A/N: This one's one to celebrate, guys~!

"How'd your session with Ms. Roberts go?"

Steven paused, taking his gaze off the Jenga tower to look over at his father. It was just a routine game, no 'Issues' involved (they tended to keep that for when the visitors were gone), and it was one that, currently, Parker was winning, because Steven was running out of loose blocks to pull and the tower was already becoming dangerously unstable. "Not bad," he admitted after a moment, briefly flicking his gaze over to where Jasper and Will were sitting on the couch, while the latter was flicking through a few books and the gem read over his shoulder. The books looked familiar - ones Steven had read before, about human psychology, he figured - Jasper seemed surprisingly intrigued, despite not having found much use for human things before. He watched them for a moment, thinking, before he turned back to Greg and shrugged. "I decided I was gonna try and stop being an asshole to her, so that happened."

"Guess you can take that out of your middle names, then," Kevin piped up, looking up from his book. Steven returned his glance and managed to crack a grin, despite the faint twisting in his stomach as he focused on the other boy. He was hard to look at now, as much as the hybrid hated to admit it. He still couldn't stifle the guilt he felt, and he didn't really think it was something that was just going to go away on its own. He needed to find a way to talk to him about it, but he wasn't sure how to do that while they were alone, because they could never seem to find a moment alone to talk. The hybrid puffed his cheeks out and leaned forward a little, finally daring to lightly dab at one of the blocks until he managed to knock it halfway loose.

"Guess so," he allowed, wincing as he pulled the block out, fully prepared for the tower to crumble. It didn't much to Parker's dismay, and Steven made sure to shoot the boy a smug smile before he placed the block on top of the tower again, sinking back to let Parker survey it and turning his attention back to his father with a sigh. "Anyway, yeah, it went okay, I guess."

Jasper grunted, pushing herself off of the couch after a moment. Will shut the book, looking up and leaning over against the arm of the couch once Jasper had heaved herself to her feet, and Steven watched the orange gem walk over to them. He was slightly surprised to see her slow down a little once she spotted the Jenga tower - she had learned pretty quickly that she couldn't walk as quickly without the tower falling (and let's face it, nobody wanted to deal with Parker when that happened) - but her focus was more or less fixated on him. "So when are you getting out of this dump?" She demanded, and Steven arched an eyebrow faintly, leaning back slightly.

"I don't know, Jasper." He paused, cracking a half-hearted smile. "What, do you miss me?" At this, Jasper almost looked like she was ready to punch the shit out of him - so Steven changed his tune rather quickly, rapidly readjusting his expression into a more somber one to fit the mood. Honestly, though, he couldn't deny that he was feeling a little better than last night. Sure, his guilt was still bubbling in his gut, ready to drown him at any given second, but his new revelation - while it had left him reeling - had also proven to lift his spirits just a little bit. It wasn't much, and he knew it could change in an instant, but he also knew it was a step in the right direction - in the direction he wanted to go in. "I really don't know, though. I'll have to ask."

"Well, whenever you do get out," Greg began, before Jasper had any more time to complain - which she looked about five seconds away from doing - as he lightly nudged Steven's good foot with his own to turn the hybrid's attention back to him again. "We've got your new room set up for you. We, uh, got you a new bed-" He paused, only for a second, and Steven's shoulders twitched faintly, his mood faltering just a smidge. They had spoken about the bed already, Greg had already seen the bloody mattress before Steven had a chance to warn him - but it still didn't stop his stomach from twisting further when it was mentioned - if only somewhat, at that. "And I tried to decorate the room for the most part, but I figured I'd leave the rest of that up to you for when you're feeling better." Greg offered Steven a smile, and, despite himself, he smiled back.

"Sounds good." He hesitated for a second, flicking his gaze in Kevin's direction again. The man had turned his attention back to his book, calm and silent as ever. Steven knew one thing for certain - he needed to talk to Kevin before he was discharged. And for that matter, he needed to call Connie, too; he was already feeling bad enough about not contacting her as it was. He was sure Priyanka must have told her some things, and she had to have gone to the beach house and spoken to the gems by then - and god knows how much they would have spilled. It just didn't feel right to go this long without talking to her; it had already been an entire week. And Steven knew he needed to suck it up and call her as soon as he could now, if he was ever going to get this over with and be able to face her by the time he got out. So he made a mental note to do both of those things, just as he watched Parker pull another block out of the tower. The session had ended with Maria telling him to make two different lists; the first one was a list of the things that made him happy, and the second was a list of goals he wanted to complete before the week had ended. So, he put talking to Kevin and Connie at the top of the second list.

He might not like her all that much, but he couldn't deny that she was good at what she did. Even if he didn't completely approve with what she did. And maybe there would be a chance to help her later on - maybe complying and doing what she wanted him to do would help that, too. But for now, like Aster had told him before, he needed to focus on himself. And he was going to do what he'd told Maria he would do and try, not for anybody else's sake but his own. It was a weird thought, one he was still coming to terms with, but he was hoping he'd get used to it.

If the past week had taught him anything, it was that he was still capable of feeling… content. Even through the guilt and the pain and the anger, he was learning he could work with it. He was learning more about it, and how to deal with it, and adapt, and… change. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel as stuck as he had before. It was kind of funny, he'd been so worried about coming here, so anxious and so adamant that it was only going to end badly for him. He thought, only something bad could come out of a place like this. But he'd been wrong; he'd been wrong from the very beginning, because now it was looking like, somehow, by some fucking miracle, he might actually come out of here better than when he had come in.

He leaned forward to survey the tower again, breathing in through his teeth and letting it out slowly. Alright, the first one on the list was Kevin - he just needed to wait for the right moment.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long. Visiting hours were over soon; he exchanged hugs with his father and waved goodbye to Jasper, who seemed reluctant to give up the book Will had given to her to read. But once they were gone, the room settled again; Will and Parker set up another game of Jenga, and Steven reluctantly declined an offer to join in, shifting his focus to Kevin instead. The man had retreated back to his usual spot, away from most of the others with his book open in his lap. Aaron sat nearby, but not too close, with Vexy - the two of them were talking and laughing, glancing up from time to time to check on Steven and Kevin but otherwise seeming occupied with whatever conversation they were carrying on. So, after a moment, Steven braved himself enough to roll himself over to where Kevin was sitting.

The man in question didn't look up until he had to turn a page, briefly flicking his gaze up while he flicked to the next one, and pausing when he realized Steven was approaching. He arched an eyebrow, bewildered but not unwelcome, as the hybrid finally pulled the wheelchair to a stop. "Hey," he greeted quietly, and Kevin offered him a faint nod in response. "Can we talk?"

Kevin furrowed his eyebrows - and Steven could have sworn he almost looked concerned - before finally looking down and shutting the book after a moment. Steven caught a glimpse of the cover, but when he failed to recognize it, he simply turned his gaze back to Kevin. "Sure," the man sighed, setting the book aside and crossing his arms over his lap as he leaned forward. Steven breathed out slowly in relief, already wracking his brain to try and figure out what the hell he was going to say, and how he was going to bring up what he wanted to talk about. It wasn't going to be easy for either of them, but not easy for Kevin especially. "What's up?"

Steven hesitated for a second, running his tongue over his lips with a frown. Now that he was there, in front of Kevin, ready to talk, he was more nervous than he'd been in a long time. Wondering what, exactly, he'd been hoping to gain from this conversation; he wanted to help Kevin, for sure, but how was he even supposed to do that? Talking about it wasn't going to help him, he knew that much. His brother was dead. Steven still couldn't fathom the thought. "I…" He trailed off, breathing in through his teeth and furrowing his eyebrows with a frown. He'd already told himself he'd figure out how to talk to Kevin; he was right there, he had the guy's attention. All he needed to do was figure out how to do this without fucking something up for once. "I just-" He paused. "I was just… what you said yesterday-" Another pause, a little longer this time. The hybrid could feel the pain twisting in his chest, the nausea in his gut, ready to unravel him. "About… your…" He faltered, biting the inside of his cheek, and fell silent completely.

Kevin processed what he was trying to say rather quickly; the hybrid watched a myriad of emotions flicker across the man's face, watched his eyes narrow somewhat defensively, watched his mouth twist, watched his lips curl back. But then, just as soon as he seemed about to snap, he froze and leaned back. The expression settled, the anger diminished, and then suddenly Steven genuinely didn't recognize the man in front of him. He'd seen him angry, he'd seen him indifferent - but the vulnerability etched across his face right then was an expression he'd never seen on Kevin before, and he wasn't sure whether he liked seeing it or not.

"My brother." His tone was blank, emotionless, despite the pain flickering through his eyes. Steven couldn't help but tense, startled by the raw emotion in his gaze, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Kevin, however, was more than happy to drop his gaze after a moment, crossing his arms over his chest and running his nails down his arms lightly. Steven glanced down for a second, but that familiar motion was more than enough for him to rip his gaze away, ignoring the tingle that went down his spine and the sharp twisting in his gut that followed.

"I just wanted to say…" Steven paused, breathing in sharply, and swallowed past the lump that had risen in his throat, silently berating himself. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"I know, but-" Steven flicked his gaze up after a second, frustration replacing the anxiety that had flushed through him. "Back then- during the race and everything- you brought it up and…" He trailed off, shaking his head a little. "I was still angry- we were still angry. Stevonnie was. And I didn't listen, and I should have listened, and, I- I don't know, maybe I could have done something. You didn't deserve… and I can't… imagine…" He trailed off, letting his hand trail toward his stomach, and lightly curled his fingers around the gem silently. Kevin stayed silent for a while, not quite looking at him now; Steven could see the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, ready to spill at any second, and he hated it - he hated that he was the reason for it now, that he had been the one to bring it up. He was just trying to help, and, once again, he'd failed.

But when Kevin spoke, despite how his voice wavered, and despite how quiet he was, Steven felt like he might as well have been screaming. "But you were just a kid," the man muttered. "We were both just kids. You were fourteen, and I was a sixteen year old asshole trying to be cool and picking on little kids for fun because I was angry and scared and couldn't talk to people."

"But you were trying to, weren't you?" Steven shook his head a little, faintly surprised to feel the tears welling up in his own eyes. "You were trying to talk about it, and-"

"And then I freaked out and said I was lying," Kevin interrupted, pressing the heel of his hand into one of his eyes. Steven faltered again, falling silent for a few moments at that, and Kevin heaved out a sigh and shook his head. "You don't have anything to apologize for, okay? Just… if anything, I'm the one that should be apologizing to you." The man paused, gesturing faintly toward the hybrid, and Steven opened his mouth slightly to protest - but he ended up thinking better of it after a moment, snapping it shut again and offering nothing more than a shrug. "I was a jerk. I'm still a jerk," he grunted, "but I'm trying not to be. After everything, I'm just… tired."

"I know how that feels," Steven muttered, then clenched his teeth and swallowed. "But I… stars, I still can't ever… even imagine what… what it's like to lose… anyone like that."

"That's a good thing," Kevin mumbled, rubbing his arm across his face. "Trust me."

Steven watched him for a moment, falling silent. This hadn't gone how he thought it would, but while he couldn't shake the lingering feeling of guilt and dismay, he was also somewhat relieved. At the very least, it was going smoothly; Kevin hadn't snapped at him, and Steven, it seemed, was still managing not to fuck up as much as he usually did. Maybe he still had it, just a little bit; maybe, somewhere in there, he was still capable of doing… something. He knew he hadn't quite helped, but that was the thing - this was bringing him to terms with the fact that he wouldn't always be able to help the way he wanted to. And he did want to; that was another thing that, he found, was gnawing at him. He genuinely wanted to do something, anything at all. Not out of any sort of obligation - but because he felt bad, because he sympathized, empathized, with someone he had never even expected to feel anything but irritation towards.

"I'm sorry," he said again after a moment, and Kevin flicked his gaze up silently, furrowing his eyebrows again with a frown. "I wish there was something I could do." The hybrid paused and swallowed again, lifting a hand after a moment to run his fingers through his hair, and he managed to force a shaky smile in Kevin's direction. "But there isn't anything I can do, is there?"

Kevin grunted slightly in response, not responding for a moment. "... you don't have to do anything," he finally replied, finally scrubbing his eyes clear of the tears that had risen. He dropped his hand again and sighed, sinking back slightly and leaning his head back against the back of the couch; Steven mirrored him after a moment, leaning his head against the back of the wheelchair and watching the man with a frown. "I appreciate the offer, though." Kevin fell silent for a moment, settling his hands over his knees. "You're a good person, Steven."

He didn't have it in him to protest, to open up the gate that led to all the self-loathing he still had stacked up. He'd deal with all of that in his own time, he'd learn to live with it somehow. For once, he didn't want to argue with Kevin, he didn't want to object or tell him he was wrong. He didn't want to turn the conversation around - this wasn't about whether or not Steven was a good person, and they could talk about that all they wanted another time. All the reassurance in the world wasn't going to change Steven's mind, and he was sure Kevin already knew that. An argument wasn't going to do anything for either of them - so there was no point in starting one.

"Hey, if you ever want to talk…" Steven paused, watching Kevin for a moment. "... I'm here."

Kevin gazed at him for a moment, looking more contemplative than anything. After a moment, though, he cracked a smile - and Steven couldn't help but return it. "That goes both ways."

Steven huffed out a laugh, despite the pain in his chest. "Noted."

Kevin's lips twitched, but he fell silent then, reaching over to pick his book back up. Steven took a deep breath and looked down, rolling himself back a little and glancing around the room. It was almost dinner time, and then bedtime - which meant he'd be able to talk to Aster, too. Which was good; he definitely needed to talk with his brother after this.

But even he couldn't deny that it had gone much better than he had expected it to, and he didn't really have too many complaints. He was just happy that they had ended the conversation on a civil note - hell, more than that, Steven was actually somewhat certain that they might have broken the ice between them. Whatever wall had been there was gone; they had agreed to talk to each other if they needed to, they had apologized, they had mended everything that had happened between them in the past. And, personally, for Steven, that felt pretty damn good. And judging by the smile Kevin had on his face, reading peacefully now, relaxed and calm, when the hybrid glanced back at him again, the man must not be feeling too shabby anymore himself. Maybe he couldn't fix Kevin's pain over losing his brother, but as he rejoined Will and Parker for another round of the Issues Game, he realized he had definitely fixed something.

Bedtime was welcome when it came, as it so often was. Steven was happy to see more flowers had bloomed between the cracks in the tiles; not just asters now, but other kinds. Cosmos, azaleas, petunias and tulips. It was practically a garden in their headspace, and he knew the only one who could possibly enjoy it more than he did was his brother. Aster looked more content than he ever had, tugging at the chain when Steven appeared, and lightly turning a flower over in his free hand as he did so. He paused to look over at the hybrid, a bright smile lighting his face the second their eyes met, and Steven found himself grinning back slightly as he summoned his shield underneath him to lift himself up to his twin's height. It was a trick he had learned early on, easier than trying to stand up with a broken leg, and better to be able to sit with him without Aster having to stop whatever he was doing and get down to his level.

Aster didn't even wait for him to say anything, to announce his new plans and tell him all about the new resolve he had building up. He just grinned, teeth and all, as he offered the flower to the hybrid - and Steven accepted it with a smile, lightly running his thumb over the petals. "I'm very proud of you already, brother." Aster tilted his head and grinned, pupils once again shifting into diamonds, and Steven's lips twitched slightly as he lifted his gaze back to his brother's.

"Thanks, Aster." He fell silent, watching as his twin turned back to continue tugging at the chain, eventually using his free hand to wrap around it loosely and start tugging. Steven just stared for a moment, tilting himself forward a little on the shield to hover a little closer. The cracks seemed to be growing, which, Steven had learned, was a pretty good sign - it meant Aster was getting closer and closer to freeing himself, and Steven couldn't be more excited. He was still refusing his help, but that was okay; as stubborn as his brother was, Steven knew where he got it from. After all, the hybrid still wasn't even entertaining the idea of Aster trying to heal him - he didn't need that, for one, and he was sure that Aster didn't really need his help with this, either.

So he watched for a while, stared at the tiles until the cracks grew a little bigger. He wondered what it would be like, Aster meeting Greg, and Jasper, and Connie, Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth. Hell, he wondered if he could get by with, somehow, Aster meeting Parker, Will and Kevin…

He wasn't sure. But he did know that he couldn't wait for his twin to really become a part of his life - now that he knew he existed, he wasn't sure he could let it go. Once again, he was hit with the thought of what he would do if he lost his brother now; and once again, he didn't have a direct answer, just the twisting in his gut and the pain in his chest. He brought his gaze back to Aster, watching his twin for a moment, and leaned himself back on the shield with a frown. "Hey," he began, albeit quietly; Aster, of course, heard anyway, pausing and turning his head slightly to look toward the hybrid. Steven met his gaze. "You know I care about you, right?"

Aster blinked at him, eyes widening briefly for only a second before the expression smoothed over. The smile that lit his face was small, but it was the brightest one he'd given so far. "Well, I always suspected," he replied lightly - Steven snorted, only half-amused - before turning serious again, furrowing his eyebrows faintly toward the hybrid and turning completely to face him once again, briefly abandoning his work on the chain. "Of course I know, Steven," Aster told him gently, and the hybrid allowed the corners of his lips to tug upwards, if only for a second. "Just as you understand that I care for you, I should hope. I know," he murmured, smiling slightly again. "And I hope that, one day, you'll know the same - I know you understand, Steven, to an extent, but…" He trailed off. "I know you don't know. Not yet. But that's okay- I know you will."

"I know you care about me." Steven's lips twitched slightly, cracking a grin. "I don't know why- I can't fathom why, actually, but… I do know."

"And one day, you'll know why, too."

"Eh, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Steven chuckled, leaning his head back slightly. Aster huffed out a quiet laugh, and Steven heard the chains rattle as his pink twin went back to work, eventually tilting his head to the side and cracking an eye open to watch him once again. "I don't know. Maybe I'll make that a goal eventually, too - try and understand why the hell you actually kinda like me after all of this." The look Aster offered him at that was almost cold; Steven managed to crack a grin, though, albeit a somewhat sheepish one. "Hey, I mean, it's true. I don't care what you say, I'm the reason you're like this-" He jerked his chin toward the chain, and Aster rolled his eyes. "-but it's fine, you know why? Because the second you get outta here, you're free. Now, I'm not exactly sure how, but you'll be free, and that's what matters."

"The facility has been good for you," Aster noted, his glare melting into an amused expression after a moment, and Steven stuck his tongue out slightly with a small smile. "You're in a much better mood. It's nice to see, I have to admit." He paused, studying Steven for a moment, then cracked a grin and turned away to continue tugging at the chain. "You're right about one thing."

"Oh, of course I'm right," Steven retorted, propping himself up on his hands and summoning another shield in front of him to prop his legs up with. "You have to be more specific."

Aster glanced at him, still grinning. "The second I get out of here, I'm free." Steven arched an eyebrow at him at that, tilting his head faintly, while Aster pulled his arm up over his head, straining at the chain. "Which means you won't have to fall asleep to talk to me anymore."

"And thank the stars for that." Steven flicked his gaze down to the tiles, furrowing his eyebrows faintly as he watched the cracks grow a little more. "Sleeping was starting to get exhausting…" He trailed off, completely focused on the tiles now; the cracks were growing, getting longer and longer, spreading out beneath Aster's feet. His twin didn't really seem to notice, pulling the chain taut and stepping back slightly, as far as it would allow, to pull at it a little harder. But Steven found it impossible to ignore the way the cracks were spreading now, leaning forward a little to get a closer look. He didn't say anything, though, knowing his brother would pause to take a look, himself - so he just watched, furrowing his eyebrows further and narrowing his eyes. "Anyway… I'm gonna try and call Connie tomorrow," he added faintly after a moment.

"That's good." Aster hummed, crossing his arms behind his head now. "She must be worried."

Steven twisted his mouth and glanced up, momentarily distracted. "Yeah, I know. I know." He grimaced, lifting his hand slightly to run his fingers through his hair, but he dropped it again after a moment and leaned back with a sigh. "I really didn't mean to wait this long, I just… I didn't…" He shook his head slightly, flicking his gaze back down to the tiles and twisting his mouth again. He let it settle into a scowl this time, if only briefly, before the expression smoothed out.

"You don't have to explain, Steven," Aster assured, pausing for a second. He turned, still holding the chain taut, and continued to tug even as he turned to face Steven; the hybrid kept his gaze where it was for a while before he finally looked up to meet his brother's gaze, offering a shrug. "Believe me, I understand. I'm sure she'll understand, too."

Steven fell silent for a moment at that, biting the inside of his cheek as he stared at his brother. Well, he knew that; he knew Connie would understand, she always did. He just wasn't sure he was worthy of that understanding this time - or if he ever had been, for that matter. But he knew there wasn't any sense in saying that; not to Aster, and not to Connie. He knew exactly what kind of answer he would receive from both of them - and just because he couldn't comprehend it, that didn't mean it was going to change their minds. He just had to deal with that himself; learn to live with the fact that Connie was a much better friend than he deserved, and he didn't even come close to deserving a brother like Aster, for that matter. It was just how it was. And as much as he cared about both of them, too, he wasn't in any position to complain.

"Oh, you'll get used to it," Aster commented, grinning as he pulled his arm back over his head. "I'll make sure of-" He stopped, abruptly; at first, Steven didn't quite understand why. It took him a few seconds to completely focus again, blinking rapidly as he looked up at his brother. But he realized it soon enough, as he heard something creak, and then snap, and then Aster was stumbling sideways, looking more startled than Steven had seen him since they'd met. His pupils had shifted into exclamation points, and these ones weren't going away as quickly.

Aster caught himself, just as the chain dissolved and the bubble on his hand popped, causing both of them to flinch; Steven, mostly, only flinched because Aster had, more out of surprise than anything. But his brother, for just a second, looked downright terrified - and if Steven could have, he'd have jumped off of the shield and pulled him into a hug the second he landed. But the only thing he could do was lower himself down and hover a little closer to his brother, watching his twin turn his hand over and stare at it like he'd never seen it before in his life. His pupils were still exclamation points, but they had shrunk considerably now, barely visible. Steven couldn't bring himself to feel any excitement, any joy; his initial reaction was concern. "You okay…?" He leaned forward a little, as much as he could, and lifted one arm toward his brother, reaching out slightly and floating forward a little more on the shield. "Aster?"

Aster looked up at him, wide-eyed and more childish-looking than Steven had ever expected. Hell, at the moment, he looked more like a kid than ever - a kid that was terrified they had done something wrong, uncertain and confused and almost sheepish. And that alone was enough to make Steven push himself forward, dropping the shield that was holding his legs up and letting them swing down over the side of the one he was sitting on instead, stretching down until his good foot hit the ground and reaching forward to grab onto Aster's shoulders, heaving himself to his feet. His brother reacted quickly, still looking stunned, grabbing his arms to keep him up while Steven pushed himself off of the shield completely, letting it diminish after a moment.

"Steven-" His brother began, voice breathless and shaky, and Steven pulled him into a hug before he could properly begin to scold him; Aster startled again, if only for a moment, tensing up in the embrace briefly. But then, slowly, he brought his arms up to wrap them around Steven instead, digging his fingers loosely into the back of his shirt and shifting a little so that the hybrid was leaning on him a little more, supporting his weight somewhat effortlessly. "... Steven…"

"You did it," Steven murmured, pressing his mouth against Aster's shoulder. His brother's grip tightened slightly, but he fell silent at that, seemingly still in shock. "I knew you could do it."

Aster shook his head slightly, and Steven managed to pull him a little closer when he felt his brother bury his face into his shoulder. One of them was shaking, Steven could feel it - but he wasn't sure whether it was himself or his twin. He knew his leg was hurting like a motherfucker, pressed down against the floor - well, more or less against the cast, but it still hurt regardless. But that didn't matter; the pain was tolerable at best, he just needed to make sure Aster was alright- and, at that thought, his brother immediately began pushing away from him without quite letting him go, and Steven was somewhat relieved to see that the exclamation points had shifted back into the regular, pin-prick pupils. "You're standing- Steven, what the- you can't-"

Steven shook his head, clasping his hands over Aster's shoulders again and offering him a grin. "Aster, you're free."

"You're hurt," Aster retorted, pupils shrinking a little more.

Steven huffed out a laugh at that, shaking his head again. "God, who cares-?"

"I do!" Aster's fingers curled into his shirt again, a little tighter now, still holding him up. Steven laughed again, finally feeling a rush of joy, and relief, and excitement - and that was enough to give Aster pause, the worried expression immediately fizzling out again. The surprised returned, pupils widening - but not shifting - as he flicked his gaze over the hybrid's face. And Steven just grinned, silently encouraging his brother to do the same, to understand how big of a deal this was, to stop worrying about him for five seconds, just long enough to realize that he was free. And, while it took more than five seconds - about thirty seconds, Steven had to say - it did happen. Eventually, the startled expression shifted again, and the corners of his brother's mouth tugged upwards, pupils widening to a somewhat normal size. When he started laughing, warm and surprised and genuinely happy, Steven couldn't stop himself from joining in.

He remembered being like this… kind of like this, a long time ago. He remembered throwing his arms around his pink twin, feeling more safe and secure and happy than he ever had. And he remembered wondering if he'd ever feel that way again, if it was possible - and now, just when he had reached the point where he'd been absolutely, positively sure that it wasn't, those feelings came flooding back. But this time, knowing exactly who Aster really was, it was just a little bit sweeter - and it made him laugh a little harder, burying his face into his shoulder again.

"Hey, you…" The hybrid chuckled, wrapping his arms around Aster again. His brother huffed out a laugh, shifting closer and leaning his head against Steven's. "Show me a solvable problem…"

"We can through this," Aster joined in quietly after a moment, and Steven shut his eyes, grinning. "I'll do… the… hardest… part…"

"With…"
"You…"