Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Peridot lay on her stomach, her concentration completely trained on her Nintendo DS (she hadn’t parted with it at all since the new Pokemon game had come out). She was completely dead to the outside world, not even noticing the way the sheets around her parted, or the other person joining her in her little space.

“What’s this?” asked Jasper. Peridot finally noticed her companion and looked up. Jasper sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, looking uncomfortable and as small as possible. That was Peridot’s fault, the strung up sheets were barely higher than the back of the sofa, so even like this, Jasper’s head hit the roof of the fort.

“It’s a blanket fort,” said Peridot. She looked around at her accomplishment. sheets were strung up between two sofas that she had rearranged in the living room, and she filled the space with a mound of comforters, blankets, pillows and cushions. She’d even gone to the effort of putting up some old fairy lights.

“Why?” asked Jasper.

“I don’t know… you said you were having a bad day, and I got home early. I thought it might be fun.” Peridot blushed and looked at the floor sheepishly. Jasper gently lay herself onto her back and looked at Peridot.

“You’re so cute.” That just made Peridot blush harder.

“Shut up, no I’m not! I just wanted to do something nice,” she cleared her throat and continued, as though she had pre-rehearsed this conversation. Knowing Peridot, she probably had. “Um, I got my laptop. We can watch movies or shitty reality shows. And I have marshmallows and we can make hot chocolate. Or if you just want to chill and complain about shitty people at work, that’s cool too. We can do whatever you want as long as we do it in the fort.”

“I’m down to do it in the fort,” Jasper winked. Peridot shoved Jasper’s shoulder.

“I didn’t mean- not like that- you know what I meant,” she stuttered. “Just like, stuff, you know? We’ll-”

Jasper leaned up and pressed her lips against Peridot’s mid-word. Peridot made a startled noise before returning the kiss a moment later.

“Thank you,” said Jasper. “I love you.”

Peridot buried her face in a pillow. “I love you, too,” she replied, muffled.

“Want to watch Don’t Tell the Bride?”

“Oh my god, that show is awful and everyone on it is awful. Yes, absolutely.”

Chapter Text

Peridot wanted to turn around immediately when she saw who was in line in front of her. But she also really wanted a coffee and this was the only place on campus that had never disappointed her. She steeled herself and joined the line, keeping her head down. Maybe Jasper wouldn’t see her. The line moved, and Peridot, tripping on her own feet, fell face first into Jasper’s back. Maybe not.

Jasper turned around. “Are you-” she trailed off. Peridot righted herself and looked up, Jasper stared at her with wide eyes. Peridot’s face was red.

“Hi, Jasper,” she said.

“Peridot… it’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you still take your coffee as bitter as your personality?”

Peridot snorted. “Do you still drink overpriced frappuccinos with a billion shots of caramel?” she shot back.

Jasper grinned. “You know it.”

“Disgusting.”

It was Jasper’s turn to order. “A large caramel frappuccino with three extra shots of caramel and extra whipped cream.” Peridot cringed.

“You’re an asshole,” she said, on the behalf of the employee who couldn’t.

“….And a long black with an extra shot,” Jasper continued. Peridot’s eyebrow quirked up.

“What?”

Jasper paid for her order. “Get coffee with me?” she asked. “Do you have anywhere else to be?”

Peridot thought briefly about her anatomy exam in two weeks that she should be studying for, and she thought about how Jasper was her best friend in high school and the fact that they had lost contact inexplicably and that even after a year of not speaking, Peridot still had a MAJOR crush on her…

“Coffee’s cool.”

Chapter Text

“You’re an idiot,” said Peridot, setting her first aid kit down on the table beside her.

“Hey, it wasn’t even my fault this time,” said Jasper. She sat stiffly at Peridot’s dining table with the chair turned so Peridot could stand in front of her. Though they’d managed to clean off most of the blood from her face, there were still a few flecks on her chin and a lot down her shirt. Jasper was just glad her massive amount of hair was tied up in a bun away from the disaster. It would have been a bitch to get out.

“I’m sorry, how many times have you broken your nose now?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not broken,” Jasper protested. Peridot gently placed her fingers on either side of Jasper’s nose and felt around the area. “I think it’s just – ow – swollen. It doesn’t hurt as much-”

“Doesn’t hurt as much as the other three times?”

“Peridot, your judgement hurts. So do your hands. Please be careful.” Peridot rolled her eyes.

“You baby. What did you even do to it?” She couldn’t tell if Jasper’s nose was any more misshapen than it usually was. (when it came to staring at Jasper, Peridot usually opted for the eyes) It was definitely swollen and bruised.

“I told you, it wasn’t my fault. Some kid threw the ball, it went wild and hit me in the face. So that wouldn’t have broken it, right?” Peridot hummed.

“I mean, ordinarily no, but you’ve already broken it a bunch, it’s way more fragile,” she said. “But you’re right. It’s not broken. I’ll put some tape on it to reduce swelling and you can get some ice from the freezer.”

“Thank you, doctor Peridot,” said Jasper. Peridot giggled and started cutting off thin strips of medical tape and carefully sticking them across the bridge of Jasper’s nose. Jasper fidgeted a little in her seat as Peridot worked, occasionally wincing when Peridot pressed too hard.

“Does it hurt?” Peridot asked. Jasper shrugged.

“Not really,” she said.

“Hey, I’m not one of the boys on your sports field that you like to intimidate by acting more hardcore than you really are. You can tell me if you’re in pain.”

“Excuse me? I’m plenty hardcore.”

“Of course, hardcore people still feel pain though.” Jasper huffed.

“I don’t know; I feel kind of dizzy. And like, headachy. And my ears are still ringing.” Peridot nodded.
“Do you want some ibuprofen.” Jasper nodded. Peridot left and returned with some painkillers and water, and a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel. “If you still feel this bad tomorrow we’ll probably have to see a doctor.”

Jasper grumbled. “I hate doctors.”

“We hate you too.”

“No I love you, you’re not a real doctor yet.”

“Wow, thanks.” Jasper put the ice across her face and closed her eyes.

“I wanna take a nap,” she said. Then she grimaced. “I can’t take a nap. I sleep on my stomach. Fuck. Ugh. Why. This is the worst.” Peridot snorted and gently placed a kiss on Jasper’s cheek.

“Okay, come on, I have an idea.”

Peridot sat on one end of the couch with Jasper’s head in her lap, the latter sprawled across the rest of the couch, Jasper’s favourite anime on TV.

“Which of us is Tamaki and which of us is Haruhi?” Jasper mumbled, her voice already thick with sleep. They had barely made it through the opening credits. Jasper had pulled her hair out of its bun, and Peridot ran her fingers through the thick locks, pulling them into loose braids. She hummed.

“You’re Tamaki, obviously,” she said. “But if I’m anyone then I’m Kyoya.”

“I don’t know how I feel about this.” They were silent for a few minutes. “I love you,” said Jasper.

“I love you too.”