible, confusing situation where she was possibly, maybe, in a romantic triangle with her best friend and said best friend’s girlfriend.

Amethyst listened, occasionally peppering the story with “whoa”, “yikes”, “dang,” and one “yo, spicy”.

Peridot ran out of words eventually. They both just lay there—Amethyst on the bed, Peridot on the floor—eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling.

“Wow,” Amethyst finally said, breaking the silence. “Now that’s some quality drama,” she concluded.

Peridot scowled. “Please refrain from enjoying my misery.”

Amethyst rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow to glance down at her distressed friend. “Sorry, Per,” she grinned apologetically, only half meaning it. “It’s just… yikes.”

“Precisely!” Peridot exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. “And Lapis is absolutely insufferable about this. We can’t just keep—keep sneaking around behind Jasper’s back! It’s immoral!”

Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “But there’s a reason you kissed Lapis. Don’t you, y’know, actually want her?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want!” Peridot snapped, voice cracking as frustration surged through her. “Lapis has Jasper. And Jasper—” she deflated miserably, covering her face with her hands. “Jasper’s my best friend. And I’ve betrayed her. If she knew how I feel about Lapis—”

“Whoa, whoa,” Amethyst rolled swiftly off the bed, landing on the floor. She grabbed Peridot’s shoulders firmly before the spiral could fully take hold. “Easy there, bud.”

Peridot blinked rapidly, fighting back a humiliating wave of tears. “I can’t fix this, Amethyst.”

“Look,” Amethyst started gently. “I don’t think it’s as unsolvable as you’re making it out to be.”

Peridot stared at her miserably, then shook her head firmly. “I've analyzed every conceivable outcome, Amethyst. I lose Jasper, or I lose Lapis, or—in some particularly delightful scenarios—I manage to lose both simultaneously. Somebody is inevitably going to get hurt—most likely Jasper—and it will undeniably be my fault.” She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes, groaning softly. “I just want this nightmare to end.”

“This whole black-and-white thinking you’ve got going isn't exactly helping, dude.”

Peridot scowled defensively, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses. “Well, what exactly do you propose, then?”

Amethyst shrugged. “A throuple.”

Peridot’s face exploded into crimson. She sputtered incredulously, nearly choking on her own breath at the absurdity of the suggestion. “You—you’re joking.”

“Nope.” Amethyst reclined against the bed frame, entirely pleased with herself. “Think about it, Per. Jasper and Lapis are tight, Lapis obviously digs you, and you care about ‘em both. Why not just… see if they’d be cool sharing?”

Peridot gaped openly at her, utterly baffled, her face still glowing a furious red.

Non-monogamy. Jasper willingly sharing Lapis? Lapis possessing enough emotional stability to handle multiple relationships simultaneously? Has Amethyst completely lost her mind? Does she even know these people?!

Yet…

The idea—although insane and utterly ridiculous—did sound marginally less bleak and hopeless than every scenario she’d run in her head so far.

“This is the worst plan I’ve ever heard,” Peridot stated flatly.

“Eh,” Amethyst drawled, smirking comfortably, “I dunno. Could work.”

“Your optimism astounds me.”

“But hey, it gives you a shot at keeping ‘em both around,” Amethyst argued.

Peridot’s gaze fixed on a spot somewhere in the middle-distance, eyebrows furrowing deeper as she considered Amethyst’s unusually coherent logic. “Wouldn’t it be selfish to even propose such a thing?” she murmured.

Amethyst snorted. “Would it? Or is it more selfish to lie to your best friend, and someone you clearly have feelings for, just because honesty scares the crap outta you?”

Peridot flinched visibly, biting her lower lip. “I suppose you have a point.”

“‘Course I do,” Amethyst gloated smugly, stretching back out on the mattress. “You should just talk to them, dude.”

Peridot let out an exasperated sigh. “You do realize who we’re talking about here, right? Jasper doesn’t exactly talk about feelings—she beats them into submission. And Lapis just… lashes out and leaves.”

“And you spiral like crazy,” Amethyst added helpfully, earning a glare from Peridot. “Maybe actually trying this poly-whatever thing would force you guys to grow a little.”

Since when was Amethyst this irritatingly insightful?

Peridot chewed anxiously on her lower lip, shifting nervously on the floor. “Statistically speaking, such an arrangement is emotionally volatile with a dangerously high risk of failure...”

Amethyst smirked knowingly. “But you're totally considering it.”

“I am,” Peridot admitted weakly. “It just sounds so absurdly complicated.”

“Dude, shit’s already complicated,” Amethyst pointed out. “At least this would be, I dunno, honest complicated.”

Peridot hesitated, picking nervously at the edge of her shirt. “What about jealousy?”

“Isn’t jealousy already happening anyway?”

Peridot fell silent, a frown creasing her forehead.

Damn it all—Amethyst was actually making sense.

“GAH!” Peridot muttered something incoherent, pushing herself abruptly off the floor and dusting herself off. “Fine. I'll consider your preposterous suggestion, despite my better judgment.”

“That’s the spirit!” Amethyst cheered, pumping her fist in the air before collapsing back onto her bed. “Now go get ‘em, tiger!”

Peridot rolled her eyes fondly, lingering nervously by the doorway. Her heart hammered furiously against her ribs, palms sweaty. She was uncertain, anxious, and yet—against all reason—somehow hopeful…

“Thanks, Amethyst.”

“No sweat, nerd,” Amethyst mumbled into her pillow. “You totally got this.”

As Peridot stepped out, Amethyst’s voice carried out behind her: “Oh, and hey—if anyone tries punching you, just duck!”

Peridot turned, scowling back through the doorway. “Thank you. Without that brilliant advice, I surely would've remained motionless and accepted the punch directly to my face.”

Amethyst’s laughter followed her out the door, and—despite everything—Peridot felt the corners of her mouth twitch upward just slightly.