🌇 Morning — Peridot’s Apartment
The alarm screamed at 6:45 a.m. Peridot slammed her hand down on her phone and groaned, rolling over to bury herself under the blanket. Her stomach cramped hard enough to make her flinch, and a migraine throbbed behind her eyes like someone was drilling into her skull.
“Fantastic,” she muttered to herself. “My body has entered self-destruct mode. Great timing — three weeks until finals, and I’m dying.”
From outside her room came the sound of Pearl humming, Garnet moving quietly through the kitchen, and Amethyst yelling, “WHO USED THE LAST OF THE MILK?!”
Peridot winced. “Volume control doesn’t exist in this household…” she mumbled, pulling the blanket tighter over her head.
She managed to crawl out of bed around 7:30, dragging her heating pad behind her like a battle flag. In the kitchen, Pearl gave her one look and frowned.
“You don’t look well at all. Maybe you should stay home.”
Peridot tried to wave her off. “I can’t. If I miss one lecture, the entire semester collapses.” She reached for her mug — then winced and nearly doubled over.
Pearl sighed. “Peridot, that’s not ‘just a little cramp.’ You’re pale.”
“I’m always pale,” she snapped weakly. “It’s part of my aesthetic.”
Still, she couldn’t even finish her coffee. Every sound, every light — too much. After a few stubborn minutes of pretending she could power through it, she gave in.
“...Fine. Maybe I’ll just— run system diagnostics from home.”
“That means you’re going back to bed,” Pearl said, already handing her a glass of water and pain meds.
Peridot took them with a tired glare. “Yes, yes. Hydration protocols engaged.”
She retreated to her room, turned off the lights, and curled up under the covers with her heating pad pressed against her stomach. Her laptop sat unopened on the nightstand — for once, she didn’t even have the energy to work.
By 10 a.m., she’d sent a single text message to you (Lapis / Y/N) — short, typed with one hand while she hid from the sunlight.
📱 Text from Peridot → You (Lapis / Y/N):
[8:47 AM] Ugh. System failure. Not going to class today. Pain levels at maximum. Send help. Or snacks. Preferably both.