Dear Diary,
After lunch today, The gems and I went to the Observatory! Even though it wasn't a trip into town or a visit to one of the places we'd gone on a mission to, it was still somewhere new (at least, for me), and so I was pretty happy.
This wasn't the first time I'd seen the Observatory-the gems gave me a tour the second day after I changed into my younger self, and it was the first thing I noticed when we stepped outside (Kind of hard to miss a giant glass dome). Garnet said the Observatory housed a personal warp pad that led directly to Homeworld (How cool is that?). When I asked why the path outside it led to my balcony, Pearl told me it was because I visited Homeworld a lot (Holy smokes!). It's hard to imagine having been to another whole planet, especially one that was full of gems; Future me probably got to have all kinds of fun there!
I really wanted to go there too, but you should have seen the looks on everyone's faces when I asked. I don't know why they looked so freaked out; if future me went to Homeworld all the time, then it couldn't have been a bad place. Long story short, we didn't even go inside. No one mentioned it since, so I was pretty surprised Garnet suggested going today.
Anyway, when I went inside the dome thing (Observatory- Pearl kept correcting me), I was pretty surprised to see all the plants and flowers inside. They completely forgot to mention that there was a garden in there! Amethyst said I planted everything myself too! I had my own garden! I was so excited at first, but then, well-
Steven felt the smile slip from his face as he bent over a little blue flower, delicately touching one of the leaves only to pull back when a piece crumbled off; brittle and dry.
"Uh, Steven..," Amethyst stepped up behind him, "You okay there, dude?"
Upon closer inspection, all the plants and flowers looked much the same, dried out and wilting with neglect.
"They're dying." Steven murmured sadly, wrapping his arms around himself.
The others exchanged troubled and guilty looks as they finally noticed the plants' lackluster appearances around them.
"Oh, steven.." Pearl took a hesitant step forward. "I'm so sorry, I-"
"We should have seen that these plants were taken care of," Garnet finished regretfully.
"It's...it's not your fault," Steven stood back up, staring down at the flower in dismay, "You said this was my garden; I was supposed to-"
Amethyst's eyes widened, and she immediately cut him off.
"Dude, no!" she shook her head, "This is not on you. Heck, you didn't even know there was a garden until just now."
Steven looked up at her with sad, watery eyes, and the panic and concern on Amethyst's face intensified.
"Uh..hey, look at these ones!" she rushed over to some green shrubbery, "They look fine and-Oh, this guy over here!" she hopped over to a small rose bush, "Hardly any leaves missing at all!"
Steven rubbed the moisture away from his eyes, nodding at Amethyst's observations. He knew it wasn't quite rational, crying over plants, and he tried to push out the guilt and sadness that had come over him.
"Hey," Amethyst hand landed on his shoulder, "We got this, okay?"
She grinned at Steven's questioning look.
"All these guys need is some TLC from S, A, G, and P," She pointed at each of them in turn, and Steven found himself chuckling.
"You really think they'll be okay?" He asked, hopeful.
"Absolutely," Pearl chimed in, "A little water, sunshine, some fertilizer-"
"And a lot of love." Garnet finished with a kind smile.
We spent the rest of the afternoon tending to the garden, although I avoided the cactuses (Cacti?)- for some reason seeing them made me feel upset again. We found a bunch of books about plants and flowers under one of the benches; it had a lot of information on how best to care for each type of plant. This one book called 'The Language Of Flowers' was really neat, although I was a little disappointed to find out it wasn't actually about flowers having a secret language with each other.
"Aww man, that would be so cool," Steven lamented, "I wish plants could talk for real."
The gems chuckled nervously.
The book was actually about how each flower had a meaning behind it, like the little blue flower I first noticed. It's called a Bluebell, and it symbolizes gratitude and humility; it also represents everlasting love. For some reason, Amethyst thought that was really funny.
"Seriously?" Amethyst chortled, "Is that why you call it Co-mph!"
"Oops, sorry," Pearl chirped innocently, having bumped roughly into the purple gem.
After that, Amethyst spent some time chasing Pearl around with a handful of fertilizer, which I have to admit was pretty funny.
"Amethyst, if you take one step closer...!" Pearl shrieked, hands held out in front of her defensively.
"Aww, what's wrong, P?" Amethyst cooed, the mischievous grin on her face at odds with her concerned tone, "You're not scared, are ya?"
"This is a matter of personal hygiene and common decency, not fear," Pearl countered, although she continued to back away before shouting, "Garnet, do something!"
"I am doing something," Garnet shot Steven an amused grin, "I'm watching."
Steven covered his mouth with his hands to stifle his giggles.
It was a lot of fun. Plus, it felt nice to be doing something productive, something useful. In the quieter moments, though, I kept finding myself looking at the warp pad in the center of the room.
"Steven."
Garnet sat down on the bench beside him, and Steven blushed slightly at having been caught openly staring at the warp pad.
"Something's on your mind." The tall gem stated, her tone inviting.
Steven closed the book in his lap and set it aside, turning his thoughtful gaze up at Garnet.
"What's it like on Homeworld?" He asked curiously,
Garnet considered her answer for a moment.
"In recent years, I suppose it's not much different than what you've seen of Little Homeworld, although on a much larger scale." she replied, "There are no days and nights, no weather, although the air is breathable by human standards."
Steven frowned at the rather vague and clinical answer. When he looked back at the warp pad, a vision of a different warp pad- old and cracked- came to the forefront of his mind. He could hear Garnet's voice declaring that it was inactive, see himself place a crying breakfast friends sticker on its side.
"Steven?"
Pearl's voice drew him back to the present; She and Amethyst had made their way over, and the paler of the two was giving him a concerned look.
Another memory sprang forward- Pearl staring forlornly at the inactive warp pads (several warp pads, he realized), her voice wistful, "It really is incredible out there, though. I wish you could see it, Steven."
Steven shook his head, barely missing a beat as he returned Pearl's concerned gaze with one of his own.
"Don't you miss it?"
Pearl blinked in confusion.
"Homeworld, you mean?" She frowned, "Why would you think that?"
"I Just remembered how sad you seemed when we were looking at all those broken warp pads." He replied, "And Homeworld is your home, right?"
Steven was relieved that none of the gems decided to dwell on the small piece of memory he'd recovered.
"It's true, I did originally come from Homeworld," Pearl replied thoughtfully, "And I did miss being able to travel in space for all those years, but," She smiled, "This is my home now."
Steven grinned eagerly, "With me?"
Pearl chuckled softly, a fond look on her face as she stared down at him.
"Yes, with you."
The familiarity of the exchange made Steven's own smile widen. He leaned back slightly on the bench, kicking his feet happily as he turned his curious gaze over to Garnet.
"Do you visit Homeworld a lot?" Steven asked.
Garnet tilted her head back, the light shining through the glass ceiling reflected off her glasses.
"If the need arises," She replied, arms crossed, "But I chose Earth long ago as my home, and that will never change." she looked down at him then, a small smile on her face, "I have always felt more free to be myself here."
Steven grinned. He turned to ask Ameythst what she thought of Homeworld and noticed the shorter gem had taken a step back from them. She didn't seem upset exactly, but Steven still felt his brow wrinkle in concern.
"Amethyst? Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" She looked up at him then, vaguely confused. "Why would anything be wrong?"
"It's just...we've been talking about Homeworld, but you haven't said anything," He fidgeted as he thought over what Garnet and Pearl had just said, realizing they both had preferred Earth to Homeworld.
Had that made Amethyst feel bad?
"It's okay if you like it better," Steven insisted, "It was your first home too, after all."
He didn't expect the look of shock and confusion that came over the purple gems face.
"What? No, it's not that! Homeworld isn't-" She hesitated when she saw Garnet shake her head, "Uh, Isn't...isn't that big a deal." She chuckled nervously.
Steven gave her a funny look.
"Earth has always been my favorite, hands down; I mean, what other planet has jumbo burritos, wrestling, and this guy," she pulled him into a loose headlock, smooshing his hair with her other hand, "The one and only Steven Universe, folks!"
Stevens laughed and squirmed, pulling away only to pounce on top of Amethyst, the two rolling around on the ground in a light wrestling match that consisted mostly of tickling.
"Oh, steven," Pearl fretted, "You're going to get filthy."
I'm sure I'll get to see Homeworld again someday, or maybe remember it on my own, but for the rest of the evening, I was just happy to be on Earth with my family.
A light knock had Steven looking up from his Diary; he could see his dad standing just outside his room, hand still raised from where he'd knocked on the wall.
"Hey, schtu-ball," The man grinned, "You mind if I come in?"
"Dad!" Steven beamed, closing his notebook and jumping off the bed.
His enthusiasm was all the invitation Greg needed as he stepped inside, Steven barreling into him, arms wrapping around him in a hug.
"I missed you today!" he pulled back, "Did you finish all your errands?"
"You mean my boring adult stuff?" Greg said with a chuckle, "Sure did." He ruffled his son's hair, "And I heard you had a busy day."
"Yeah, I was just writing in my Diary about it-Oh!" He made his way back to the bed, picking his Diary up and setting it on his nightstand. "There."
Greg smiled as he walked over, "Pearl said the garden's looking better already."
"It is! We worked really hard," Steven beamed in pride and held up his hands, "Just look at all the dirt under my fingernails!"
The older man gave an impressed whistle.
"Them's workin' hands, for sure." He said, sitting on the side of the bed.
Steven climbed back onto the covers, sitting with his legs crossed as he faced his dad.
"I wish you could have been there too," Steven told him.
There was no accusation or sadness in the boy's voice; it was a simple truth and nothing more. Still...
"I'm sorry, Kiddo," The older man sighed, "Feels like there are not enough hours in the day, sometimes."
Steven reached out to lay his hand on Greg's arm.
"It's okay, Dad," His smile was warm and reassuring, "I know you have other stuff you gotta do some times; plus, you visit a lot more than you used to. I see you every day now! It's great!"
The words were meant to make him feel better, but Greg's heart twisted in guilt at the reminder of how seldom he'd come to see his son in the past. He used to worry so much that he would be in the way-make things worse- and so he'd always let Steven come to him. Greg had even thought that his son enjoyed the freedom and independence; Sometimes, Steven would only visit him a few times a week when he was younger. Now though, seeing the joy and excitement and surprise every time he showed up, every time he joined them all for a meal or stayed to tuck Steven in, Greg knew he'd been very wrong.
Another mistake to add to his growing list.
Still, he didn't let it show and just smiled softly back.
"Well, I'm glad I'm here now," He said, shifting to face more towards his son, "Maybe tomorrow you can show me the garden yourself," He grinned more fully, "I could lend a hand; get a little dirt under my fingernails too. We could even sing to the plants."
Steven looked intrigued.
"Sing?"
"Heck yeah, talking and singing to plants is probably the best way to help them grow!"
Steven gasped, eyes shining with stars.
"That wasn't in any of the books!" He said, pursing his lips, "And to think we were just watering them and giving them sunlight and plant food when we could have been singing!" Steven shook his head sadly, "What fools we were."
"Probably a good idea to keep doing those things, too," Greg admitted sheepishly.
Steven chuckled.
"So..." His dad hesitated, studying him more closely now, "You're feeling okay? I know the gems said you were pretty upset at first."
"Oh, that."
Steven blushed a little and shrugged.
"I was just sad to see all the plants and flowers in such poor shape, especially since it was supposed to be my garden," He confessed, "But I had a lot of fun after, even if some of it was hard work. I got to learn a bunch about plants and flowers, and it was nice to feel useful for once."
Greg frowned slightly at that, but Steven barreled ahead before he could comment.
"Honestly, I should probably stick more with nature from now own, since technology has forsaken me."
Greg snorted in amusement at the casual way his son delivered that line.
"I take it you haven't had much luck with the laptop?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Steven let out an exaggerated sigh as he looked over at the laptop sitting on his desk.
"I'm pretty sure future me is a mastermind, cause I've tried every password I can think of and... nada." He lamented, throwing an arm dramatically over his eyes, "Alas, poor little Steven must go forth in this world without the greatest technological advancements of his time."
Greg grinned knowingly.
"Does that mean you don't want the present I got you?" he asked.
Steven immediately pulled his arm away, eyes wide as he looked at the older man.
"You got me a present? What is it?"
Greg chuckled as he reached into his back pocket.
"A little something I picked up for you today," he admitted, pulling out a sleek black cell phone, "Thought it might come in handy since you lost your old one."
"A Phone!" Steven shouted, reaching out to take it into his hand, "I can't believe it!"
He looked down at the device in awe before peering up at his dad.
"It's really mine?" He asked.
"You bet, bud," Greg answered, "I even put mine and the gems numbers inside. Oh, and Connie's too, of course."
"I can text Connie," Steven's voice was was hushed at first but rose with excitement, "I can call Connie!"
Greg laughed.
"Does that mean you like it?"
Steven launched himself forward, hugging his dad's arm.
"I love it!" He cried, forehead pressed against the side of Greg's shoulder as he squeezed with all his might, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome, Kiddo, but," Greg winced slightly, "You're sorta...crushing.. my arm."
"Oh!" steven pulled back with a small chuckle, "Sorry, dad."
"It's fine," Greg rubbed his sore limb and managed a smile, "I think some of that super-strength of yours is coming back. That or your dear old dad is really out of shape," he made a face, "Probably both."
"A phone and super strength!" steven grinned, "Could today get any better?"
"Considering how late it's getting, I'm gonna say no." Greg chuckled as he stood up.
Steven was already hunched over his new phone as it turned on; wide eyes lit by the small screen.
"Ya know, I probably should have waited until morning to give that to you," His dad admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I don't want you staying up all night."
"I won't, I promise!" Steven vowed, glancing briefly up at him and then back at the phone, "I'm just gonna send a quick text to Connie to let her know I have a phone now. Oh! Maybe even a selfie!"
Greg smiled and shook his head before leaning down. He placed a light hand on the back of Steven's head, guiding it forward so he could plant a kiss against his son's curly hair.
"Night, kiddo."
As he started to pull away, Steven surprised him by shifting onto his knees to wrap his arms around Greg's shoulders. The embrace was firm yet gentle, Steven clearly making an effort not to squeeze too tight.
"I love you, Dad."
The gratitude and affection in those words were enough to make Greg come undone. His eyes watered as he brought his arms up and around his sons back.
"I love you too, Steven." He fought to keep his voice steady, "More than anything."
The hug ended too soon for Greg's liking, but Steven's sweet smile rewarded him as he pulled back.
"Well then," He cleared his throat and discreetly wiped at an eye, "I'll see you in the morning, buddy."
"Okie Dokie!" Steven chirped, giving the man a mock salute before turning his attention down at the phone.
Greg shook his head in amusement as he left.
By the time he made it to the bottom of the stairs, the phone in his front pocket chimed. He pulled the device out and chuckled at the text message he'd received.
Night, Dad :p