Needless to say, Steven ended up standing for the rest of the day. Despite Aster eventually trying to coax him to sit down on the stool every once in awhile, and even Kevin joining in to insist that he shouldn't push his leg too hard, Steven was enjoying being able to stand at all; it was a feeling he was still getting used to, actually being able to feel his leg underneath him now, compared to how numb it had been before. Admittedly, he had been a little worried, at first, about whether or not he'd ever be able to walk again. So being able to stand up now, even propped up against something, was a blessing to him. He wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. Parker seemed to agree with this sentiment, being the only one who wasn't trying to get him to rest - well, Will hadn't said anything either, but Steven could still see the worry flickering in his eyes. But it was in vain, anyway; the pain was practically nonexistent. Physically, at that moment, Steven Universe felt absolutely fine. He wasn't about to make that short-lived.

Aster continued to stay close to him for the most part, during art therapy. He seated himself on the stool to watch Steven paint, since the hybrid clearly wasn't about to sit down anytime soon. Unfortunately, he didn't get to finish the painting he started - about halfway through art therapy, Greg ducked into the room with Jasper at his side, but both of them stopped short when they saw him. Jasper blinked, mild surprise crossing her face, and Greg's eyes widened in shock. "Steven-" He sounded almost worried, making his way over to the boy, but Steven still caught the slight excitement that flickered through his eyes as he reached him and Aster. "Your leg-"

"It's fine," Steven told him, unable to keep himself from grinning. "All healed." He put the paintbrush down, somewhat reluctantly, and turned to hug his father after a moment. Greg wrapped his arms around him, still cautious, but he did offer a squeeze before pulling away. "Heya, Jasper," he greeted the orange gem, "this is my brother, Aster."

Jasper was already staring at Aster, looking surprisingly unnerved, and her eyes narrowed faintly when the pink gem raised his hand to wave at her. "Ah, right. The gem inside your gem."

"Technically…" Steven began, fully prepared to explain exactly what Aster was, but Jasper didn't seem too interested in the explanation regardless. She shrugged, and Steven, who was, again, very fluent in 'Jasper', took that to mean that she didn't really care what Aster was regardless, so Steven decided to just let the subject drop for now. Aster was better at explaining it than he was anyway. "Whatever," he sighed, lips twitching slightly as he turned away from his painting completely, while Aster slid carefully off of the stool to stand beside him again. "Anyway…"

"You ready to go, kiddos?" Greg reached out, and Steven jerked back before his father had the chance to ruffle his hair. The man wrinkled his nose at him, albeit playfully, but he dropped his hand after a moment and leaned back with a sigh. "I've got some forms to fill out before we leave, so if you wanna say goodbye to your friends, now's the time to do it," he added, and Steven silently bit the inside of his cheek, glancing toward Kevin, and then Parker and Will. "And… uh…" Greg's gaze flicked toward Aster, just for a second. Steven turned back just in time to see his brother's shoulders twitch, tensing slightly, and Greg's mouth twisted sharply into a grimace as he stared down at his other son, looking somewhat uneasy. "... can I talk to you?"

Aster seemed to hesitate, glancing at Steven; the hybrid just gazed back at him, eyebrows furrowing silently. He didn't know what the hell Greg wanted to talk to Aster about, but he also had a feeling that whatever it was, he probably wouldn't be told about. His brother was still kind of touchy on the subject of their father, and as for Greg… well, if it wasn't something he could talk to Aster about in front of Steven, then he wasn't going to get any details from him, either.

He watched his pink twin suppress a sigh, and the glance he shot at Greg was almost hostile. "Fine," he finally murmured.

Steven offered his brother a hesitant smile, somewhat bemused by the tension between them. But he didn't say anything yet, brushing past Aster and heading over to Kevin, instead, while his brother and father headed toward the doors. The former seemed hesitant, walking carefully and glancing back at Steven every so often, but he turned back to Greg when he started speaking; Steven only watched for a few moments before he turned his attention back to Kevin, peering at his canvas - a beautiful array of little colorful dots - and throwing the man a curious glance, arching an eyebrow. "Nice painting," he commented, sighing as he turned back to his friend. "Guess I'm about to leave. So you get the room all to yourself again." He cracked a grin.

"Oh, I'm jumping with joy," Kevin replied dryly, twirling the paintbrush and pointing it toward the hybrid lightly. He was frowning when he finally turned to face Steven, looking a little more upset than Steven had expected. "I guess I'll see you later, then. You gonna be okay?" The question was a little quieter, spoken lowly as if he didn't really even want Steven to hear it. But the teenager caught it anyway, and, admittedly, it brought a small smile to his face despite himself. Kevin had definitely come a long way - they had both come a long way, from enemies to… whatever the hell they were. Steven liked to think that they were friends, though.

"Maybe," he murmured honestly, eyebrows pinching together. "... are you?"

"Maybe," Kevin echoed. He put the paintbrush down after a moment and turned completely to face him, and Steven had already opened his arms up for a hug before the man stepped forward, accepting the embrace he was pulled into without even a split second of hesitation. Hugging Kevin, of all people, should have felt weird - but to his surprise, it felt almost natural. "You be careful out there," Kevin mumbled against his shoulder. "Tell your girlfriend I said hi."

Steven punched him in the stomach as he pulled back, not hard enough to elicit an audible sound of pain, but hard enough to let his friend know that if he called Connie his girlfriend again, he was gonna be the next one in a wheelchair. His message got across; Kevin winced, throwing an apologetic glance in his direction, and Steven smirked. "I'll see you around, Moreno. Try not to get into any trouble," he added, prompting Kevin to roll his eyes as he turned away to continue painting. Steven watched, eyebrows furrowing faintly, for a moment, before he turned away again to head over to where Parker and Will were standing. Parker was just watching, still refusing to paint, and Will had busied himself with playing with his paintbrush instead.

"You're not gonna punch me, too, are you?" Parker asked, feigning a wary expression as Steven approached, and the hybrid mockingly held up his fist. Briefly, he let himself sink against the wall, just for a few seconds, to somewhat regain his balance. His leg might not be sore, but he could feel it growing a little weaker the more he walked. But he was about to be crammed into a car for about an hour or so, so he figured he might as well get most of his energy out anyway. Parker turned to face him, clearly glad to have an excuse not to stare at a canvas for an hour, and cracked a grin at the boy. "Wow, you wore yourself out from thirty minutes of standing."

"Watch it," Steven warned, pushing himself away from the wall after a moment. "Or I will punch you." The threat was half-hearted, and Parker knew it - but he did fall silent, if only for a few seconds. The grin on his face wavered, eventually, shifting into a more solemn expression.

"You're really gonna come back to visit?" His voice was quieter, warier. Steven paused, fixing his gaze on the other boy for a moment, and furrowed his eyebrows. Seeing Parker… vulnerable was pretty rare - even during the Issues Game, when he was laying out his problems and his insecurities for everyone else to see, he was somehow so calm about it, so easy-going, relaxed, careless. To see him express even a flicker of anxiety, a hint of desperation, it just felt wrong.

"'Course," the teenager replied after a moment, meeting Parker's gaze. "I promise."

Parker studied him for a moment, searching for something in his gaze - and he seemed to have found it, because after a moment, he relaxed again. He turned, offering his fist to Steven- and, ignoring the way the nurses shuffled forward anxiously as if to restrain the boy, Steven accepted it with a grin. "Wonderland's gonna miss you," he commented, lips tugging upwards.

"And I'm gonna miss Wonderland, White Rabbit," Steven heaved out a dramatic sigh, and Parker huffed out a laugh. He turned toward Will after a second, offering the man a small smile. Like Kevin, he turned to pull Steven into a hug, and he accepted it without hesitation. "I'll be back, though. Maybe it's not the same as staying here, but visiting's the next best thing, right?" He offered Will a light squeeze and pulled away, sticking his tongue out with a smile. That sorrow was back, the disappointment that came with leaving. But that feeling was inevitable - as was the fact that he had to leave, at all. There wasn't anything he could do about that, specifically. But he'd meant what he said. He was going to come visit, regardless.

"Take it easy, okay?" Will glanced at the hybrid's leg, and Steven looked down, arching an eyebrow. Well, he wished he could say he hadn't been expecting the warning - he knew it came from a place of caring, but he hoped everyone wasn't going to make a habit out of worrying about his leg. His leg was fine. Still a little weak and maybe getting kinda sore, but still fine. At least he could walk again. "And, hey, try and call, too," Will added. "During free time."

"And risk interrupting the Jenga World Tournament?" Steven teased, prompting Parker and Will to exchange a glance, grinning. "Hey, actually, I will. Spice up the action a little. You need that."

"Fuck you," Parker told him with a smirk.

Steven arched an eyebrow at him, smirking back. "Bite me."

"Kinky-!"

"Ooo-kay," Will interrupted, laughing as the teenagers settled again, the smirks on their faces widening even further. Yeah, Steven was definitely going to miss this. Parker's playful teasing, Will breaking up the 'fight', Kevin cheering him on- it would be hard not to miss it. This place… had started to feel like a home to him, oddly enough. One he hated to leave, but one that he knew he'd be returning to time and time again. "You two better chill it out. Parker, your nurses are about to jump you," Will warned, turning toward Steven with a grin. "And you'd better go say bye to Vexy and Peedee, you know. Vexy's gonna cry if you don't, and nobody wants that."

"Definitely," Steven agreed, stepping back and turning his head to look around the room. "I'll talk to you guys later. You…" He paused, hesitating for a moment, but eventually spared a glance back toward his friends, offering a small smile. "Take care of yourselves, okay?" They mumbled a synchronized agreement, offering 'you too''s in response as the hybrid turned to head over to where Peedee was sitting. Vexy was talking to Greg and Aster now, so Steven figured he'd be able to say bye to her before he left with them. "Hey, Fryman," he called. "I'm 'bout to leave."

Peedee paused and turned to face him, offering him a bright smile. "So soon?" He pushed himself up, offering his hand to Steven as the hybrid approached, going a little slower and trying to make his limp a little bit less noticeable. "I let Connie know what was going on, by the way."

"Good." Steven clasped his hand with Peedee's and tugged his old friend forward in the same instant, into a hug that Peedee immediately returned without even a split second pause.

"So just remember," Peedee began, pulling away. "I have your new address and I do plan on coming to see you." At this, Steven couldn't help but grin. He knew his friend was busy with the mental hospital, of course, but he'd missed him nonetheless. Again, he realized how little time he had made for his human friends, how easy it was to somewhat forget the rest of the town during all of his gem escapades. But, not anymore - no, if anything, now Steven wanted nothing more than to get back into the human side of things again. Even after the dangerous missions and dismantling the gem colonies had ended, Steven had still completely forgotten about everything else human-wise. He spent his time at a gem school, he lived with gems - and it was so easy to get so lost in all of that. He wanted to make it right. He wanted to feel human again.

"And I plan on coming back here. Hopefully I'll catch you while you're working," Steven added with a grin, and Peedee huffed out a laugh, nodding. "It was nice, you know. Seeing you again." The hybrid ran his tongue over his lips, his grin fading into a small, guilty frown. "I'm, uh… I'm sorry, Peedee. After everything that happened with the gems, I know we didn't get a lot of time-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Peedee interrupted, his excited tone softening at once. Steven grimaced, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from insisting that he was worried about it, and he was probably going to stay worried about it regardless. "Seriously, man. We were both pretty busy. But now that things are a little calmer, we can make more time for each other, huh?" He flashed a grin, and Steven managed a hesitant smile in response as his friend reached out to clasp his hand over the hybrid's shoulder, offering a firm but gentle squeeze. "Besides, we'll be in touch now, for sure. Just- remember you're not alone, alright? And if you need anything…"

"I know," Steven murmured. "I know."

"You come to me," Peedee finished anyway, the smile on his face fading into a serious expression; Steven lowered his chin slightly, meeting his old friend's gaze silently. "Or you call. I'm right here, buddy." The hybrid only nodded, throat restricting before he could say anything. Peedee pulled him back into the hug after a moment, and Steven wrapped his arms around his old friend tightly, holding on for a few seconds. Unlike how he would usually brush the offer off, he took it to heart this time; learning how to accept help also meant recognizing that he might need more than what he was getting now later on, right? So if he did need anything, anything his father and Aster couldn't help him with… then, yeah, he'd be sure to talk to Peedee about it. His friend had helped him a lot during his time here, too. Steven owed him that.

"Thank you," he breathed as he pulled back, rubbing his arm over his face. He felt about ready to cry, eyes stinging and throat closing up every time he tried to swallow. His chest ached, a familiar, gentle, dull kind of ache - but he fought past it for the time being. He still didn't want to cry, not around this many people in the same room, not over this - not right then. So he just smiled at Peedee, forced and yet genuine at the same time. A contradictory, sorrowful kind of happiness that made the action feel strenuous, but nevertheless was still as real as they came. Wistful was the word for it - a beautiful word, he thought, and one that was absolutely perfect when it came to trying to describe the conflicting emotions that were dancing in his chest.

"Always," Peedee murmured in response, and Steven had to turn away before the tears threatening to rise could make an appearance. He blinked furiously against the stinging sensation in his eyes, walking carefully over to where Greg, Jasper, Vexy and Aster were. His brother was the first one to turn, and rather than concern, he was met with understanding.

"Hey," he greeted quietly, stopping beside his pink twin. "I'm ready."

Vexy offered him another hug before they left, holding on a little tighter before she pulled away. Admittedly, the amount of hugging he was doing today left him feeling oddly warm and fuzzy inside - a feeling he wasn't quite used to, but one he relished right then more than ever anyway. "Be good, okay?" She told him, squeezing lightly before pulling back from the embrace. He couldn't help but hold on for a second longer, though, letting the hug linger briefly before finally letting her pull back, and meeting her smile with one of his own. "I'm very proud of you, hon."

So he found himself smiling as they left, leaning into his brother and letting Aster support most of his weight as he hobbled along. It felt weird, stepping outside the facility, exiting the building from the front instead of the enclosed area they allowed the patients to roam around in. He looked up at the sky as he walked, but his gaze didn't linger too long - as beautiful as the sight was, it would seem the universe wasn't quite done throwing hugs at him just yet, and his attention was redirected from the sky rather quickly. He looked down, hearing a familiar voice call out his name, but he didn't have much time to register who it was before Aster was pulling away from him, and he just barely caught a glimpse of a familiar face before another pair of arms were wrapped around him, gentle but firm as he was pulled into yet another tight hug.

Connie's scent hit him before anything else did, the smell of her shampoo slamming into him like a wrecking ball into a brick wall. He wanted to pull back, to get a better look at her - but he ended up pulling her closer instead, curling his fingers into the back of her shirt with a laugh. "Connie-! What are you doing here?" It took him a second to move, to force himself to shift and pull away from her, but she caught his hands as he leaned back, curling her fingers with his.

"They said you were getting discharged today, I wanted to see you!" She paused, and he watched her eyes flick over him abruptly, checking him over. "I thought you were hurt- the ge-"

"I'm fine," Steven assured her before she could finish, before she could mention they-who-shall-not-be-named. The words still hurt, still left him with a feeling of mild disgust. Two simple words, and yet they still managed to make him feel like shit every time he uttered them. But, he reminded himself quickly, they were true. Physically, at least, he was fine. And, emotionally, mentally? Well, he was sure as hell getting there. This was proof of that, right? The hybrid shook his head after a moment, squeezing her hands, and offered a smile. "I'm… I'll be fine. My leg's okay, anyway, my healing powers are working again ever since Aster got-"

He stopped, a little too quickly, the realization hitting him a little too late. He hadn't had the chance to tell Connie about Aster; he hadn't had a chance to explain things, to soften the blow. She had been there, in White Diamond's head, the first time they'd seen him. She would recognize him, he was sure of it. She was the only one besides him who had seen him before.

Connie's eyebrows furrowed, a mixture of confusion and concern flickering across her face. "Aster?" She questioned slowly, and Steven breathed in shakily, flicking his gaze to the side. She still hadn't noticed his brother, who had retreated to stand beside Jasper - but she did follow his gaze, turning her head when he did, and Steven looked back in time to see her pupils shrink. To see her eyes widen, mouth opening slightly - not to form words, though, just falling slack with a mixture of shock and disbelief. He watched the recognition spark up in her gaze, hands loosening around his as if she was getting ready to recoil, but she stayed where she was.

He saw Aster duck his head slightly, eyes rooted to Connie, and his best friend abruptly whirled his head around and looked down, gaze darting toward Steven's stomach in an instant.

"I'm okay," Steven assured, and this time, he didn't care how many times he had to say the words in order to reassure her that his gem was intact and that nothing was wrong with him physically. "I'm fine, I promise. He's here like- kind of a projection thing- like-" He gritted his teeth, swallowing. He didn't want to say it, he didn't even want to think about it, but he knew he'd have to in order to get his point across so that she could understand. "Like Holo-Pearl."

"Oh." Connie's voice was quiet, gaze darting back up toward Aster, and his brother finally rolled his shoulders back and walked forward to stand beside Steven again. He offered a hand to Connie, and Steven watched, tense, as his best friend reluctantly released one of his hands in order to reach out and shake the pink gem's. "Well, uh- it's nice to meet you- aga- uh, again-" She grimaced, noticeably, her voice hitching slightly as she spoke - as if she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it at the last second. As for Aster, he cast a swift glance in Steven's direction, one that the hybrid didn't catch, before he rooted his gaze back to Connie. Steven turned just in time to see his brother nod, as calm as ever, his expression flat.

Steven frowned at his brother as Aster pulled his hand back, still silent. But, after a moment, he shook it off - he could probably tell that Connie was a little on edge, that was all. Sure, it was a little tense, still, but he didn't expect it not to be; the hybrid breathed in and turned back to face Connie, only to stop - and admittedly, jump - when he saw Lion approaching from behind her. His best friend turned when the large pink beast brushed up against her, but Lion didn't stop until he reached Steven and Aster, ducking his head in order to give the hybrid a proper sniff. "Lion," the teenager whispered, and Lion pressed his nose into his hand when Steven raised it to pet him, trailing his fingers up the animal's large muzzle to his forehead. "Hey, buddy. It's nice to see you again, too." He couldn't help but giggle - a sound that, admittedly, he had forgotten he could make - when Lion pressed closer to him, a low purr rumbling in the animal's chest.

"Can we go?" Jasper groaned, but Greg shushed her quickly, leading her over to the car.

Once he was done expressing his admittedly uncharacteristic affection for Steven, though, Lion's attention shifted toward Aster, and the hybrid couldn't help but laugh at the way the animal blinked at his brother, the hilariously startled expression sparking up a flare of amusement in the hybrid's chest as the earlier worry dissolved. "This is my brother, Aster," he introduced, as Aster reached his hand out for the large animal himself, looking oddly excited.

"Hello, Lion," his brother murmured, and Lion leaned forward to nose his hand, letting the pink gem pet him without hesitation. Steven ran his hand across the large beast's check, stroking the fur gently, but he eventually turned his attention back to Connie, letting Aster and Lion interact.

She seemed to have recovered for the most part; she smiled at him as he stepped around Lion to approach her again, flicking his gaze after Jasper and Greg briefly. "Lion missed you, too," Connie told him with a sigh, a concerned expression falling across her face after a moment as he took a careful step forward, still somewhat carrying a limp as he walked. "Are you okay…?"

"I think so." Steven managed to offer her a small smile, glancing after Greg and Jasper again. "We should probably go soon, though. Before Jasper throws a fit," he raised his voice at the last part, and, on cue, Jasper spun around to flip him off; Steven returned the gesture without hesitation, and while Connie did snort out a laugh at the two of them, he didn't miss the slightly startled expression that had crossed her face when he glanced back over at her. "Maybe you and Lion can follow us, though," he suggested after a moment, hesitating. "If you don't have anything else to do, I mean. My dad's taking us to our new house, so…" He trailed off, swallowing hard and trying to ignore the awkward feeling that had flushed through him then.

"I don't have anything else to do," Connie spoke with an odd firmness to her tone, and Steven paused, just for a second, to study his best friend's gaze carefully.

"Then I'll see you there." He paused, turning to hug her again. Connie was a little more careful this time when she wrapped her arms around him, but he offered a small squeeze to reassure her, and she tightened her grip just a little after that. "I missed you," he mumbled, burying his face into her shoulder and breathing in again, trying to hold on to that familiar scent as long as possible. He really did love her - and he hated himself for it. That, among other things…

He pulled back, and Connie smiled at him. "I missed you, too."

She turned away from him to call Lion, who seemed surprisingly reluctant to leave Aster. But he eventually got up to pad over to them, nuzzling against Steven briefly before circling around Connie and crouching down so that she could climb onto his back. Aster eventually moved forward, himself, to reach Steven's side again, and Steven reached out to wrap an arm around him, letting his brother support him again as they turned to head back to the van. "Connie's gonna follow us back to the house," he told his father as Greg opened the door for him to get in the passenger's side. Aster helped him in, then headed around so he could climb in the back with Jasper, albeit somewhat reluctantly, still not too happy with having to leave his side.

"Sounds good to me," Greg declared, shutting the door and climbing in on the driver's side. Steven paused, glancing through the windshield as his father started the car, and he fought back the somewhat unsettled feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach, turning away again. "Maybe she can help move some furniture around," Greg joked, and Steven cracked a smile. "Buckle up, kiddo. You two ready back there?"

"Yes." Aster settled down just behind Steven's seat as the hybrid twisted to buckle himself in, and Jasper offered a simple grunt of confirmation as she sat down, keeping her head ducked with a scowl and curling up a little so that she could fit properly in the back of the van. Steven looked out the window as his father started driving, fixing his eyes on the mental hospital. It was only when it completely faded from his sight did he squeeze his eyes shut, content to let everything else drift away for the time being. A part of him wanted to sleep, but he was content, for now, to just zone out for now and focus on nothing but the familiar rumbling of the engine.