The Kids Are All Right
Finite Sledgehammer
Disclaimer: this is Rebecca Sugar's sandbox. I'm just playin' in it.
"They aren't hitting the temple… why aren't they hitting the temple?" Steven muttered, his voice echoing strangely from within the bubble. Another strong explosion shook the ground as the ship overhead continued firing into Beach City, sending people scrambling for cover.
Greg looked down at his son, then back up at the hand ship overhead, unsure what to tackle first. A much closer explosion went off nearby, scattering shrapnel over the bubble.
"Come on!" Steven shouted as the smoke began to clear. He dropped the bubble, grabbed his hand and began pulling him back down an alley just wide enough for Greg to fit. He moved so fast Gregs feet hardly touched the ground.
"It's not safe for you here, I'm gonna send you back to the temple!"
"What!? Steven! It isn't safe for you either!" Greg yelped as they reached the next street, which was out of view of the ship overhead.
"I'll be fine!" Steven shouted, sliding to a stop. He spun around and raised his hands, his face locked in a terrified grimace.
"Steven!" Greg shouted as the bubble formed around him, but not his son.
"I'll come get you later! If… if… if it takes too long you can break out of it, just – just push really, really hard!" His eyes brimmed with tears.
"Steven wait! Don't do this!" Greg wasn't entirely sure what was about to happen but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it. He placed his hands on the bubble.
"Once you're out, find water and don't be afraid to go for a swim, it'll lead you into the gems rooms. The door in Pearls room is the easiest to find, y-you'll know it when you see it! There's leftovers in the fridge and cans of soup in the cabinet. Whatever you do, don't pop any other bubbles!"
"Steven!" Greg pulled his hand back to bang his fist against the bubble as Steven lightly tapped the outside. The world dropped out from under him, then he blinked a few times as everything went dark. Slowly the room beyond swam into focus. It was almost as if he'd just stepped into a dim room from outdoors. A few more seconds revealed that this was essentially what had happened. As his eyes adjusted, he found that he was in a circular chamber lit only by a well of magma in the center of the room. Gems in bubbles floated amidst the columns and rafters of the room, he among them in his oversized bubble. He must be somewhere in the temple.
"How long is too long?" He leaned his head back against the bubble and choked back a sob. Every time he closed his eyes there was another horrible moment he never wanted to see again. The ringing in his hears, and the smell of smoke, and spent lightening clinging to his clothes reminded him that he'd be seeing them forever.
That first blast, the way Steven immediately sprang into action as if this was all old hat; scrambling for cover, projecting bubbles for the both of them. Greg being shoved unceremoniously into a nook when a strange gem appeared, weapon drawn. Steven switched to shields that offered more mobility and a number of projectile options. The especially haunting image of his sweet little boy almost casually stepping over to a smart car, picking it up and hurling it at said strange gem, which brought them enough time to escape down a side street.
He didn't want his last memories of his son to be of combat, of his face locked in a determined scowl, or eyes filled with terror and tears. That was not Steven; the boy who was fourteen but didn't look a day over ten. The boy who was sweet, kind, gentle, and a wonderfully weird and innocent little kid.
Except he wasn't an innocent little kid anymore, was he? Probably hadn't been for a while. The confidence with which he wielded his powers made Greg wonder how many things he glossed over, or omitted during their lengthy chats. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. As the memories replayed in this minds eye over and over, he wasn't sure if he was afraid for Steven, or afraid of him.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Greg twisted and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Surprisingly it wasn't broken. Not surprisingly there was no signal in here, not even wi-fi. He didn't really expect the wi-fi to reach into whatever strange dimensions the temple housed. Heaving a sigh, he put the phone in airplane mode to conserve battery and resisted the urge to flip back through the pictures he had of his son. Waiting would be bad enough without tangible reminders of what once was.
Three hours later the door across the room opened, startling Greg out of a light doze. A bruised, battered, and decidedly exhausted little boy with dark curly air jogged in, a small case in one hand.
"Steven!" Greg shouted, rolling on to hands and knees.
"Dad! I can't stay long! It's still pretty bad out there!" He said as he approached. He leapt lightly ten feet up, grabbed hold of the bubble Greg was in, then sank gently to the ground. The bubble dissolved around him, letting in a most refreshing breeze.
Greg remained on his knees to hug his son. Steven returned the embrace with only one arm as he did not let go of the case he held. On closer examination, it was a lunch box.
"Come on, the house probably isn't safe yet, but Amethyst says you can hide out in her room." Steven said as he broke the embrace and took a small step back. He grabbed Gregs hand with his free one and led him back across the room to the door.
"You're going back out there!?" Greg reflexively glanced down as something red caught his eye. There was blood on his hands. Stevens back was a mess of shredded cotton, and gashes. "You're hurt!"
"It's just a little shrapnel – I'll get it later." Steven shook his head slightly. He didn't look back. "It already doesn't hurt anymore, and I think most of the bleeding has stopped."
Greg bit his lip, staring down at the gashes. "You don't have to go back out there!"
"No, they still need me." He shook his head again. "We got everyone evacuated or into shelters, and we managed to take out the ship – dunno if you felt that. But there's still a lot of Yellow Diamonds quartz's running around."
He paused as they stepped through the door. "Garnet said it's a lull in the battle. I figured it would be a good time to come let you out, and bring you something to eat."
"Steven..."
"It's alright, a bunch of the Earth Amethysts showed up to help us out!" Steven beamed up at him. "Amethyst – our Amethyst - has been having a blast! They're really fun! They have so many jokes!"
"Steven."
"I made myself a sandwich too, don't worry." He started up again, moving at a good clip, but not so fast Greg couldn't keep up.
"Steven!" Greg didn't want to keep up; he put his foot down hard to stop them both. Steven turned around, looking up at him questioningly. And innocently. But not without some guilt.
Greg sighed. "I'm just worried you're taking on too much, too soon."
"I know." He hung his head. "But they really do need me. No one else has shields, or healing powers. And everyone in Beach City trusts me, so..."
Greg went to rub his temple then remembered the blood on his hands. His sons blood. "Can you heal yourself?"
"I... haven't tried." Steven blinked a few times. He scowled off into space. "Maybe after I eat something. I'm pretty tired. And kinda parched."
Greg nodded. It was probably the best he was going to get. Steven led him through a labyrinth of chambers to a waterfall, which went in a few impossible directions before they surfaced in a puddle in a garbage pile that could only be Amethysts room.
Their short swim washed away all the blood, and Greg was somewhat relieved to note that the gashes across Stevens back were largely superficial.
They settled down on the trash heap to eat. Greg picked at his sandwich and watched Steven wolf his down, then down most of the contents of a water bottle he'd brought for himself.
"I know Amethyst has a bunch of TVs down here, but I dunno if any of them work." Steven mused once he was done eating. He got up and shuffled off into the mess.
"At least you can watch some tapes or something while you're in here."
"How long do you think you'll be?" Greg asked hesitantly.
"I don't know."
"You're going to have to sleep at some point."
"I know. Ah ha!" A bit of garbage shifted nearby, then Steven trotted into view carrying a small TV with a built in VCR. "And I found a whole pile of old Voltron tapes!"
"I appreciate the thought, Stu-ball, but I don't think there's anywhere to plug it in." Greg forced a chuckle.
"Garnet was showing me a neat trick, I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Steven set the TV down on a level spot, stuck his tongue out, then placed one hand on either side of the screen. He concentrated hard for a few seconds, then with a crackle of electricity the TV sprang to life.
"Steven wins!" Steven crowed over the static, grinning and throwing his hands in the air. He pressed the mute button. "That should keep it going for a while. I'll get the tapes."
Greg watched wordlessly as he trotted off again. Afraid of Steven, or afraid for Steven. He still wasn't sure.
Steven returned with a hefty stack of VHS tapes and set them next to the TV. "I don't think Amethyst has eaten any of these yet, so you probably have the whole run here."
He put the first tape in, and fiddled with the volume a little. For a few moments they let the TV make all the noise. Greg wanted desperately to say something but couldn't think of what.
"Guess I'd better head back out." Steven said, finally breaking the silence. He stepped over and hugged Greg tightly.
"Stay safe." Greg murmured.
"I'll try. Love you Dad."
"Love you too, son."
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
And then he was gone, springing lightly over the piles of garbage towards the door that was somewhere in the junk heap.
Greg pinched the bridge of his nose. He supposed it was probably pretty normal for teenagers to frighten their parents from time to time. He just hadn't really banked on it being quite like this.
For the second time in a twenty four hour span Greg was startled out of a light doze. This time it was voices coming from the general direction Steven had left in. He sat up and stared blearily at the TV for a few seconds, trying to recall when the last episode of the tape had ended and the TV had reverted to static. It was so quiet down here the white noise was a welcome companion. As he watched, the TV flickered and died.
"Steven?"
"Dad!"
This time the small boy with the dark curly hair hobbled over with a bad limp.
"Oh no what - " Greg rolled to his feet, ready to scoop Steven up and carry him if need be.
"It was actually kind of dumb, I'll tell you later." Steven waved his concern away and happily embraced him as soon as they were close enough to do so.
"And what happened to your arms!?" Greg couldn't help but notice both of Stevens arms were wrapped in bloody bandages.
"Just a few scratches."
"Sure, now! Earlier they were way worse!" Amethyst chortled and slapped Steven on the back.
"Still sore there." Steven grimaced.
"Oops, sorry." Amethyst ducked her head. "So, Gregory, how d'ya like mah junk?"
"It's... about what I expected." Greg frowned down at her. "Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we rounded up as many as we could. The Famethysts and Lapis are keeping an eye on Beach City while Garnet, Pearl and Peridot start tracking where all of the other quartz's went." Amethyst stretched languidly. "It's pretty late and I needed a break. Steven too."
"Yeah, I'm beat." Steven laughed wearily. "C'mon Dad, lets get some dinner and get some sleep. I already made up the couch for you."
"Couldn't find the van, huh?" Greg asked dryly.
"Didn't really look. It's not safe out there yet. Not completely." Steven shook his head. "The town was hit pretty bad."
Not surprisingly the power was out when they reached the house. A fire was already going in the fireplace, however, and there were a few candles and electric lanterns scattered around. Steven had left a pot of soup on the stove - which was gas - that was just starting to steam. He hurried over to give it a stir as Amethyst ambled into the kitchen to pull some bowls out of the cupboard. Greg wandered over to the windows. They didn't have a view of town, but it seemed darker out there somehow. More foreboding. A layer of smoke lingered above the surf, turning the ocean a sickly red in the wan moonlight.
"Soup's ready." Steven declared, startling Greg out of his thoughts.
They sat at the kitchen island to eat, then Steven ducked off take a shower while Greg did the dishes. The hot water heater was gas as well, so it was a hot shower, at least.
"Is it just the gems out there protecting the town?" Greg asked as he finished the last bowl, then grabbed the pot. They'd decimated the soup. Nothing left to save, not that it would keep with the power out.
"Nah, some government types showed up as we cleared out the last of 'em. Most of the Beach City peeps are with them." Amethyst drawled.
"Huh, was wondering when they'd take notice. I mean, that big hand ship thing crashed here before. And that... red eye, was it?"
"Yeah, we've got some stuff around the temple to keep humans from noticing a lot of stuff we do, but I'm kinda surprised the bigger ships didn't get any attention." Amethyst toyed with a salt shaker. "But they might not show up on human radar or something."
"Yeah." Greg nodded absently. "Though I guess attacking the town was just too much."
"Heh, yeah, probably." She slid off her stool and scratched her rear. "Guess I should go see what the Famethysts are up to. They should get along alright with the... national guard, is it?"
"I... guess? I dunno, I wasn't there." Greg shrugged.
"I think that's who showed up. Anyway." She marched over to the bathroom door and banged on it three times. "HEY STEVEN! I'M GONNA GO KEEP WATCH WITH THE FAMETHYSTS. YOU SLEEP OKAY! DON'T MAKE ME TURN INTO PEARL!"
"DON'T WORRY, I'VE ALREADY FALLEN ASLEEP THREE TIMES ALREADY!" Steven shouted back, his voice muffled by the door and the shower.
"GOOD! STAY ASLEEP NEXT TIME!"
"I WILL! YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!"
"YES I DOOOOOOO!"
She chuckled then moseyed to the door. "Later, Gregory."
"Bye." Greg shook his head, unable to fight back a grin. He rinsed off the pot as the front door shut. He set it on the drying rack with the rest of the dishes, then stared down at the sink.
The shower shut off. It was quiet for a time, then he heard the hair dryer whine to life. A few minutes later Steven emerged in his PJ's, looking like he was ready to pass out. "It's all yours. The hair dryer should have a little charge left, and there's a spare toothbrush in the cabinet."
"Thanks. You keep a spare?" Greg asked wryly. "How mature of you."
"Eh, Connie likes to leave a spare in case she forgets hers." He shrugged. "I don't think she'll mind."
Greg knew it was actually just an innocent slumber party situation whenever Connie stayed the weekend, but it was still a little weird to see Steven so nonchalant about a girl keeping a toothbrush in his bathroom. Then again, the implications had probably never occurred to him. Steven may not be an innocent little kid anymore, but he was still amazingly clueless about some things. Greg chocked it up to being home-schooled.
Greg slept fitfully, waking at any stray noise. Even the ocean – normally a soothing lullaby – proved troublesome at points as his imagination ran wild with gem monsters creeping out of the waves, or prowling the airways above the temple. The occasional distant sound of helicopters was slightly reassuring, even though most human technology was useless against gem magic. He could swear the refrigerator was still running, but even in his nervous state he was disinclined to go and check. It also didn't help that Lion wanted in at some point. Greg was genuinely surprised to find out that he would scratch on the door and yowl like any other cat when he wanted to come inside. It had nearly given him a heart attack. Thankfully Steven knew what the noise was, and dragged himself out of bed to let the enchanted lion in.
Naturally Lion wanted out again not long after. Greg fielded that one, hoping the overgrown cat would stay out this time.
He did not settle into a deeper sleep until shortly before dawn, and even then he jerked awake again as voices – clear, distinct real voices could be heard over the waves a little while after the sun hove red over the horizon. At first he couldn't pick out what they were saying, but he recognized their voices easily enough. Words became more distinct as they drew closer to the temple.
"I still don't know why they hit Beach City instead of the temple." Amethyst groaned. "I mean, we're right out here in the open, why go after the town?"
"It's almost like they didn't care if we were here." Pearl said. "At least until we started fighting back."
"Everything's chaos." Garnet sighed heavily. "I can't get a clear picture of why they're here, or what's going to happen next. Peridot is convinced the quartz's are part of Yellow Diamonds elite Citrine Brigade."
"Heh, not so elite now, eh?" Amethyst chortled. "Got taken out by a bunch of freaks and weirdo's didn't ya!"
"Amethyst, you know she can't hear you in there. And why didn't you just send her back to the temple with the others?" Pearl grumbled.
The front door opened and the Crystal Gems ambled inside, lowering their voices as they did so. Greg opened one eye a slit to watch. Amethyst had a bubbled gem under one arm.
"What? No way! She took me hours to track down and poof. She gets to ride 'round in my armpit!" Amethyst grinned evilly.
"We don't sweat, so it's hardly a punishment." Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Party pooper!"
"Keep it down! Let Steven sleep!" Garnet hissed.
"Sorry!" They whispered. They paused and looked up at the loft for a moment.
"We should discuss this in the temple." Pearl murmured.
"Pearls room." Garnet nodded once.
Garnet and Pearl headed towards the door as Amethyst darted over to the fridge to grab a can of soda.
"Wait up, I wanna plop her in the basement first." She stage whispered across the room. She trotted over to the door, bubbled gem under one arm, soda in her other hand. The door swished shut, then the room settled back into silence.
Greg stared up at the ceiling for a while, waiting to fall back to sleep, but it proved futile. After an hour or so of light dozing, he wearily rolled out of bed. Hopefully the fridge had kept everything cool enough to make a non-contaminated breakfast. After a brief trip to the bathroom, he made his way into the kitchen. The power was still out, but the fridge was indeed still sufficiently cool inside. Actually… he stuck his hand all the way to the back. The fridge was still running. Steven had probably used himself to power it as he'd done to the TV and hair dryer last night. He shuddered a little, then quickly pulled out a dozen eggs and a carton of milk. Locating pancake mix in the cabinet, he set to work.
Steven stirred just as he was finishing up, letting out a low groan and rolling out of bed. Greg glanced up, then froze as he saw his son. The door to the temple swished open at about the same time.
"Oh, sweet, breakfast!" Amethyst jogged over as Steven groggily descended the stairs. The rest of the gems were a few paces behind.
"Mornin' Greg. Hey, Steven, why are you stretching yourself out like that?"
Steven paused at the bottom of the stairs to give Amethyst a confused look.
"What?"
Steven was a good three inches taller than he had been last night. Probably the only reason his pajamas hadn't lost all of their buttons was because he was a bit leaner as well, though still husky. He didn't look eight anymore, he looked closer to twelve, or fourteen, albeit a short, baby-faced fourteen. His voice had been wavering back and forth for a while, but Greg suspected it had settled in the lower range permanently now.
"Steven?" Pearl asked hesitantly. "Are you trying to do that?"
"Do what?" He looked down at himself, seemed to realize his pants were too short, and the buttons on his shirt were almost at their limit. "What!?"
He scrambled across the room and barreled into the bathroom. Greg swallowed hard as the gems glanced at each other, then over at him. Steven shut the door to the bathroom.
Pearl covered her mouth with her hand, Amethyst shrugged, and Garnet frowned contemplatively. He wasn't sure if they didn't know why the sudden change, or if they just didn't want to say. He suspected it was a mix of both. Nothing like Steven had ever existed before, no one really knew what to expect, but from what they'd seen of his powers, the emotional strain of prolonged battle could... alter some things.
He started putting food on plates. "Do you want any Garnet?"
"No thanks. We need to head out." She shook her head.
"I'll catch up after breakfast." Amethyst plopped down at the kitchen island and picked up a knife and fork.
"Alright, don't be too long."
"Steven, we're heading out again! You take it easy!" Garnet called, half way to the front door.
He opened the bathroom door and shuffled out, looking a bit uneasy. "Yeah, I'm not doing this. At least, not consciously."
"Hey, does this mean you get to hang on to your neck this time?" Amethyst grinned at him.
"Heh heh…"
"Don't worry, it had to happen eventually." Greg forced a grin. "Most parents claim their kids grow up overnight, but mine actually did! Ha!"
"Heh, yeah." He straightened up out of his slouch a bit.
"And you just know Connie'll like it." Amethyst winked at him.
Steven blushed beet red and ducked his head again as Amethyst burst out laughing.
Garnet grinned and opened the front door.
"Really though, Steven you should take it easy today. With the amethysts here, there's enough of us to look after everything, and the humans have sent people in to help as well." Pearl reminded as she stepped towards the door.
"Yeah, I was thinking we'd just go and find Dads van. And…" he looked down at himself again, "some new clothes, probably."
"That's a good plan. Okay, bye!"
"I think a bunch of Gregs old clothes are down in my room." Amethyst said around a mouth full of pancakes after the other gems had left.
"Might be a little big, but too loose is better than too tight." Greg shrugged. "C'mon, eat. You've gotta be hungry."
Steven plopped on a stool and picked up a fork as Greg set a plate of pancakes and eggs in front of him.
"Oh hey, did you ever try healing yourself?" Amethyst asked before licking her plate clean.
"Yeah, I did in the shower last night. I just have to focus on it." Steven nodded. He tried to pull up a sleeve but the shirt was too tight to move the fabric very far. He shrugged.
"Kinda weird you don't heal up super fast." Amethyst eyed her plate like she was going to eat it as well, then slid it into the sink. "I mean, you can heal other people in a few seconds."
"Yeah, I know. Guess I'm not Wolverine!" He grinned. Then scowled contemplatively. He lifted his left arm and balled his hand into a fist. After a few seconds of nothing happening he let it drop.
"Nope, no claws."
Amethyst cackled then hopped off her stool. "I'm gonna go find those boxes."
They ate in silence.
"I'll do the dishes." Steven said after they were done. "You cooked this time."
"It's alright. It's kinda nice to do a bunch of mundane stuff." Greg laughed softly. "Did you do the… thing to the fridge?"
"No, Garnet did that. It should last a few days, instead of a few hours." Steven shook his head then slid off the stool. He grimaced. "Think I'll go find looser underwear."
"Good idea." Greg grinned.
Steven grumbled as he rifled through all of this clothes for anything that had been too big before while Greg did the dishes. Amethyst wandered back in with several boxes and a heap of dirty laundry.
"Found all kinds of stuff!" She declared, letting everything drop next to the warp pad. "Some of Gregs stuff, some from those boxes I found on the side of the road that one time. It's all kinda grody though."
"It's alright, gotta do laundry anyway." Steven said as he hopped down from the loft. He had resorted to swim trunks. Greg was glad to see that his back and arms bore no marks whatsoever, and was a little surprised by how much muscle was lurking below the chubby.
"Well, have fun, I should go check in on the Famethysts. They're pretty good with humans, but not, like, these humans. It's hilarious!"
"Okay, later!"
Greg moved over to the pile of stuff to help sort through it. Of his old clothes, most of it was too big – which wasn't surprising since he'd last worn these in college, and Steven wasn't that tall yet. There were a few smaller Mr. Universe T-shirts, however, and a couple of the star shirts in larger sizes. Pants came from one of Amethysts mystery piles, and there were a few pairs of flip-flops in the boxes. Once they had enough for a good sized load, Steven took the warp pad up to the washer and dryer out on the hand of the temple.
"Since I'm already in my trunks, wanna go for a swim or something?" Steven asked when he warped back in.
"Nah, it's alright." Greg shook his head.
"Wanna play video games then?"
"Eh."
"Watch more Voltron?"
"Nah."
"I've been meaning to go back and watch some early episodes of Crying Breakfast Friends to look for clues for the big plot twist they've been hinting at. You wanna help?"
"I'll pass, thanks."
Steven looked crestfallen. He opened his mouth to say something when his phone started to ring. He spun around, then lunged upstairs in a couple of easy bounds, landing lightly on his bed before plopping down cross legged and picking up the phone.
"Connie! Oh man, you won't believe what – it is? Yeah, yeah, everyone's fine! I'm alright, how did you – I was? Wow! Oh, yeah, then I was. But I can heal myself so – no I didn't have time until later. Well… I think I was healing faster than humans, but not - you know - instantly. I think I was just too focused on doing everything else to get to myself."
"Ah huh. Yeah, makes sense. Oh yeah those were the other Earth Amethysts we met at the Zoo! They're really fun! You'll probably like 'em, they have a ton of jokes! Yeah they did! Busted everyone out! They're with the Red Cross last I saw. It's okay. No, really it's okay, it was probably better you weren't here. I know… I know! I know! I mean, I wished you were here, but at the same time I was glad you weren't, you know? And you're on that cool trip with your dad so…"
He was silent for a minute.
"Well that sucks! Oh, she is? Heh heh… I kind of healed everyone already so she probably won't have much to do. Yeah, I can. We've gotta go find Dads van so we can do that after. Yeah, he's fine, he's here. I had to bubble him for a while though. Do you want to say hi? Okay, I will. What? Uh, ye-yeah it did. Just this morning. I kinda half expect it to change back just when I'm getting used to it."
Another longer pause.
"No one knows. The gems haven't tried talking to the citrines yet. Yeah, that's what they are. The Famethysts heard about it through Holly Blue Agate – I told you about her, right? Ha! Yeah, that's what Amethyst calls the other amethysts. Anyway, that's when they decided to defect."
"Gosh! I don't know. I hope not! The diamonds still think the cluster's gonna emerge and destroy the planet. No idea."
Greg dried the last dish and put it away, frowning deeply. He knew Steven omitted certain things when they talked, but it sounded like Connie was completely up to speed.
"Okay, well, I'll keep you posted now that calls can go through again. Do you want me to come get you if the flight's delayed any longer? Lion can usually find you. Or – I think there's a warp pad not far from there. Yeah, that's – yeah now that you mention it it's probably better to wait. Okay. If you get desperate I can send him by himself. Miss you! Bye!"
Steven hung up and flopped back on his bed. "Connie says hi!"
"I gathered." Greg chuckled. "She doing okay?"
"Yeah, her dad's just been sick like, the whole trip so they haven't done half of the stuff they wanted to do." Steven rolled off his bed and stumped downstairs. "Their flights keep getting delayed so they're stuck in Dublin right now."
"Bummer! I take it you were on the news?"
"Yeah, it's everywhere." He grimaced, and rubbed his arm. "I guess someone got some pretty clear footage of me doing some magic stuff."
"Anyway, Connies mom is working triage with the Red Cross, so we're gonna go check on her and let her know Connie and her dad are trying to get home. She hasn't been able to get through to anyone since the attack."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Yeah!"
Stevens phone buzzed.
"Oops! That's the washer!" He trotted over to the warp pad and disappeared in a beam of light. He was gone for about ten minutes. Once back in the house, he wandered back up to his loft and pulled out his ukulele, a guitar, and a stack of papers.
"Gonna have to pitch all of these down now, huh." He muttered to himself, scowling down at what was likely sheet music. "Unless…"
He sang through the scales a few times, then a few snippets of songs, ultimately deciding he would indeed need to transpose whatever he'd been working on up there.
Greg shifted his weight, unsure what to do with himself. His guitars were back in the van, which was currently back at the car wash, unless it had gotten tossed somewhere. He knew Steven would let him play his guitar if he asked, but he wasn't in a particularly musical mood at the moment. He was in more of a Stranger In His Own Sons House and Maybe Even Life mood. To be honest, he always did feel out of place in the house – even though he'd built the place for Steven. It was just… not a place for humans. It was a strange liminal space half way between human and gem. Just like its intended occupant.
So Greg puttered around awkwardly, finally deciding to gather up all of the stuff that wouldn't fit Steven and put them in boxes for Amethyst to take back to her room later. That ultimately didn't take long. Stevens phone buzzed again after a while, sending him back out to the washer and dryer to collect the laundry.
He was fully clothed when he returned, wearing a larger version of his usual red shirt, with a pair of ripped black jeans.
"I'll fold the rest later. Or Pearl will. Probably Pearl will. Anyway, lets go find the van!"
"Okie dokie." Greg closed the magazine he'd been flipping through and hauled himself off the sofa.
Thankfully Steven didn't use his powers to get down to the beach, nor during the pleasant walk back to town. He had his ukulele strung across his back, and a spring in his step, even though he was likely still exhausted. This side of the beach was almost entirely untouched, and if Greg hadn't been in town yesterday, he wouldn't have known anything was amiss, going by how pleasant the day was.
Beach City was in rough shape. Chunks of what he assumed were space ship were strewn everywhere, buildings were burnt out, or collapsed entirely, sidewalks were cracked and buckled. Amethysts were wandering around picking up chunks of debris, while National Guard helicopters wheeled overhead, and human soldiers hesitantly watched as Beach City Utility workers seemed largely unfazed by all of the large purple women wandering around. The aforementioned amethysts waved when they spotted them.
"Yo! Steven!" One of them shouted as they were coming up on what was left of the The Big Donut. "Sleep good?"
"Yeah, you remember my Dad, right?"
"Yeah! Ga-reg!" The amethyst bounded over and scooped Greg up into a hearty bear-hug. "How's it going?"
"Uh… alright, all things considered." She had his arms braced firmly against his sides so he couldn't escape, nor hug back. Or breathe particularly easy.
She set him down, then ruffled Stevens hair. "Your little weirdo here did awesome yesterday! He was a big help! Who knew there were half-gem hybrids, and that they were so COOL!"
"Awww!" Steven playfully batted her hand away.
"Hey wait, are you taller?"
"Er, yeah. Growth spurt." He shifted a little awkwardly. "It's… sort of a human thing?"
"Sweet!"
They said their goodbyes then continued into town. Greg felt a creeping anxiety crawling up his spine the more they picked their way through the wrack and ruin. The amethysts were friendly, but it was strange to see so many of the same gem wandering around Beach City. Really, their Amethyst was more than enough. And it was always a little weird to watch Steven interact with adults who, by all rights, had no business listening to a little kid (even if he was right much of the time). The National Guard had taken to him as well as the amethysts had, it seemed.
Finally reaching the car wash, they were dismayed – but not entirely surprised - to find that the van was beyond totaled. The Supremo was okay though, and the car wash itself was mostly intact.
"Aw man, was afraid this would happen." Steven groaned as they inspected the partially crushed vehicle. It was lying on its side, most of its contents spilled out behind it like the guts of some strange mechanical beast. "At least most of your stuff looks okay."
"Yeah. I was thinking about buying one of those little houses below the bluffs. Guess now I've gotta." Greg frowned, nudging his now broken TV with his foot. "Unless I can find another van."
"The house is actually a really good idea. I mean, even before all of this." Steven said, nudging the overturned van to test its weight. At least, it looked like he'd nudged it; the whole van shook as if he'd pushed it much harder.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I mean… I know you don't mind staying in the van, but it's just better to have a house, yanno? Safer, warmer." He shrugged. "Its not like you want to move away or anything."
Greg frowned. "Does it bother you that I live like this?"
"Eeeehhh a little. I mean… you're not getting any younger. And you can afford it now, so it's a good investment." He didn't look up at him. "Help me turn this over, will ya?"
Greg closed his eyes. Steven outgrowing him was not something he was expecting so soon. Or ever. He opened his eyes and scratched the back of his head.
"I know you don't need my help. You threw a car right in front of me yesterday, remember?"
Steven grimaced, then crouched down and slid a hand under the van. He stood carefully, lifting with his legs, tilting the van upwards with one hand, then let it drop onto its wheels once more. It promptly collapsed on its axles.
"It was probably more like three. And some chunks of space ship. And I forget what else. Smokey Quartz threw all kinds of junk. Smart cars are kinda light, actually." He looked down and shuffled his feet a little.
"Smokey Quartz is… you and Amethyst, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry if I scared you." He said softly, hunching his shoulders. "I know you have a hard time with gem stuff but – "
"Don't apologize. Never apologize for that. It's who – and what – you are." Greg said firmly, stepping over to place his hands on his sons shoulders. "It… it does scare me a little. Okay a lot. But I love you, and I trust you to use your powers wisely."
Steven looked up at him briefly, tears in his eyes. Then he leaned forward and threw his arms around him. Greg heaved a sigh of relief and hugged him back, wondering if Steven somehow picked up on his discomfort with all of this. Or maybe he was just really bad at hiding it. He hoped he was hiding it better now, if that was the case.
They set to work clearing out the van. Some of it they moved to the Supremo; most of the musical equipment he shoved in the office of the car wash, the rest was admittedly just junk, so they left it for now. Once the important stuff was stored, and an overnight bag was packed, they headed towards the high school, where the Red Cross had set up their emergency shelter and base camp. Presumably this was where Connies mother could be found, if she was still here.
There were a few guards hanging around the gate, but they let Steven pass with an odd sort of jovial reverence that Greg found a little unsettling. They wandered on campus and amongst the denizens of Beach City, many of whom happily greeted them, and thanked Steven for healing them the day before.
"Steven! There you are!" They paused as Sadie jogged into view, dragging Ronaldo after her.
"Been waiting for you to show up – they wouldn't let us leave to go find you! Hi Mr. Universe."
"Sadie! Yeah, was doing some laundry and stuff. What's up?"
"Whoa, did you grow? Were you this tall yesterday?" Sadie put her free hand up to the top of her own head, then moved it over to compare it to the top of Stevens head, the top of which was a couple of inches above her hand. She narrowed her eyes.
"I don't like you being taller than me."
"Heh heh, sorry. Growth spurt." He shrugged. She punched him playfully in the arm.
"It's about time. You've looked like you were ten for what? Three years now?"
"Something like that." He grinned sheepishly.
"I bet your friend Connie will like it..." Sadie smirked.
He blushed. "That's what Amethyst said!"
"STEVEN QUARTZ UNIVERSE!"
Steven started then turned around to see a very angry Dr. Maheswaran marching over.
"Hi-hi Dr. Maheswaran!" Steven stammered, his voice cracking slightly.
"Whoa, full name." Greg was inclined to edge away from his son a little, but decided to stick it out. He was a little surprised she knew Steven's middle name.
"Did Connie get ahold of you?"
"What? No, we've hardly been able to get any civilian cell service in or out. Wow, you grew fast, last I saw you were much shorter. And your voice hadn't changed." She squinted down at him, then shook her head and gestured to the denizens of Beach City, whom were all unhurt, but understandably annoyed.
"What is the meaning of all this!? "
"Uh... well... um... some bad gems came from space and - "
"No, not THAT! That... Pearl explained what happened. Sort of." She scowled off into the distance, possibly to where Pearl might be at the moment. "No one is hurt, and they all claim you healed them!"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Sadie furrowed her brow.
"Yes! But, HOW!?"
"Uh, I have healing powers." He scratched the back of his head and shuffled his feet a little.
"And how! I was a total goner until you pulled that beam off me!" Sadie patted him on the back. "That's why I came looking for you - Ronaldo just had to collect a sample from the space ship and he tore his hand up pretty bad."
She reached back and grabbed his forearm, jerking him forward.
"I dunno if I like the idea of being healed by the enemies powers." Ronaldo declared, pulling his hand back. It had a heavy bandage wrapped around it, and his fingers were a little pale. His tone was arrogant but he was practically cowering.
"You think I'm your enemy!?" Steven yelped.
"Well, not you. But... well you're a hybrid, right?"
"Yeah, but not all gems are bad! Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl have all been protecting the Earth for thousands of years! And Peridot and Lapis came around – and a bunch of other amethysts just joined on and -"
"Can you fix his hand, Steven?" Sadie cut in.
"Yes, I'd like to see this." Dr. Maheswaran crossed her arms over her chest and scowled down at Steven. Not for the first time, Greg was genuinely surprised Connies parents let her hang out with Steven, much less unsupervised. Connie probably did some heavy editing whenever her folks asked her what she and Steven had been up to.
"Lemme see." Steven sighed.
Ronaldo reluctantly held his bandaged hand out. Steven licked his own hand, then placed it on Ronaldo's wrist, just above the bandages. Ronaldo jerked his hand back with a start then lifted it and wiggled his fingers.
"It hurt to move my fingers before... the doctor said I might have damaged some tendons, but they couldn't know for sure until later..." he unwrapped the bandage. The bottom most layers of gauze were bloody, but the palm beneath it was completely pristine. He curled and uncurled his fingers.
"It doesn't even hurt!"
"You're welcome." Steven chirped.
"Thank you Steven! Oh thank you! I don't know why I ever doubted you! I mean, it's you, after all!" Ronaldo gushed.
"Oh man, I need to write this all down for my blog! Peedee! Peedee you've gotta see this!" He scurried off.
"Uh, thanks again, Steven." Sadie glanced up at Dr. Maheswaran then made a prompt exit.
They looked over at Dr. Maheswaran. She had gone pale, and had one hand over her mouth, staring down at Steven with wide eyes.
"Uh... yeah. Healing spit, heh heh."
For a long moment she didn't move, then her face sank into a dark scowl.
"Connie said her eyes just got better all of the sudden one day."
Greg was mildly surprised when Steven suddenly started sweating profusely.
"JUICE BOX! IT WAS A JUICE BOX!" He yelped.
"Excuse me?" She fixed him with such a stern stare Greg was pretty sure a cold chill that crept inexplicably down his spine when he was fourteen was Dr. Maheswaran staring back down all the generations.
"ONE TIME I ASKED HER IF I COULD WEAR HER GLASSES, AND SHE SAID ONLY IF SHE COULD HAVE THE LAST OF MY JUICE BOX, AND I SAID FINE BUT IT'S MOSTLY BACKWASH AND SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T CARE AND THEN HER EYES GOT BETTER AND THAT'S HOW WE FOUND OUT I HAVE HEALING POWERS! AH HA HA HA HA HA! OH BY THE WAY SHE MANAGED TO GET THROUGH TO MY PHONE EARLIER AND SHE SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND WANTED ME TO COME CHECK ON YOU, ALSO HER DAD IS STILL SICK AND THEY'RE STUCK IN DUBLIN RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO GET HOME. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"
Greg fought back a laugh. Maybe Steven wasn't completely clueless after all.
Dr. Maheswaran leaned in close, glaring so hard Steven scrunched down almost to his old height, then she sighed and straightened up. "I believe you. That seems like a... you sort of situation, from what I've seen."
Steven fell back on his rear and heaved a sigh of relief.
"And thank you for the message. I was worried I'd have to head home to call them on a land line." She rubbed her temple with one hand, then scowled. "You're a hybrid?"
"Uh, yeah." Steven shrugged as he stood up, then lifted his shirt to reveal the rose quartz gem in his waved his free hand vaguely. "Technically that's my mom, and these are all her powers. Except for a few that might be unique 'cause I'm also human."
"I... see." She scowled then lifted her gaze to Greg. "I have questions."
"Join the club." Greg snorted, then grimaced. "And uh, well I can tell you what Rose told me, but beyond that..." he shrugged.
"Later, then." She nodded once.
A crackle of electricity caused the hair on his arms to stand on end. They looked out towards the football field to see a glowing white disk appear.
"Lion?" Steven asked, moving towards the disk. "I was wondering where he got off to."
Lion leapt out of the glowing disk, Connie, a good amount of luggage, and a very queasy looking Doug Maheswaran on his back.
"Connie!" Steven bolted over to them as Connie leapt lightly off Lions back. They met each other half way. Steven scooped Connie up and spun her around as if she didn't weight a thing. To him, she probably didn't.
Greg glanced over just in time to see a little muscle around Dr. Maheswarans eye twitch.
"He's very affectionate." Greg offered lamely.
"I noticed."
"I thought you were waiting for the next flight!" Steven said as he set Connie down and they hugged again.
"We were, but then Lion showed up, and I figured we may as well! Are you stretching yourself out again!?"
"No no, this um... happened on its own. Woke up this way." Steven ducked his head sheepishly.
"It must have been pretty bad yesterday." Connie frowned. Greg marveled at her ability to say what everyone had been thinking. And to Steven, no less.
"Yeah." Steven nodded grimly. Greg felt a sharp pain twist in his gut as he realized Steven knew full well what had happened to him. Steven glanced over at Lions other passenger.
"Oh, hi Mr. Maheswaran... are you okay?"
"Not... really." He slid off of Lion and immediately darted towards the first aid tent, looking very green around the gills. Greg hoped he made it.
"That thing can - " Dr. Maheswaran pointed a shaking finger at Lion.
"Warp. He can warp. Its really cool!" Connie beamed at her then ducked her head. "Uh..."
"Explain later." Dr. Maheswaran sighed, waving a hand. "It's been a very strange day."
"I'll say! And, er, hi Mom!" Connie grinned, and waved sheepishly.
"Lion, why'd you go get Connie?" Steven asked the big pink cat. Lion blinked placidly at him then yawned before sitting down to scratch behind an ear with his foot.
"You didn't send him?"
"No! He wandered off last night, I think."
"All the way to Ireland?"
"Apparently! Guess he figured you needed to be here!"
"I'm glad he came." Connie reached over and scratched behind Lions other ear. He leaned in to her touch and rumbled a low purr. "Even if I missed everything."
"Trust me, missing everything was way better." Steven shook his head.
"Yeah, but I've got your moms sword! And – uh..." She hesitated, glancing over at her mother.
"It's okay, I could hold my own by myself, and me 'n Amethyst were Smokey Quartz for a lot of it."
"Oh. Oh good." Connie nodded.
"Oh! Ooooooh! You need to meet the Famethysts!" He threw his hands in the air and spun around, scanning the general vicinity. "I think they're out cleaning up - come on!"
"Mom, can I?"
"Be extremely careful. And be back in an hour." Dr. Maheswaran scowled sternly at her daughter. "An hour. Not a minute more."
Connie straightened up and saluted. "Yes Ma'am!"
Then they were off, darting across the greensward between buildings, and past the guards, Lion bounding after. The guards at the gate shuffled back as the lion passed, apparently familiar with Stevens bizarre pet, going by their nonchalant reaction.
"I'm going to check on my husband, then it will officially be later." Dr. Maheswaran glared hard at him. "Meet me in the commissary in ten minutes."
"Yes Ma'am!" Greg straightened up out of his usual slouch. He was inclined to salute as well, but managed to refrain from doing so.
"Aaaaand that's about all I know." Greg shrugged.
Dr. Maheswaran stared at him over her cup of coffee. She'd been holding it up for a while but never seemed inclined to take a sip of it. Possibly because he kept saying things that were either very shocking, or simply too bizarre to comprehend. Possibly a mixture of the two. The cafeteria was sparsely populated, Red Cross volunteers made up the bulk of the people present, and there were a few elderly folk sitting by the windows chatting over coffee on the far side of the room. Most of the lights were out, they seemed to be using generators for kitchen equipment and little else.
"I still have questions." She said after a long pause. She finally sipped her coffee. "But I suspect they're the same ones you have."
"That wouldn't surprise me." Greg shuddered slightly and fiddled with his own cup of coffee. It wasn't cold out, but the warmth of the paper cup against his hand was soothing.
"It bothers you." She said with surprising gentleness. "And it bothers you that it bothers you..."
"Because he's my son, and I love him unconditionally, but he makes it so hard even though he's not actually doing anything wrong." Greg finished for her, letting go of the coffee cup to ball his hands into fists on the table.
"It – it would be easier if he was misusing his powers, being a typical bratty kid - but he's so responsible and caring and careful that... that every time he uses them and shatters the illusion, I just... I feel terrible for being afraid." He ran a hand back over his bald spot. "He's never, ever given me any reason to fear him, he would – and has! Gone to the end of the universe for me, and yet... I can't look at him anymore without seeing him do all of this impossible stuff!"
"And... and even worse is that he's being forced into the role for which his... his mothers kind was made! Quartz are soldiers, Dr. Maheswaran!"
"Priyanka."
"SOLDIERS, Priyanka!" He banged his fist on the table. "That's all they are! It's... this must be torture for him! I mean, I know he wants to protect everyone, but this... this is everything Rose fought so long and hard to escape from! "
He sighed and stared down into his cup of coffee. A little had spilled out of it when he'd banged his fist on the table. He wiped it away with the hem of his t-shirt.
"Rose once said that gems are made, not born. They pop out of the ground fully formed and ready to do what they were intended for. They don't get a choice. But humans can choose who, and what they want to be. Steven... despite everything Steven doesn't get to choose. He never really did. It's... it's like it's all been a sick joke."
He closed his eyes. "And it's having an effect. Yesterday he was a little kid. Today he looks his age."
"Yes... Connie said something about him stretching himself out...?"
"Eh... Steven doesn't age like we do. Gems don't age at all, so... well it seems to depend on his emotional state. He stalled out at eight, then this morning, he woke up fourteen."
Dr. Maheswaran gave him a startled look. "Steven is fourteen?"
"Yeah, it's like I said. His physical age seems to depend on how old he feels." Greg shrugged, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms over his chest. He furrowed his brow
"Actually, now that I think about it, he looks a little different than when he tried aging himself on his birthday."
"Wait, he can... make himself age?"
"Yeeeaaaaah, I'm not sure how that works. Some kinda weird shape shifting thing." Greg scrunched his face up, then shrugged again. "But anyway, back at his birthday party Connie was surprised he was fourteen too, since she thought they were the same age, or he was younger. Steven sorta paniced and realized he'd fallen behind and he tried to age himself to be about where he should be, were he fully human."
"It kinda backfired, but it turned out okay in the end."
"Is he doing that now?"
"No. At least, he doesn't think so." Greg frowned.
"You don't think he is either."
He shook his head. "If he was, he would have reverted by now. He can't maintain that kind of change for long without hurting himself. And he knows it. And Connie had the guts to say it, when no one else did – not even me and the gems."
Greg groaned and slouched down in his seat. "Ugh, this kid is going to be the death of me! Or at least the rest of my hair!"
Dr. Maheswaran laughed softly and reached over to pat his hand. "Congratulations, you're the parent of a super-powered teenager."
"Ugggghhhh!" He slouched down even further and covered his eyes with his hands. She was right, of course. He hadn't thought of it in those terms, but that was exactly it. Somehow thinking of it like that made it a little easier to comprehend.
"You know, it wouldn't be so bad if the Homeworld Gems hadn't come poking around. He'd just be some super-powered rock star or something that travels around in his very own van saving people and making music."
"Rock star?"
"Yeah, the kid's a musical prodigy. Hand him an instrument and he'll have it figured out in an hour or two. Come back in a week and he'll have mastered it. And he can sing." Greg let his arms drop and stared sourly at the ceiling. "And write. And compose. He's already miles ahead of where I was when I stopped making music professionally."
Dr. Maheswaran seemed about to say something when her watch let out a triple beep.
"That's an hour." She muttered.
Roughly ten seconds later, the door to the cafeteria squeaked open. Greg tilted his head back to see Steven and Connie poke their heads in.
"There you are!" Connie pushed the door the rest of the way open, then trotted into the room, Steven a couple paces behind.
"Beach City is destroyed, Ma'am." Connie came to attention once they had reached the table. She saluted smartly. "But the Famethysts are indeed awesome!"
Dr. Maheswaran gave her a dry look. "At ease, soldier."
Connie pulled an extra chair over and spun it around to sit on it backwards as Steven circled around to the other side of the table to do the same, although he did not sit backwards. Instead he sat cross-legged, pulled his ukulele off his back and began fiddling with it.
"How is that thing holding up, by the way?" Greg asked, pulling himself reluctantly out of his slouch to rest his elbows on the table.
"Pretty good. It's survived a few missions – what is that?" He half turned to look back towards the kitchen.
"Dishwasher maybe? One of the big commercial ones."
"Oh yeah..." He absently plucked a note on the ukulele that matched the drone of the dishwasher, then went into a little improv around it.
"Hey, how's that song about the gummy bears going?" Connie asked.
Steven paused. "I still can't figure out the chorus, but I think I have most of the composition done. Had to pitch a bunch of stuff down earlier." He stuck his tongue out.
"You know, your voice has been kinda all over the place lately so that isn't completely out of the blue." She rolled her eyes.
"I guess." Steven scowled, then started strumming lazily. "I think I've got that bridge for the Oatmeal Song though."
He played it.
"I like it! Did you finish the violin part?"
"Yup! I'll bring you a copy later."
Dr. Maheswaran looked back and forth between the two, amused.
"Watch this..." Greg grinned. "Steven why don't you play something for Connies mom. Um, what about that Rob Thomas song you were talking about the other day?"
"Oh, Hold on Forever?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay. Connie, wanna provide percussion?"
Connie drummed her hands on the table in a complex rhythm. "Gotcha!"
Steven counted down, then launched in to a little bit of an improvised opening riff. Dr. Maheswaran lifted her cup of coffee to take a sip then promptly set it down once Steven started singing. A few bars into the song the cafeteria door opened again and a few of Beach Cities teenaged residents wandered in. Greg glanced back just in time to watch them all look over, exchange glances, then trot over and pull up seats behind Connie to listen. Dr. Maheswaran jerked her head to the right to look at her daughter when Connie started singing back-up at a few points, apparently uhphased by the arrival of the audience.
By the end of the song there was a small crowd, including the elderly people from the other side of the room, the Crystal Gems and Lapis Lazuli, whom Greg wasn't sure considered herself a Crystal Gem, or just Peridot's roommate.
"Rock star, huh?" Dr. Maheswaran said under the applause, smirking at Greg.
He nodded sagely.
"Thanks Steven. I really needed that right now." Buck Dewy grunted, nodding once as the other kids murmured their agreement. Greg found himself nodding along with the teenagers. Steven the Musician was far preferable to Steven the Warrior.
"You know, I kinda hate that song, but when Steven sings it, it's like... I get it yanno." Jenny mused. A few other kids nodded in agreement.
"Oh hey! We should play a concert!" Steven bounced to his feet. "I have my stuff back at the temple, and Dads stuff is probably okay, Amethyst can play drums, Connie and I can run back to her place to get her violin and she and Pearl can -"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, kiddo, I don't think that's a great idea yet." He stood corrected; Steven the Musician was prefereable except for when he had outlandish ideas, and Greg was tired.
"No, it is! Everyone's so bummed out! It'll cheer everyone up!"
The audience agreed.
"I suppose we could do an acoustic set." Greg winced.
"I'm in!" Amethyst shot her hand up.
"Uhhh... I'm not sure. You and Greg can if you want, but we - " Pearl winced as well.
"I'm in." Garnet grunted.
"Garnet?" Pearl shot her a startled look.
"It'll be a nice change of pace." She shrugged.
"I can help set-up. I don't know if any of my stuff survived." Sour Cream chimed in, frowning deeply.
"It's okay, we have some synths and stuff." Steven grinned.
The teenagers plus Connie (who was almost a teenager, last Greg recalled), Amethyst and Garnet all bolted on the same thought, chattering about set lists and who and what they'd need to round up. Pearl watched them go, heaved a sigh, then reluctantly followed them out. Lapis shrugged and ambled off as well. Greg blinked a few times and shook his head. He looked over at Dr. Maheswaran to see her doing the same.
"I'm surprised you're letting Connie do this."
"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "Connie was so shy before she met Steven. She had a horrible time at her violin recitals. Now she's improvising percussion on a table, and singing back-up and talking about picking up other instruments and making friends at school and - goodness I can't even list what else. She's also more rebellious now, but... well music is an acceptable form of catharsis."
Catharsis. Right. Greg smiled, realizing as he hauled himself to his feet that a heavy weight seemed to have been lifted off his shoulders. Not all of it, he was certain, but enough that he didn't think he'd be crushed anymore. At least until the next crisis.
"Thank you. For talking. I didn't realize how much I needed to confide in another parent."
"You're welcome." She offered her hand. He took it, shook it heartily.
"Now, I suppose I should give Connie the keys so that she can get in the house without breaking a window." She let go and reached back to rifle around in her purse. "Or Steven will lift the house off it's foundations or something."
"Eh heh heh... I heard he was on the news." Greg sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Yes. I had no idea throwing SUV's were in his skillset."
"SUV's? He didn't say anything about cars that big! Though he also said smart cars are kind of light." Greg furrowed his brow. "And he did tilt the van upright with one hand earlier."
"Don't think about it too hard, Greg. More hair will fall out." Dr. Maheswaran patted his shoulder as she walked past.
"Yeah." Greg laughed and let out a long breath. She was right.
A/N: Ah, my first foray into Steven Universe fic. Just something that popped into my head after watching the Out of This World Steven Bomb. I'm a little worried that Greg is OOC, but at the same time he's a worrier, so. Kind of some theories going on in there too.
Edit: Format edited slightly to add those pesky story breaks back in.