Peridot Catches a Cold (Steven Universe, Peridot and others, F)

[Kalla]

Hi everyone! I'm a new member and this is my first post here. 

I love Steven Universe, and Peridot is my favorite character. I've been eager to write some sneezefic of poor Peridot for some time. So far I have three completed one-shots. I'm not sure if I should post them in separate threads… or as multi-chapter additions in this thread? Please advise in comments. They are all unrelated one-shots, but could be read as possibly all taking place if you want Peridot to have one cold after another. (Earth life has been tough on her.)

All of my Steven Universe fanfics should be considered as having spoilers for the most recent episodes. Even this first fic, which is set before the Peredemption arc.

This is an alternate take on a scene from the episode "Keeping it Together." In the episode, Steven and Peridot have a brief interaction in the Kindergarten before the Crystal Gems appear and Peridot flees. In my AU, Steven and Peridot have a considerably longer time together… which is a good thing for Peridot, who is suffering from a severe cold.

__

Peridot was almost at the surface of the facet five prime Kindergarten when she cleared her throat and formed her fingers into the holographic screen that also functioned as an all-purpose data log and recording device.

"Log date: 652. This is Peridot, updating status. Still stuck on miserable planet. The fusion experiments are developing properly, a few have even emerged ear--"

The Gem technician's breath hitched without warning and an expression of dull, helpless surrender passed over her face. "…ehhh HIHSHUUUU!!"" Peridot bent at the waist with the unexpected forceful sneeze, then straightened up with a wet snifffle. She opened her mouth to resume her recording when a voice surprised her.

"Gesundheit!"

Instantly on guard, Peridot spun around with her disembodied fingers forming an arm cannon. She charged up a threatening ball of plasma without a second thought. It was that… Quartz creature, whatever exactly he was. The Steven.

"What do you want with me?" Peridot demanded in an uncharacteristically hoarse voice, trying to hold back a cough. The Steven was alone in the vast Kindergarten. "And where are the other ones?" Peridot cast a hostile, searching glance from side to side. She hoped that she maintained a formidable appearance despite her legs feeling like jelly.

"They're around," the Steven acknowledged with a shrug. He just couldn't lie to Peridot, for whatever reason. "But I don't know where they are. It's just you and me, Peridot." The Steven's voice took on a playful, knowing tone. "Now what are you doing?" He grinned.

Peridot didn't drop her arm blaster, but she sighed and rolled her eyes. Why was this creature so interested in her? He didn't seem to be a real threat, but he was annoying nonetheless. "That's really none of your business, you Steven. I have a very important mission to fulfill on your cruddy planet, and I'm not going to be distracted so--" Peridot's voice faded out on the hoarse crack that she was desperately hoping to avoid and she turned her head to cough, sounding congested and miserable. As if her humiliation wasn't complete, a burning feeling seized her clogged nose and Peridot jerked forward with another wet sneeze. "Keh SCHOOOU!" She sniffed and rubbed her runny nose on her arm at the junction of her limb enhancer and her slender upper arm.

"Peridot, you sound like you have a really bad cold," Steven's voice was concerned as he took in her bedraggled appearance with a worried look. Peridot usually looked a bit frazzled, but never had Steven seen such exhaustion and weariness writ plainly on her face. Her eyes had a bleary, tired look behind her visor, and there was a green flush across her cheeks that darkened her pert little nose.

"I've never seen a Gem get sick before," Steven continued, "But you really don't sound well Peridot. You should be resting if you want to get better." Steven crossed his arms and nodded.

"I'M NOT SICK!" Peridot began defensively. "It's-- it's the atmosphere of this planet, no wonder you lumpy clumpy clods are such imbeciles, you constantly breathe this air, and it's making me--" Peridot's gaze suddenly looked unfocused as her eyelids lowered and her mouth opened slightly with a gasp, helpless against the overpowering urge to sneeze. "uh SHIEEWWWW!! heh KISSSHHH! HAH-CHOOOO!" The three sneezes dissolved into a hacking cough.

"…Okay, I'm sick," Peridot finished lamely in a thickly congested voice. She looked away with a scowl and wrapped her arms around her shivering torso. It was impossible to try to hide this embarrassing weakness from the Steven.

"I'm sorry you don't feel well Peridot," Steven's voice was full of kindness that only made Peridot feel more ashamed. "I hate being sick. I really wish there was something I could do to help. Hey, wait a minute!" Steven abruptly brightened. "I could use my healing powers on you!" The half-Gem hybrid spread his arms and beamed with happiness. "I mean, if it's okay with you Peridot."

"You… what?" Peridot coughed and looked at Steven quizzically. "You have healing powers?" Peridot pressed her fingers against her throbbing forehead, running them into her upswept hair. There was something familiar about this, something she already knew. "You healed Lazuli's gem, didn't you?" Peridot spoke her thoughts aloud. The informant-turned-prisoner had been very insistent on that when pressed for her reasons for betraying Homeworld.

"Yeah, I did!" Steven nodded vigorously. "And I think I could heal you too, Peridot. If you let me help you."

Peridot stared at him glumly. What he was offering was-- no, it was absurd. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She said at last. "We're enemies. I tried to crush you and those clods, and I'd do it again. I don't need your-- ah KISHHHshoou!"" The stuffy sneeze that cut her off triggered more coughing, congestion crackling in her chest.

Steven looked at the Homeworld Gem sadly. There was something in the timbre of her coughs that made her sound… smaller? Steven couldn't put his finger on it, but it was hard to reconcile the sounds coming from her with her tall, graceful appearance, the same height as Pearl (although Steven thought that Peridot was even prettier in her own way.) She sounded weak and helpless and not very big.

Peridot recovered with a moan. "All right Steven." Her voice was rough. "I'll let you heal me, if you can do it. I don't have too many more options with your friends the Crystal Clods always after me." She sniffled wetly and looked at Steven with a momentary darker flush on her face. This was so humiliating. Peridot couldn't remember being sicker, and the technician caught a cold at least every century. For Gemkind those were sorry numbers, and Peridot cursed her weakness and vulnerability to illness.

"Hooray! I'll heal you and we'll be friends forever!" Steven jumped for joy with stars in his eyes. "The thing is, I have to, uhhh…" Steven put his hand to his chin as he considered how exactly to use his healing saliva, and how he was going to explain this to Peridot. The solutions that immediately presented themselves didn't sound very nice.

Suddenly grasping an idea, Steven dug his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and smiled when his chubby fingers clasped around the stick of the lollipop that was still there. He withdrew it triumphantly and began to unwrap it in front of the puzzled green Gem.

"What is that?" Peridot asked flatly as Steven enthusiastically popped the lollipop in his mouth and began to suck on it. Peridot felt another sneeze approaching and turned to the side while she attempted to stifle it. She was partially successful, and only a small, high pitched "ihkSSSCHUU! escaped. The sniffle that followed was tiny, but she sounded deeply congested and stuffed up.

"Here you go Peridot!" Steven held out the lollipop. "You have to put this in your mouth and suck on it… just like this." The child demonstrated enjoying a lollipop for the technician. In response to her blank stare of confusion, he elaborated, "I, uh, have healing spit, and I don't know how else I'm going to get my spit into your body Peridot. My mom had healing tears, but I guess spit is even cooler because I can always make spit, heh heh…" Steven trailed off awkwardly, blushing.

Steven walked slowly toward Peridot while holding out the lollipop, and she reached forward with a slightly shaking hand to retrieve it. Peridot wrinkled her nose and frowned as she examined the candy still slick with the Quartz creature's mouth fluids. This was not what she expected. A part of her wondered if this was just some elaborate ruse to detain her, but she had nothing left to lose. Her cold was making her feel more and more run down, and between that and the Crystal Gems and being trapped on Earth, Peridot felt like she was overdue for a break.

Peridot flinched when the flavor of the lollipop hit her. It wasn't completely unpleasant, but the very alien and foreign sensation was unwelcome and unnerving. The Homeworld Gem ran her tongue over the lollipop and swallowed the liquid pooling in her mouth with a nervous gulp.

"Feel better yet?" Steven asked in a hopeful voice.

"I don't know, I…" Peridot stopped talking with a gasp as a warm sensation washed over her. A toasty, pleasant feeling seemed to be spreading all over her body. Peridot took a deep breath, and the raspy, tight feeling in her chest was gone. She no longer felt the urge to cough. Peridot inhaled deeply with a blissful expression as she felt an immense weight of congestion and pressure leaving her nose and sinuses. The burning, itching feeling was gone, and Peridot exhaled with a happy sigh, freed from days of constant sneezing and stuffiness.

"Steven! You healed me, it worked!" Peridot wore a huge grin, and Steven felt his heart leap to see her looking so happy. Her eyes shone with gratitude and Steven had never seen such an unguarded expression on her face.

"Aww Peridot, it was nothing. I want us to be buddies. I'm glad you're feeling--"

"PERIDOT!!" It was Garnet's voice, sharp and furious. Both Steven and Peridot turned with alarm to see all three Crystal Gems some distance off but gaining ground fast.

"Yipe!" Peridot's voice practically squeaked as she turned on her heels and ran off.

"Wait, Peridot!" Steven called after her, but he knew it was no use. Peridot was much too afraid of the Crystal Gems, and for good reason. Peridot was now airborne and the Crystal Gems gathered around Steven.

"My baby!" cried Pearl. "What did she do to you?!"

"It's okay Pearl, we were just talking," Steven purposefully omitted how he had healed Peridot. He didn't think that would go over very well with the Gems. "She didn't try to hurt me."

"Yeah, she better not hurt you," Amethyst still had her whip in her hand although Peridot was far out of range, having escaped the Crystal Gems yet again. "We're gonna pound her into a green pancake if she ever touches you Steven."

Garnet looked thoughtfully at the boy, her expression inscrutable behind her shades. "I don't think that will be necessary, Amethyst," Garnet said with a smile as she ruffled Steven's curls. "Steven has got this."

[Kalla]

In the past six hours I have learned something about myself: I am way too impatient to wait for replies on this thread before posting the rest of my material. X) I'm a little surprised because I thought there was more Steven Universe interest here. I guess it really can take days or weeks for responses on the fics.

I don't have the ability to edit my posts yet, but when I started this thread I included some tags that pertain more to the other one-shots: F/F and Fever. This next story, with Peridot and Pearl, contains both elements. I will post the third story, Amedot sick fluff, in its own thread because it involves enough different content in terms of tags and also it's a definite romantic F/F relationship between Amethyst and Peridot.

The next short story that I will post in this thread is set between the events of "Back to the Barn" and "Too Far." Peridot is working together with Pearl, but does not yet have her tape recorder. Subtle(?) Pearlidot (Peridot/Pearl F/F ship.) The ship can be overlooked if you're not into that kind of thing. Pearl is in a caretaker role, and sometimes even Pearl feels bad for the tiny twerp.

Peridot has been recently punched in the face by Pearl in this fic, so she's a little more humble than usual. Peridot is also embarrassed about having a cold in front of the Pearl of all Gems.
__


"Peridot! There you are!" Pearl called out to the green Gem when she saw her approaching the barn. "I'm glad you're here. I want you to look at the schematic for this wiring harness, I think this one has the same routing issues that you fixed yesterday." The tall, slender Gem fussed over the components in front of her while scrutinizing a guidebook she had propped open.

Peridot leaned in next to her and moved a few wires. "You're overloading the inputs," Peridot commented, her voice sounding a bit more raspy than usual. "Remember that we couldn't get the resistance we wanted with the heat shielding for the drill."

"Of course, I forgot all about that. Thank you, Peridot." Pearl sounded relieved at the solution at the same time she was disappointed in her inability to solve the problem alone. She smiled at Peridot with a light blue flush on her cheeks.

Peridot chuckled with a sly grin. "I am a born technician, don't you forget that. How far did you get with the control logic?"

"Well, let me move this panel and you can see how I arranged the relays… can you pass me that drill next to you?"

Peridot turned to retrieve the drill (she even knew how to hold it correctly now, thanks to Pearl), when her thin shoulders shook with a sneeze. "hah iisshhouuu!" Peridot sniffled and wiped her nose on her forearm before passing the drill to Pearl. "Sorry," Peridot spoke up in a congested voice with a small frown, "I'm not feeling well today."

Pearl looked deeply concerned, all thoughts about the drill project forgotten. Now that she was properly looking at Peridot, and not distracted, she saw that the young Gem's eyes looked very tired and gunky, and her face was sweaty and flushed. Her sharp button nose in particular had a distinctly chapped and sore look. Pearl placed one of her slender hands on Peridot's forehead before the smaller Gem could react or object to the gesture.

"You feel feverish Peridot," Pearl's voice was full of worry as she crouched down to look Peridot in the eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know… maybe last night, after we left the barn? It's not a big deal." Peridot had her characteristic scowl and didn't want to make eye contact with Pearl. It was awkward enough to acknowledge the low-caste Gem as her equal in technical matters, but to be fussed over like a Gemling just out of the ground was too much.

"Well I don't want you out here getting sicker," Pearl's tone was final. "It's a chilly Autumn day, and you need to be inside resting. I don't think I've seen a sick Gem, since, well… it was at least a few thousand years ago, maybe more!" Pearl had not been completely honest with Steven when she told him that Gems couldn't get sick, but it was so staggeringly rare that she didn't see the need to explain it. Gems were nothing like humans, who seemed to have one malady after another throughout their brief lives.

"A few… thousand years?" Peridot looked floored. She was not aware that Gem illness was so rare. Her tasks as a Kindergartener left her in solitude for long years on end, and the occassional cold was only a week or two of nuisance. Peridot had never mentioned them to her superiors and edited her recordings of any coughs and sneezes, although her hoarse and congested voice was harder to disguise. Sometimes she re-recorded logs entirely.

Pearl nodded. "I never saw illness when I was on Homeworld, actually. It was only when I followed R-- followed my superiors off-planet that I saw a Gem fall ill. My understanding is that it almost never happens." Pearl pursed her lips and stared at Peridot in a way that made the smaller Gem feel uncomfortable.

"I-- I get sick every so often," Peridot admitted, her cheeks burning with shame. "I'm weak and defective." As if to confirm it, her traitorous body lurched forward in another sneeze. Peridot barely had time to throw her arm in front of her face to avoid spraying Pearl. "Ehh SSSHHOOOU!" Her sneeze was wet and throaty and portended the arrival of another bad cold, Peridot just knew it.

"Come on Peridot, let's get you home." Pearl placed a gentle hand on Peridot's shoulder. The smaller Gem felt so fragile, Pearl felt a welling of sympathy for the antagonistic Homeworld Gem. Pearl of all the Crystal Gems knew that Peridot was harmless without her limb enhancers, but she hadn't quite realized how frail the young Gem was. No wonder she couldn't best Steven in a fight, Pearl was struck by the thought.

Automatically, unthinkingly, Pearl slid her hand to Peridot's back as she rose, drawing Peridot in for a gentle hug as though she was Steven. The half-Gem child of Rose was right around Peridot's height, although he was robust and sturdy like Amethyst.

Peridot whimpered slighty and sniffed as she drew closer to Pearl, not rejecting the contact at all. She really did feel ill, and she wanted to watch the Steven play with his primative image cube, not wrack her brains over the Doomsday-stopping device in a blusterly cold barn. Peridot shivered as Pearl's strong and sturdy arm cradeled her against the taller Gem's warm body.

Peridot felt a sneeze approaching and tried her best to muffle it with both her hands clutching her nose. "ikhhtkishooo!" She recovered and looked up at Pearl as if to say something when a look of glazed surrender passed over her face and her breath quickened. "Ekh shuuu! EEETTCCHshooo! HA-CHOOO! Peridot sneezed helplessly into the crook of her arm, barely able to turn away from Pearl in time. It would have been beyond mortifying if she had sprayed Pearl with snots, and Peridot was grateful for this small dignity she still maintained.

"Peridot, maybe you should try lying down when we get back to the temple," Pearl's voice was gentle, worried for Peridot. "I-- I know we don't have to sleep, but I myself have tried it and it… can be restful." What was the protocol for a sick Gem? Pearl couldn't even remember. This problem had never been her immediate concern.

"Steven will help you learn to sleep," Pearl smiled, giving Peridot a small squeeze. Steven would know what to do. He seemed to be able to work with Peridot like none of the other Crystal Gems. He had been doggedly trying to win her friendship from when he first laid eyes on her, despite repeated attempts to kill or harm him from the Homeworld Gem.

Leaning with her cheek against Pearl's fancy ribbon-sash, Peridot nodded. She straightened up and sniffed loudly. Peridot hated to keep announcing her cold with loud, wet, snot-rattling sniffles, but it was either that or her nose would keep running until her face was a complete mess. Every sneeze only made her more and more congested.

"Are you mad at me, Pearl?" Peridot's voice was small as she looked up the Crystal Gem. "I want to say, I'm-- I'm sorry about working on the drill today with you." Peridot's eyes were wide and she looked both fearful and ashamed.

"You can't help being sick, Peridot," Pearl blushed deeply. It flustered her that Peridot was so small and vulnerable and ill, and she felt a retroactive twinge of guilt over pursuing her so ruthlessly. "Even Gems have… issues… sometimes and need to take a break. I know I do."

"Besides, Steven loves you, you know that," Pearl smiled genuinely when she saw the small smile and blush on Peridot's face. "He'll be excited for a chance to spend more time with you, and to help you feel better."

"If you say so," Peridot replied, with a touch of her usual sass. But she was smiling for once.

[Hissybella]

I'm extremely busy but I've noticed that you might be getting a bit discouraged and I just wanted to say that

I appreciate your story very much and encourage you to make more

[Kalla]

I'm extremely busy but I've noticed that you might be getting a bit discouraged and I just wanted to say that

I appreciate your story very much and encourage you to make more

Thanks so much! I am really glad to know that someone besides me enjoyed this. This is my very first attempt to actually write down fetish fanfiction. I've thought about it many times but I could never get more than a sentence or two on my computer before I gave up/deleted it out of paranoia. I never imagined that I would share something that is such a hidden part of me.

[Cyclo]

Oh man, these fics are adorable!

The part where Steven thinks about how Peridot's coughs and sneezes make her seem vulnerable and smaller… I love that! I also loved reading about how much better she felt after Steven healed her.

I also just really love the way you write certain things. "Her thin shoulders shook with a sneeze." And the idea of Peridot editing out sneezes and coughs from her recordings! Looooove.

That leaves me wondering… who WAS the sick gem that Pearl was remembering about?

I love how you talk about how frail she is! Ohhh my gosh. And Pearl being all motherly. And Peridot actually accepting it and drawing closer to her!!! And then Pearl giving her an affectionate squeeze!!!! Gahhh! Too much cute! It just kept getting better!

"Are you mad at me, Pearl?" Awwww! Peridot is so precious.

Ah! Pearl regrets being so hostile to her earlier! She didn't know Peridot was so vulnerable, that she's much more frail than most gems. Well, let's hope she'll be kinder to her from now on.

Thank you for sharing these!!! They made me so happy!

[Snapdragon]

Oh gosh, these are so cute! I have such a weakness for antagonist/rival characters being vulnerable in front of the heroes (especially when they REALLY hate it) and it's even better in the form of sneezefic And Peridot's squeaky high pitched sneezes are too damn cute.

[Kalla]

I guess that I am using this thread as my all-purpose "Peridot comes down with a cold one shots thread". (I'm going to ask a mod to change the title.)

This next one is a long overdue request/suggestion from Erudiculous:

You know the scene in When It Rains, when Peridot and Steven are running away from the mini Gem clusters? How about an AU in which they manage to hide but they've got to be quiet so they can stay hidden. But poor Peri has a bit of a cold after being in the rain earlier, and she feels a sneeze coming on.

I immediately embraced the idea, but it was challenging when the whole episode is a giant info dump to set up a major plotline of season 2. I've quoted some dialog from "When It Rains" verbatim, cut out a ton of stuff, and obviously added all the parts about Peri coming down with a cold.

--

When It Rains You'll Catch a Chill

--

Steven was confident that he made the right decision, allowing Peridot to go to the Kindergarten with him to retrieve her logs, but it was still an eerie, foreboding place that made his skin crawl. He held the green Gem's hand a little tighter as their footsteps echoed off the canyon walls. The Injectors looming overhead gave the sound a metallic quality.

"This place just gets worse every time I come here," Steven's voice was hushed. He looked over at Peridot, who appeared to be shivering although her face was stoic.

"I know," the technician acknowledged. "It's been so poorly managed." She wrapped her arms around herself. "It must have been in way better shape when you first emerged."

"Emerged?"

"Yeah, you're some kind of Quartz, right? You must have been m-made here." Peridot looked puzzled, and her teeth were chattering slightly.

"Uhhh, I come from my mom and dad."

"Are those some kind of rocks? Or another planet?"

Steven grinned. "Nope. My dad is from Earth, but my mom's a Gem!" He lifted his shirt to reveal the faceted gem embedded where a human navel would be positioned, and Peridot's eyes widened.

"You're some sort of hybrid?" Peridot squeaked in a hoarse and incredulous voice. "How is that possible?"

"The answer to that is a story I like to call, 'The Ballad of Rose and Greg.'" Steven replied, warming to the memory of his father's stories about his courtship of the beautiful Rose Quartz.

"I don't care." Peridot interjected, raising one hand to cut him off. "Let's j-just hurry to the control room." Her shivering was more pronounced.

"Okay," Steven nodded. He looked at Peridot with more scrutiny. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her chest again and she was quivering. Maybe it was the fall from the warp pad that started off their adventures in the Kindergarten, but her eyes looked tired behind her visor.

"Peridot, you look really cold. Are you okay? Maybe this isn't the best place to be right now, it wasn't safe the last time I was here."

"I'm f-fine," Peridot gritted out as she turned away. Steven reached out to touch her shoulder and gasped when he felt how chilly and wet she was.

"Peridot, you're soaked! No wonder you're shivering," Steven's voice was full of concern. He felt guilty and foolish for not realizing that Peridot couldn't repel water from her body like Garnet. He hadn't even offered her a towel when he came in from rain with her.

Peridot swatted his hand away with a grunt of annoyance. "It's nothing. Just the erratic t-temperature cycles of this planet. Let's get to Facet Five."

--

"This is where you need to be, right?" Steven and Peridot were now at the bottom of the angled shaft that led to the Prime Kindergarten control room.

"Yes," Peridot began in a rough voice, clearing her throat. "Ahem. I'm going to have to remove this panel and do bit of work to restore power to this room, so... can I have my hand back now?"

Steven let go with reluctance. "Okay, but stay where I can see you."

Peridot pressed her hand against a section of the wall and a rectangular panel lifted seamlessly from the surface. The half-Gem watched as Peridot strained with all her might to remove the panel with little effect. She panted for breath and leveraged the weight of her slight body against the wall before bending forward in defeat, hands resting on her knees.

"It's over!" Peridot groaned, struggling to catch her breath as her chest heaved. "I can't show you anything, let's go back." She coughed.

"Mind if I try?"

"Go ahead, knock yourself out," Peridot replied dryly. She was already focused on how she would proceed without the information in her old logs. The sound of Steven ripping the panel free startled her out of her thoughts.

"Whoa!" Peridot couldn't hide her shock. Could a hybrid be as powerful as a true Quartz? She stared at Steven with greater respect.

"There you go!" Steven cheerfully exclaimed.

"All right," Peridot mumbled as she turned her attention to the exposed wiring. She needed to keep her cool although obsolete Gem tech tried her patience sorely. "If I just connect this... grrrr... I mean connect this over here..."

Her body jerked with a sneeze as she connected a broken circuit. "hihh tschuuu!" The control room powered up with a shuddering hum. Peridot sniffed. "It's not perfect, but it'll do for now," she pronounced, walking over to the hand-shaped instrumentation control column in the center of the room.

Steven was more alarmed by the sound of Peridot sneezing. "Peridot, are you catching a cold?" He approached the Gem who was standing on her tiptoes near the control column with upstretched arms and a scowl on her face, no longer tall enough to reach.

"Negative," Peridot snapped. "I don't get sick that easily." Her tone indicated her displeasure with the question. "Now if I could only reach the-- woah!" Peridot was startled as Steven lifted her on his shoulders to reach the hand-shaped pad at the top of the column.

"It's okay to ask for help you know," Steven smiled up at her. A tap on the control panel made it sink to a lower height.

"I had it," Peridot answered in a shaky voice as she dismounted. She cringed inwardly at how weak she sounded. The technician squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before placing her hand on the panel to activate the Facet Five screens. The room was illuminated with images of countless Gem shards.

"These are the early attempts at artificial fusion. We were growing them here at this very site" Peridot's voice faded out as her breath hitched. She turned her head with an almost soundless hnnnkk, scrunching her nose with eyes closed. She sniffled before resuming in a more stuffy-sounding voice. "But these were just prototypes for the final product."

"That's a lot of Gem shards," Steven's voice matched the haunted look in his eyes.

"A Gem geo-weapon like the Cluster is comprised of millions of Gem shards. It is a singular, giant, artificial fusion." Peridot's fingers tapped the console, projecting an imagine of a globe on the screen directly ahead. The Cluster appeared to be located beneath the eastern seaboard of North America.

"Right now it lies dormant, incubating in the Earth's core, but when it emerges and takes its physical form" Peridot's fingers tapped the console again, triggering an animation sequence of the emerging Cluster. "It will destroy the planet." Steven's eyes were as large as saucers as he watched the Earth fragment into pieces on the Facet Five screens.

"The artificial fusion prototypes are already emerging," Peridot continued. "The Cluster is next. If we can't get off this planet, we've got to stop the Cluster." Her body trembled, but her small fists were clenched with determination.

--

Struggling with the burden of the information he had been given, Steven was withdrawn as he climbed back up the shaft to the surface of the Kindergarten. Even when he had helped Pearl and Amethyst keep a dangerous secret from Garnet, it was nothing like the doomsday threat of the Cluster.

Another stifled sneeze from Peridot brought him back to his immediate surroundings.

"Peridot? You keep sneezing."

"I do not!" The Gem huffed indignantly, annoyed that Steven had noticed her stifle. Her throat was beginning to feel sore.

"Look, Peridot," Steven tried a different tack. "I know you think I can help you stop the Cluster, but just because I know about rain doesn't mean I know how to stop a giant mutant in the center of the Earth!"

Peridot looked at Steven blankly as the pair emerged into the Kindergarten. "What are you talking about? Surely you have lots of information about Earth and its illogical behavior. Put that together with my expansive knowledge of the Cluster, and we have a fighting chance!"

"You don't understand, Peridot!" Steven felt his temper rising. "I don't know enough stuff about the Earth to actually help us! If we really want to stop the Cluster, we need to tell the Crystal Gems."

"No! I HATE them!" Peridot shouted back, surprising Steven with the vehemence of her anger. "Those muddy clods threw away everything that I had! They're nothing but rocks beneath my gravity connectors! Those defective traitors--" The technician's furious rant was cut short by a distant but terrifying wail.

"What was that?" Peridot cried as she ran to Steven, clinging to his arm in fear.

"It's the fusion monsters," Steven replied grimly. "Peridot, we have to get out of here."

The unsettling wail sounded again, closer this time, and now it was joined by tortured cries from a different direction. It was unmistakably the fusion experiments. Their individual voices were a multi-layered chorus of mutilated Gem shards bound together.

"Quick, come with me!" Steven caught Peridot's hand and nearly dragged her as he ran towards a crevice he had spotted beneath a rock overhang. His first thought was to take cover, and his second thought was to find a way to get to the warp pad when the coast was clear.

The chubby half-Gem was a little bit winded after the dash, Peridot collapsed on the ground and gasped for breath. Her face looked sweaty and flushed and it took her a long moment to recover.

"Steven," Peridot began in a raspy voice. "What are we going to do?" She was clearly terrified.

"I'll think of something," Steven replied in a quiet voice as he tried to sound reassuring. "For now we're gonna hide. If one of those things sees us I'll protect you."

Peridot nodded. She rose and leaned against Steven, taking comfort in his presence. He also felt warm against her still drenched and shivering body.

Steven and Peridot crouched beneath the rock overhang for what seemed like an eternity to both of them. Steven couldn't see any fusion monsters, but the crevice that shielded him also blocked all peripheral vision. At least the cries of the monsters seemed to be growing more distant again.

"hnnnnk!" Peridot jerked against Steven as she stifled a sneeze. A wet sniffle was followed by a succession of three more stifles. "kksssshht! hfffft! ah cnhhkk!"

Steven turned to look at Peridot, who had her hands over her mouth and nose and was now rubbing her nose. There was really no denying that she was coming down with a cold. Peridot looked up to catch Steven's gaze and immediately glanced away with a frown, her cheeks lighting up with a blush.

Steven opened his mouth to speak when a noise from above made him freeze. Something was scrabbling on the plateau above. Peridot held his arm even tighter as a fragmented moan reverberated in the air. It was definitely a fusion monster above them.

Steven pressed his finger to his lips and faced the opening of the crevice. He knew he might need his shield or a protective bubble at any moment, but he didn't want to tax himself by summoning his Gem abilities prematurely.

Peridot continued to shake, from fear or chills Steven couldn't say. He heard her breath hitching and shuddering. "hkkkisshuu!" A sneeze was not entirely stifled.

The scrambling noises and unearthly moan grew louder and more insistent. Peridot felt that her legs might give out from the tension and Steven wasn't much better, his face pale and sweaty.

Peridot pinched her nose shut with one hand as she held back another sneeze. Her throat was burning now, her head felt foggy and thick, and with every stifle she felt herself becoming more congested and desperate to sneeze freely. Her eyes watered as her body jerked with another barely suppressed sneeze. This one was audible, with a "kzzzhhht!" sound that hinted at her growing congestion.

A trickle of gravel and dirt fell down in front of the crevice. Whatever was above them, it was on the edge of the precipice and quite possibly about to jump down. Steven raised his arm in readiness to summon his shield as his gem glowed faintly.

It took all of Peridot's willpower not to whimper in fear. She tried to wipe her nose on her arm so she wouldn't have to sniffle, but that triggered a new batch of muffled sneezes. "hnnnff! kzzzhhht! eh kssshhh!"

With the sounds of the creature above becoming more alarming, Steven knew it was time to take initiative. He didn't want to be cornered in the crevice if and when the fusion monster discovered them.

"C'mon Peridot," his voice was a low whisper. "We have to make a break for it. We're gonna run to the warp pad." He looked at the Gem who nodded tersely. She was rigid with fear and her nose was running. She didn't look well at all.

When Steven and Peridot ran out of the crevice the creature stalking them howled with rage and jumped down, only to glance off the pink bubble that sprang up around the two Gems. Peridot looked back at the impossible jumble of multi-colored arms and legs before Steven pulled her away.

"I thought we were going to the warp pad?!" Peridot was breathless.

"We are!"

"Well we're going the wrong way!"

"Are you-- oh man, you're right!" Steven caught Peridot as he awkwardly turned the direction of the sphere that protected them. A teal and orange fusion monster moved with great speed on four pairs of legs to cut off the duo, who both screamed.

"Do something Steven!" Peridot yelled.

"I am doing something!" Steven retorted as the pair continued to run further away from the warp pad. He desperately hoped there was a way he could cut back and avoid the fusion monsters.

"Let's go in this corner!"

"Oh no, we're cornered!" Peridot wailed. There was nowhere to run, and three of the fusion monsters were approaching. "This is the end, we are done!"

"Hang on Steven!" A familiar voice shouted. Never had Steven been more glad to hear Garnet's voice.

"It's the Gems!" Steven exclaimed. "They must've heard the warp pad go off and followed us here!"

Peridot sat down and numbly took in the sight of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl making short work of the fusion monsters. It was difficult for her to feel happiness when that trio appeared, given her history with the Crystal Gems, but Peridot was still in awe of their combat skills. Even the Pearl was poofing monsters with her Gem weapon!

Now that he was confident of rescue, Steven remembered the Cluster. He gave a worried look at Peridot, uncertain where to begin. "Peridot... if we're going to defeat the Cluster, we need the help of the Crystal Gems. There's no way we can stop this thing in the Earth on our own."

Peridot looked at him and cleared her throat. "Steven, I--" her voice faltered. She opened her mouth to say something when her eyelids lowered and a dull expression of submission passed over her face.

"AAHHATSHIEEEE! HACTXSHUUUU!" Peridot rocked forward with two huge sneezes. "Uggghhhh." Her voice was stuffy as she held her head in her hands. She sniffled before another sneeze overtook her. "HETCHHUUU!"

Steven dissolved the bubble as the Crystal Gems surrounded them.

"Steven, are you alright?" Pearl looked very worried.

"What are you up to Peridot?" Amethyst cut in. "And why is your face a huge mess?"

"Move aside, Steven," Peridot spoke up in a stuffy voice as she rose to her feet, still shaking.

"What are you two doing here?" Pearl questioned, her lip curling slightly as she saw Peridot's face. "Is Peridot sick? What happened?"

"Steven," Garnet spoke over the other Gems in a voice of authority. "I thought I told you to keep on eye on her."

"I know, but--" Steven began in an apologetic tone.

"He did as he was told," Peridot said hoarsely, arms crossed over her chest. She turned to look at Steven and her expression softened. But it was all steely resolve when she spoke to the Crystal Gems again.

"All right, listen up you cl-- Crystal Gems," she spat out the hated name. "I've made up my mind. I have something to tell you about the Cluster."

The three Gems regarded her with shock. Whatever Steven and Peridot had experienced in the Kindergarten, it was a game changer.

"Peridot... we're... we're so glad you've decided to tell us. But you don't look well," Pearl commented gently.

"Yeah, that's one way of saying it," Amethyst chuckled.

"I went out in the rain with Peridot today, and I think she caught a cold," Steven explained. He looked sheepish, still feeling personally responsible for getting her sick.

Peridot gritted her teeth and balled up her fists. To be humiliated like this in front of the Crystal Gems was almost too much, but she couldn't deny that she was ill. She sneezed again, turning her face into the crook of her arm.

Garnet smiled faintly. "Well, let's return home with our guest and get her warmed up." She no longer placed a sarcastic emphasis on the word guest.

Peridot looked up with a sniff. The permanently fused war machine was the last Gem she expected to extend an offer of hospitality. Her confusion and uncertainty was as plain on her face as her dripping nose.

"Don't worry about it," Garnet acknowledged Peridot with a broader smile and a tilt of her shades. "You'll feel better in a few days."

[LP]

Pretty nice story. I was waiting for someone to use this situation to make sneezy Peri. I was hoping it would be in Peri's head so we could see into her thoughts as she struggled to sneeze. That would have been awesome. But what we have here is good too ^^ it's nice.

[Cyclo]

I'm finally giving myself the time to write a response to this! It made me so happy. I'm just going to point out a bunch of stuff that I liked.

First of all, I'm so glad you included the part where she isn't strong enough to lift the panel. That bit in the actual episode was so adorable to me! It only highlighted her harmlessness. What a benign little nerd, hehe.

Interesting how Peridot provoked a bit of impatience from Steven! They were arguing about whether or not he would be as useful in stopping the Cluster as Peridot thought he'd be. Nice choice! They weren't angry with each other in the show, but they were here… until they immediately forgot their disagreement once the fusion monsters came along. Fantastic contrast.

I also just adore how out of breath Peridot was after running for cover, especially in comparison to Steven. Poor sick, sneezy, gasping, terrified Peridot. Amazing. Ah, why do I love her misery so much??

Then, the icing on the cake. "Let's return home with our guest and get her warmed up." I'm jealous of Garnet! I want to be able to say that about Peridot. I want to take sick Peri home and keep her warm and snuggle her. Ahhhh, Peri, take all my stress awayyyy. ghsdfkghjsdlfkgj

I really, really appreciate that you wrote this. Thank you! I like the way you write and I just can't wait to role play with you. And feel free to ask me for a request – written or drawn. I rarely let people request stuff from me, and I know we haven't talked much, but there's something about you that I really like. I want to make you happy!!

Thanks again.

[Kshu]

Why haven't I commented before? These are great! The second on is my favorite.

[snidterno]

I love these! (Including the other two SU fics that you posted on separate threads.) They're pretty much what finally got me to register on this site after so many years of lurking. XD I'm so glad you decided to stay and write more. I just love the way you write all the characters, and since I'm both a Peridot and Amedot fan, your stories are exactly what I hoped to find here when I came looking for Steven Universe fics on this forum.

I really like how Peridot views herself as "defective". It just shows how Homeworld's oppressive belief system has affected her self-esteem, just like it affects how she perceives the Crystal Gems. It's great to see Amethyst reassuring her that she's not defective, though Peridot probably doesn't agree. And although I'm an Amedot shipper, I really like the fact that you wrote all these stories from different characters' perspectives. Steven and his kindness, Pearl's maternal side...

Do you have plans for more fics? I wish I had interesting suggestions for you, but I'm afraid I don't. Um, maybe Peridot catching a cold while on duty on Homeworld and trying to hide it from everyone? Or something with her and Jasper? I don't know, haha, whatever you end up writing, I'll love it anyway. XD

Also, you seem like a pretty cool person! I hope we can become friends. :'D

[Kalla]

Pretty nice story. I was waiting for someone to use this situation to make sneezy Peri. I was hoping it would be in Peri's head so we could see into her thoughts as she struggled to sneeze. That would have been awesome. But what we have here is good too ^^ it's nice.

Thanks! That's a good idea, I should write something from Peridot's perspective inside her head at some point. It would be an interesting challenge.

I'm finally giving myself the time to write a response to this! It made me so happy. I'm just going to point out a bunch of stuff that I liked.

Awwww you are so sweet, and like I said you didn't even have to post this when I knew you loved it. I love your head canons and ideas too! You noticed Peridot being out of breath more often, I am feeling that. I also don't know why it's so fun ton torment poor Peridot... at least she gets better?? The caretaking of sick Peri is definitely the best part. Also looking forward to how our RP progresses!

Why haven't I commented before? These are great! The second on is my favorite.

I'm so glad you liked them! The Pearl and Peridot story was fun to write. I have another "Back to the Barn" influenced plotbunny with Pearl taking care of sick Peridot that I hope to write soon. Peridot runs herself down working overtime on the drill project and gets sick, and Pearl finds her this way although Peridot tries to play down her illness.

I love these! (Including the other two SU fics that you posted on separate threads.) They're pretty much what finally got me to register on this site after so many years of lurking. XD I'm so glad you decided to stay and write more. I just love the way you write all the characters, and since I'm both a Peridot and Amedot fan, your stories are exactly what I hoped to find here when I came looking for Steven Universe fics on this forum.

I really like how Peridot views herself as "defective". It just shows how Homeworld's oppressive belief system has affected her self-esteem, just like it affects how she perceives the Crystal Gems. It's great to see Amethyst reassuring her that she's not defective, though Peridot probably doesn't agree. And although I'm an Amedot shipper, I really like the fact that you wrote all these stories from different characters' perspectives. Steven and his kindness, Pearl's maternal side...

Do you have plans for more fics? I wish I had interesting suggestions for you, but I'm afraid I don't. Um, maybe Peridot catching a cold while on duty on Homeworld and trying to hide it from everyone? Or something with her and Jasper? I don't know, haha, whatever you end up writing, I'll love it anyway. XD

Also, you seem like a pretty cool person! I hope we can become friends. :'D

Awww, this was really touching to read, thank you! I used to stalk this forum daily, hoping for more SU fanfic, before I finally joined and wrote it myself haha. I encourage you to try writing it, oh my goodness would I love to read it. Team Amedot forever.

I definitely have plans for more fics. Besides the Peridot and Pearl idea I mentioned above, I have a plotbunny with Peridot and Jasper. Set after the events of "The Return" and before/during "Jail Break": Peridot is returning on the Gem warship with the captured Crystal Gems and Lapis as prisoners, but she caught a cold while on Earth. Jasper not being very sympathetic to sick Peridot ensues.

I like your idea of Peridot catching a cold while on duty on Homeworld! Since Homeworld is basically the Worst Place Ever and has no place for less than perfect Gems, I can totally imagine Peridot's anxiety as she tries to conceal her illness.

[ringsofsaturn]

These are super cute! I love Peridot!

[RachTheCool]

OK, i read your fics a while back and i have been waiting to get an account so i could reply, and i finally got one. I absolutely love your fics, and i absolutely love you! These are absolutely adorable and i keep picturing it in my mind. Normally i lose interest in one fic after reading it once, but i found my self repeatedly visiting back here! I love your head canon on how peridot gets sick easily, mind if i use it?

[RachTheCool]

56 minutes ago, RachTheCool said:

OK, i read your fics a while back and i have been waiting to get an account so i could reply, and i finally got one. I absolutely love your fics, and i absolutely love you! These are absolutely adorable and i keep picturing it in my mind. Normally i lose interest in one fic after reading it once, but i found my self repeatedly visiting back here! I love your head canon on how peridot gets sick easily, mind if i use it?

Whoops i already did it whoops heheheheheheh...