(Takes place during "Gem Harvest"; three days after "Onion Gang")
Late morning sunlight warmed the early autumn air, filled by crickets chirping in the long grass.
Peridot and Lapis sat atop the truck-bed protruding above the barn's front entrance, legs dangling, the former critically examining readout from a small device in her hands while the latter lay back with both hands cushioning the back of her mop-haired head.
The quietude slipped away when a pickup truck appeared over the horizon, two familiar men visible through the windshield, an equally familiar yellow dog lolling her head out the side of the cargo area. Before long, the vehicle parked some feet in front of the barn, the smooth jazzy timbre of Pilar de la Hoz emanating as Kurtis stepped out to greet their technicolor hosts. Peridot noticed and hopped onto ground level in excitement, only for Marcus, still busy swaying in his seat to the music, to hold up a finger the moment he caught the green Gem opening her mouth.
In half a minute's time, the song reached its final crescendo, ending with a snappy clash accompanied by a final head-bob from Marcus. Meanwhile, Kurtis reached in the back of their truck and pulled out his father's wheelchair, unfastening and unfolding it before setting it right outside the passenger side where his father could reach it.
Once Marcus opened the door and pinched his fingers into the OK sign, Peridot, who'd been tapping her foot in excited impatience, let loose. "Marcus, you and Amber are right on time for Steven's science lesson!" she clapped her hands together. "I take it you brought the necessary materials?"
"And the necessary backup," the florist responded as he stretched his legs out for a few moments and then eased himself into the wheelchair. "Hijo, can you help Amber get out the supplies they asked for yesterday?"
Kurtis nodded silently and left to comply.
His father regarded the Gems with a genial smile. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything important."
Lapis fluttered down to the ground in suit. "Eh, not yet. We'll let you know when it's time to kick you out."
Marcus craned his neck forward to get a good look at the corn field and whistled, impressed. "I hope not too soon, Bluebell. Them veggies are looking pretty scrumptious!"
"Yes, well I'm confident we can work out the proper Earth ritual for exchange!" Peridot exclaimed in pride, rubbing her knuckles against her chest. "Originally, we meant to forge weapons in accompaniment—at least," her eyes averted in a self-conscious manner, self-esteem suddenly waning, "before Steven corrected us on the actual nature and use of Earth produce during his surprise visit yesterday."
A bright cyan blush lit up Lapis' face as the water Gem rubbed her arm in likewise embarrassment. "We thought they'd grow into Quartz soldiers. Ya know, what with popping out of the ground and all that."
"BUT!" Peridot quickly interjected while holding her hands out, "now that we know better, our plans can better achieve the maximum potential of our labors! Shall we start with the tubular-based variety?"
Marcus waved a nonchalant hand. "Eh, we can hash out the details later. Now what's all this about a science lesson?"
"Ah," Peridot blushed lime while scratching her cheek in an awkward manner, "well originally we intended this to be a co-op solely between Lapis and I so that Steven could see for himself the wonders of agriculture. Unfortunately, since we misunderstood the true applications of this field…"
A humored chuckle from Marcus stopped her. The man put a hand to his chest with a wink. "Say no more, Amberly and I would be more than happy to take over – assuming you ladies are cool with bein' assistant teachers?"
Peridot and Lapis shared a look before returning their gaze to Marcus, back to their regular upbeat-ness and casual-ness respectively.
"Eh, fine by us," the water-user drawled with an easy shrug.
Her barnmate tapped her own chin, humming thoughtfully. "I suppose we can tolerate this arrangement until we're competent enough to handle future endeavors ourselves, although we had to make some recent changes to the class activities. I trust they're to your satisfaction following yesterday's exchange via electronic workspace messaging?"
Kurtis, as he and Amber (she'd currently taken on her Bear-Badger form) lugged out heaping bags of potting soil, wondered in silent amusement how long it would take for the former technician to call Boogle Docs for what it was. Behind him, Amber paused at something out of her peripherals. After depositing the second to last bag next to the front entrance where the other ones were, she neared towards the source. Marcus' son did not notice in time since Peridot chose right then to grab his attention.
"I take it you won't be participating in today's lesson?" Kurtis, in true laconic fashion, pulled a list of chores written in Uma's flowery handwriting, to which the green rock promptly nodded. "Mm-hmm, well regardless, wow-thanks for your assistance!"
BARK! BARK!
All humans and Gems shot their eyes to the truck in surprise and then Marcus. The Peruvian shook his head and shrugged.
More of the barking sounded alongside nearby rustling from the corn stalks.
Peridot narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Did another stray dog wander in there? The former technician barely took a step toward to investigate before something burst from the stalks and shot towards the group, a mildly stunned Amber emerging and following in suit at an easy pace.
Now Marcus had seen plenty of shocking sights so far in his life: political upheavals, war, panic attacks (both human and Gem), puberty. One would think the man had gone beyond the point of being surprised anymore.
Operative word being 'think' because a barking wiggling pumpkin? That was new.
Everyone could only gawk in utter shock at the sentient piece of produce yelping and hopping around Marcus's wheels.
That is until faint chuckling started to emanate from Peridot. Then it grew louder and louder – until eventually she descended into mad cackling and snatched the pumpkin up high above her head in triumph. "Forget human science! We are the masters of creation!"
Amber shook her head and pointed a claw at the corn field. Wait, don't you think this feels off? You guys had been growing vegetables the old-fashioned way for what, at least a few weeks now? Why is this – she gestured that same claw to the pumpkin - a thing now of all times?
Lapis blinked and then eyed the gourd creature, seeing Amber's point. This did seem oddly convenient.
Peridot did not share her barnmate's burgeoning suspicion as she lowered the creature next to her grinning face and then held it at arms' length. "Trial and error, my dear Amber! Come, my dear spawn, you shall assist in harvesting the rest of your kind!"
"Hey guys," a familiar voice called out. The pumpkin, much to Peridot's surprise, scrambled out of her hands and towards Steven who so happened to be headed their way. The boy backed up in relaxed (too relaxed) surprise at the sentient vegetable nipping at his heels. "Whoa, who's this?"
"Apparently their baby," Marcus quipped as he and the others approached the two. "Seems they found a way to replicate Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, all veggie-style." The Peruvian narrowed his eyes, well-cognizant of when Peridot mentioned Steven's last visit. "Any idea how they pulled that off?"
True to form, Steven could not hide a tell to save his life. The sudden sweat and dilated eyes confirmed as much. "Uh," he responded with a nervous smile and shrug, "your guess is as good as mine! Heh!"
Lapis sidled her eyes as she mulled over Marcus' words and looked back at her friend. "Steven, do you have anything to do with why that pumpkin came to life?"
"WHAT?!" the boy yelped, only to catch himself and recover with a barely convincing nonchalance, "I mean, whaaaat? No, no, why would you think that?"
Marcus, Kurtis, and Amber's unimpressed stares cut like kitchen knives through a cake. Steven's head started to lower like his forced smile the more he kept talking. "I mean it's not like I went behind your backs and did something…like maybe using my powers…to maybe bring one of your vegetables to life? Sorry."
Sad realization bloomed on Lapis' face as she took in the creature yapping at Steven's heels. "So…we didn't create life…," her shoulders sagged and her downcast eyes half-lidded, "or anything."
As usual, Peridot bested her friend in dramatic reaction. Her entire body slumped forward, arms dangling like depressed noodles. If her face could sag any further, its sheer weight could probably send her tipping face-first into the ground. The despondent moan only completed the effect. She barely noticed Amber pat her shoulder in comfort.
"Hey now, you two made all this!" Marcus swept a hand to indicate the produce fields. "That sure don't seem like nothing to me!"
"Yeah," Steven agreed, eager to rectify his ill-begotten attempt to help, "plus think of all the hungry humans out there who'd appreciate all this. That's gotta count for something, right?"
Consider Peridot unmoved because her slouch showed no change whatsoever.
Steven pursed his lips, at a complete loss – that is until Kurtis handed him a trowel. It didn't take long for the young hybrid to put two and two together. "Kurtis, you're a genius!" He snatched up the trowel and dashed away for a moment to retrieve a pumpkin from the field, missing Amber and Marcus' looks of disapproval and amusement respectively.
Sure enough, Steven's demonstrative bit of carving up a fellow pumpkin in utter gusto a minute later did the trick in spooking the little veggie dog straight into Peridot's arms. Granted, the kid was gonna feel awkward now around the newly formed barn trio, but Kurtis would find a way to make it up to him for the trickery.
In any case, problem one solved.
Too bad another one took its place straight after.
XXX
Greg Universe had thought today would be chill, a day spent relaxing with his family and friends because didn't everyone deserve that?
Apparently nope because here he now stood among those same family and friends, beckoned here via a text message about some rude 'old-fashioned' guy and taking in the paler man dressed in pilot's gear thrashing and protesting in the throes of Peridot's attack drones with something akin to dread and resignation.
A nudge in the arm courtesy of Kurtis snapped him back to reality, as well as to the yellow dog held up in one of the younger man's arms while the other hand held up his cell phone.
I take it from the one-thousand-yard stare that you know this guy, huh? Amber inquired with a face set to wince on the former musician's behalf. Indeed, Greg could already feel Marcus' hand on the small of his back since the smaller man, like many of the people Greg knew back in his younger days here in Beach City, had a solid idea of the drama the brunet left behind in pursuit of his intended career – and now some of that drama had decided to drop in.
Greg ran a hand down the back of his head, figuring he might as well face the music. Forcing down a gulp, he uttered the one sentence that would spell his doom: "He's…my cousin."
As he expected, everything burst into a flurry from there, questions atop questions. His cousin's rapid-fire transition from recognition to colorful critique of the others upon his restored freedom only added to the discomfiting rush. Honestly, could Andy please drop all the white nationalist and man's world talk? Oh, but when Steven spoke up and called Greg 'Dad', asking in curiosity and rising joy if this man really was family, their family, oof.
On the questionably bright side, the revelation of having a nephew at least had Andy switching gears so that his insults went mainly to Greg.
"So, uh, which of these girls is the wife?" Andy quipped as he walked up to the Gems to get a better look at them all. "I gotta give her my condolences, right?"
Then that. Andy barely finished joking on Garnet being the 'lucky lady' before Greg put a stop to the speculation. "Rose…is no longer with us."
If nothing else positive, Andy at least had the decency to look remorseful. "Oh wow. I-I'm sorry…I didn't know."
Well, if anything, this guy knows when to back off of the sensitive stuff, Marcus thought. A tug on his pants' leg drew his attention to Amber, who held up Kurtis' phone in her mouth.
Should we tell him we sell flowers? Kurtis and Marcus shared a counseling look before shaking their heads back in Amber in unison. Best not to give that Andy guy any more ammo. All the same, I don't feel like leaving just because this guy might be uncomfortable around us. Especially since she and Marcus had been invited here in the first place.
"Ditto," Kurtis added in a tone that would have sounded plain to someone who didn't know him well; Marcus could detect the undercurrent of dislike in his son's voice. The air of defiance crumbled once the young man remembered the list still in his hands. "If not for this anyway."
Adopting an assuring smile, Marcus reached up to pat his son's arm. "Don't you worry, mio. Amber and I have handled people like him before. Besides, if he's related to Greg, let alone Steven, he can't be all that bad."
"They're illegal aliens!?" Andy shouted, interrupting whatever Greg had been telling him. "You couldn't even marry an American?!"
On second thought nope, Marcus decided with a sharp pop of his gums, screw this guy.
Before the incensed man could speak up, there came something from Steven that shouldn't have come across as heartbreaking yet did: "DeMayo is a much cooler name than plain old Universe…"
That did it.
"Hey!" Marcus shouted out in a peppy voice far louder than necessary as he wheeled up to the estranged men. He stuck out a handshake the same way Pearl would a sword. "So, we finally meet a family member of Greg's, eh? Name's Marcus Flores, your wonderful cousin's closest companion! Proud Peruvian and owner of the finest flower shop this side of Delmarva!"
Andy sidled his eyes from the hand to the too wide smile and back before loosely accepting the handshake, quick to take his hand back. "Eh…nice ta meet ya."
Marcus clapped his hands at the same brisk pace. "Oh, speaking of the shop, that reminds me! Steven, can you head back with Kurtis and help him get that list squared away? Don't worry, we can keep Andy…entertained 'til you get back."
With no warning, the boy's eyes lit up from a bright idea. "Wait! I have a better idea! Why stop with the stuff on the list when we can get more than that! One big traditional dinner so Uncle Andy can eat with all of us. He'll have to admit the Gems as family and you guys as friends after that. Please?"
Oh damn, not the 'please'. Not with those eyes.
Eventually Marcus sighed in defeat, holding his hands up. "Alright, alright! Cool off on the galaxy eyes and we'll go big on making him feel welcome. How's that sound?"
Steven took him off guard by jumping into the man's lap to wrap a hug around his torso. "Thanks, Marcus."
Marcus moved to give the small boy a pat on the back –until he caught the disbelief on Andy's face. The sheer sight motivated him to smirk and flat-out hug the kid instead. "Whatever to make ya happy, kiddo. So, got anything specific in mind?"
"We've got lots of vegetables, although it wouldn't hurt to have lots of fruit too. Do you think we should throw in some meat, too?" Steven shot a glance to his uncle, who was currently having a stink-eye showdown with Peridot, the green Gem's drones hovering by her side in anticipation for their mistress' next signal to remove the interloper. "Uncle Andy kinda strikes me as a meat-only guy."
Wouldn't surprise Marcus, but he knew better than to let the atmosphere sour now that Steven was invested in changing that guy's mind. Oh well, some passive-aggressive comments will have to do.
"Make sure you boys at least check in with Uma first before you get that list done. She knew a couple of gourmet chefs back in the day, so she knows plenty of good recipes." Marcus hummed and smiled a little too widely. "In fact, you don't mind us introducing your uncle to a few dishes from our cultures, do ya?"
Steven gasped with somehow even starrier eyes. "That's perfect! What do we need?!"
Marcus nodded to Amber. The golden dog nodded back and joined Steven's side. "Have Uma tell you the stuff we need besides the usual, Kurtis and Amber will help ya handle the rest." He thumbed over to Andy who once again snapped at whatever Greg had been telling him right. "In the meantime, we'll get things set up around here."
To the boy's credit, Steven adopted a nervous face. "You guys are going to be OK with him, right?"
At that point, Garnet picked the perfect moment to schmooze onto the talk in her own Garnet-y way. "As long as Pearl can keep the drone remote away from Peridot and Greg's cousin doesn't touch the meep-morps." She threw in an assuring smile as she reached down to tousle Steven's hair. "It'll be easier for him to get to know us all better anyway. You're very good at stealing the spotlight, after all."
Steven giggled and blushed, flattered, before he hugged Garnet's leg. He waved Marcus goodbye before calling out to everyone else that he'd be heading out with Kurtis and 'Sparky' (he almost slipped on using Amber's actual name) to get the food.
To say Andy looked stricken to be without the one person he genuinely liked here would have been an understatement.
Greg patted his shoulder. "Don't worry! Schtu-ball's in good hands with Kurtis around, and the Sparky's the best dog this side of Delmarva. They'll be fine."
"In the meantime," Pearl chirped up as she clapped her hands together, "Greg, could you and…Other Greg be so kind as to help Peridot and Lapis gather up the produce?"
"Sure thing, Pearl!"
At that moment, Marcus wheeled in, Garnet close behind. "We sent the boys off to get that list sorted out, but I made sure to have my son text me a list after they get with Uma. That way, we'll know how ta get the most of outta these veggies."
Greg sent a grateful smile to him. "Oh cool! Thanks Marc!"
Marcus leaned against the armrest and returned a cocked grin. "Anything fo' you, Starman."
By this point, Andy had started shifting his eyes between the two men, looking torn between questioning what he was seeing and simply aborting out of this whole situation. Greg noticed and glared back in annoyance. "What is it now?"
Rather than answer, Andy gestured his gaze to Marcus and then to Greg and back.
Greg rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're friends, so what?"
Eyelid twitching, Andy proceeded to point harder at Greg with one finger, Marcus with the other, made fists out of both and pounded his knuckles together. It didn't take long for everyone else to pick up on the man's assumption. Greg blushed, Garnet arched all three brows behind her glasses, Amethyst and Lapis doubled over in barely restrained laughter, Pearl blushed with an awkward sideways gaze into space, and Peridot merely blinked in confusion.
Marcus remained unmoved, unsurprised daresay.
"N-No! No! Andy, it's not like that, I swear!" Greg hastily backtracked while pivoting to Marcus, both hands up. "U-Uh, no offense, but it's totally platonic! Right Marc?" When no response came, Greg worriedly looked to the Latino in question. "Marc?"
Uh, why was the other man gazing up at him like that?
Oh Marcus, don't, Greg mentally pleaded at the sight of the man's smirk once he realized the reason behind not only his lack of surprise but, now that the ex-rocker realized, his sudden dismissal of the boys. Alarmingly, his predictions came true when Marcus linked one arm onto his and fixed on him a serious look.
"So, when were ya gonna tell yer favorite cousin about us...cariño?"
The sounds of Pearl's facepalm, Garnet's sigh of resignation, and Amethyst and Lapis' hysteria-induced collapse echoed throughout the autumn air. Peridot's muttered musings did not help in the slightest.
"Perhaps there does exist a form of human fusion."
Choking sounds could already be heard emanating from Andy's open mouth, struggling to form words.
"HEY ANDY!" Greg squeaked at near voice-cracking volume before wrenching his arm out of Marcus' loose grip and swinging around to grasp the top handles of the other man's wheelchair, trying very hard to ignore said other man's smug catlike grin. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the others? Marcus and I need to discuss something important."
Cue the ex-rocker's mad dash to the back of the barn.
"Marcus! Are you insane?!" he hiss-whispered once he stopped and rotated the man's wheelchair to face him. His hands remained on the handles because Marcus needed to recognize the flaming mess he just ignited. "I'm not going to pretend we're married in front of my cousin!"
"Of course not," Marcus calmly retorted before taking a pause. "We're pretending to be lovers. Totally different."
The sheer lack of amusement on Greg's face deserved a place in legends.
Marcus for once dropped the grin in favor of a more somber demeanor. "OK, fine maybe that was an uncool move – but only that I dropped you headfirst into this spiel without forewarning. For real, don't I deserve to mess with that guy after the stuff he's been saying?" He'd had to put up with so many similar people both here and back in his home country, forcing himself to smile and nod like an obedient little caricature because he knew who the unspoken rules of society would back up in the end, as well as who those rules would render broken.
At least in this case, Marcus had plenty of backup cuz which average human jerkoffs would be crazy enough to tango with a whole squad of superhuman and super-intelligent space rocks? (Well, probably plenty to tell the unfortunate truth if that Andy guy was any indication.)
For a hot second, the Peruvian expected Greg to retort something akin to 'no, because he's my family' because well, fair enough on his end but even that shouldn't excuse letting the other guy spout whatever the hell he pleases. After all, isn't real family supposed to call you out on your bullshit?
That's why Greg's bitter chuckle took him by surprise, let alone the weariness in his currently averted eyes. "Welcome to the family, buddy. Now you know part of the reason I left."
Let alone all the constant lectures and rants from near about all his folks about why he 'didn't have a girlfriend yet' when he had no qualms staying single and waiting for the right one or 'was hanging out with questionable influences' when those very influences in question were the coolest people he'd ever known. Never mind that fact that those same influences proved nowhere near as questionable as the questioners themselves.
Marcus rubbed the back of his head, a little self-conscious that he hadn't considered Greg's own feelings on this matter. "I was hoping to drive the guy outta here, be so unapologetically 'foreign' and 'un-American' that he'd go bonkers and give up on taking the barn back." At least until Steven had sweettalked him into making dinner for the man. "I really am sorry for springing this whole joke on you without asking."
A bitter chuckle escaped Greg, his shoulders shaking. "Is it bad that part of me would rather you go through with it? It's been so long seen I've seen any of my family, I forgot how hurtful some of them could be. Call me a bad dad but another part of me's paranoid Andy'll somehow convince Steven to be ashamed of everything in his life. Does that sound nuts?"
Marcus shrugged. "As an immigrant father consistently haunted by the possibility of losing my son to white America, pretty sure I'm on good authority to say your concerns are pretty damn valid."
Greg ran a hand down his face, groaning. "'Cept Andy's not a bad guy either. He's just got…"
"Some super lousy viewpoints."
"Exactly! And Garnet and Pearl and Amber didn't fight for this planet just ta deal with the same junk they were trying to get away from!" They were family just as much as Andy was and deserved to be treated as such. Greg gripped his head and even snarled, that level of frustrated. "All I want is this whole thing to end so I can breathe easy again."
A warm calloused hand on his bicep incited him to reopen his eyes and notice Marcus' soft look. Greg found his tension ebbing out.
"It's not too late for me to send him away," the ex-rocker murmured. "You guys don't have to deal with him."
"Your kid didn't give us much of a choice, and you know how much making him sad hurts. That and I'm still smarting a little from Steven thinking DeMayo's a better surname than Universe."
Despite himself, Greg managed a humoring smile. "We DeMayo men have really bad taste in names. To be fair, Steven Flores sounds a lot better too."
Marcus cocked his head in amusement. "Kurtis Universe has a nice flow of its own. So, does this mean…"
Greg rolled his eyes as he offered the crook of his left arm to Marcus. "You know what, let's do it! If nothing else, it'll take the edge off."
Besides, Andy warranted payback for that immigrant jab.
XXX
About an hour and a half later…
"OK," Steven reported from atop Kurtis' shoulders as he checked the older boy's phone for the list, "all that's left are the cranberries and bread rolls and we should be done!"
Kurtis nodded as he pushed the grocery cart through the frozen food aisle, thankful he had his jacket on. Per Uma and Amber's advice, the boys had merged the first and seconds lists into one big one so that everything could be sorted out at once. Plus, once she'd been caught up, the elderly woman elected to join in on the dinner with Andy, wishing to contribute a few dishes of her own.
Amber chose to stay behind at the flower shop to assist Uma with closing shop and escorting the matriarch to the barn. Via bear-badger form naturally, although Amber assured the boys that she would return to doggy version to avoid giving Andy a heart attack.
At present, Steven bit his bottom lip, mulling over something. "Hey Kurtis? Can I ask you something?"
An affirmative grunt met his question.
Steven tapped a light rhythm against Kurtis' scalp. "Is it bad that I'm kinda nervous about you guys getting to know Uncle Andy?"
Kurtis side-eyed the smaller boy, smirking. "Worried we'll embarrass you?"
From his position, Steven couldn't see the older boy's expression and so assumed that his own question came off wrong. "Wha—NO! Um…kinda—but not by you guys! I know Uncle Andy sees you all in a really mean light, and that I pretty much pushed you guys into doing this for him. I'm sorry."
"Be real." Kurtis gently swerved around a woman taking her time picking out fishsticks. "You only said DeMayo's a better name than Universe to placate the man, didn't you?"
A light blush dusted Steven's cheeks. "Sort of. I still think it's a nice last name, but Universe belongs to me and my dad." He had no intention of cutting off that link to him. "I'm not getting rid of that. It's just…Gems don't do families – or at least Garnet and the others didn't before they had me, and I don't know anyone from Dad's side of the family."
His human side of the family.
As a Gem-human hybrid, Steven could not help but do mental gymnastics between excitement and confusion. What about those people would convince his dad that letting his son near them would end only badly? Didn't Steven have a right to at least give the family members he could meet the benefit of the doubt?
"Dad and Uncle Andy haven't seen each other in years, way before he even met Mom." And nobody was getting younger. "For all I know, I might never get a chance like this again. Does that sound desperate?"
Most definitely, but Kurtis knew better than to make the boy feel guilty for wanting something that's been kept out of his reach for so long. "It sounds like you really need this whole thing to work out."
Steven twiddled a strand of Kurtis' dark hair, hesitant to confirm that observation for fear of seeming selfish although he had a strong hunch Kurtis saw right through him regardless.
"He didn't call the police on us," the older boy observed. Now that would have gotten ugly, although the fact that man straight out thought he could physically oust them all out himself spoke volumes of his lack of sense.
Steven bit his bottom lip again, now feeling his stomach sink even deeper. For all his optimism, the boy held no ignorance of the more unsavory ways Andy could have responded. What's more, that confrontation brought to mind the ones he and the others had experienced with Peridot before her outburst at Yellow Diamond.
So many hurt feelings and misunderstandings, compounded by stubbornness on both sides.
Yet look at Peri now. The thought of how far his friend had come revitalized Steven's determination. He leaned forward on Kurt's head. "We'll change his mind, I know we will, and if we can't…" he paused. His face became resolute with a twinge of sadness. "Then Dad and I'll make sure none of you ever have to put up with him again."
Kurtis paused four-fifths through the frozen section, mild surprise on his face before a touched smile replaced it. He patted his passenger's smaller hand. "Hey, Steven? You're a good kid."
A grateful grin graced Steven at hearing this. Why did such assurances feel rarer lately?
Before he could give a relieved thanks, a sudden stop and clang to the cart broke the two young men out of their moment. More so did the following shout.
"WATCH IT!"
Kurtis cussed under his breath for not paying attention, having run into someone else. Steven, shaken from the impact, beat him to the apology, eyes closed in panic.
"Are you OK?! We're really, really sorry! I swear we didn't mean to bump into—" A hand on his sandalled foot halted him, drawing his attention to Kurtis. In doing so, he noticed that they bumped into a familiar girl in black. "You," he gasped. "You're the girl Kurtis, Ronaldo, and Amber were talking to back at the concert!"
Said girl narrowed her eyes. "And you're the chatty little kid their friends were hanging around for some reason."
Steven puffed his cheeks like an offended hamster. Sometimes he hated how young his appearance could make him seem.
"He's fourteen for the record," Kurtis calmly retorted, a response that brought an appreciative smile to Steven. The older boy leaned an elbow on the cart handle. "Something you would have known had you and your friends spared time to meet him, Alice."
Alice rolled her eyes as she pushed her cart around Kurtis's on route to one of the cabinets. Clearly, she was in no mood to socialize.
Too bad she was dealing with a certain protagonist.
"My name's Steven by the way." True to form, the young hybrid stuck a pudgy hand out. Alice eyed the hand in skeptic bemusement before tentatively accepting it with her free hand for a quick second. Once she returned to her business, Steven craned his neck to get a good peek at the copious food in the older girl's cart. "Are you and your family having a big dinner too?"
Call Kurtis too analytical but he could have sworn he caught a twinge of hurt flash across the girl's face before it vanished beneath stoicism, never mind how her grip on the door's handle tightened.
Alice shrugged. "I have a roommate who can put away more food than someone his size should be able to." As if to prove her point, she pulled out and held up two boxes of beer-battered chicken.
"You mean Roberto, right?" When the girl stared up at him in the middle of adding the boxes to her groceries, Steven smiled. "Kurtis and the others told me about you guys. You three seem like a lot of fun!"
At first, silence. Then Alice let out a terse though not unkind huff. "Spend five minutes handling Robby's manic self and Lan's nerd-outs, then we'll see how much fun you're having."
At his current angle, Steven swore he caught one corner of her lips twitch up. He considered that a win.
"How's that sculpture coming along by the way?" Kurtis spoke up.
"Decently enough. At my current rate, it should be done sometime this month."
"You do sculptures?" Steven asked. "I have some friends who do stuff like that! I could introduce you so you guys can swap ideas!"
Alice gave Steven a glimpse that Kurtis would call hesitant – and perhaps a touch regretful? "I'll mull it over."
And as quickly as she had popped up, she took back her hand from the handle and left, cart wheels' squeaking fading into the distance.
Steven could only blink in innocent wonder. That girl reminded him heavily of Lapis. "She seems nice."
Yeah, a regular ice queen, Kurtis mused with an amused smirk. "She'll warm up to you soon or later."
Of that, Steven had no doubt, his smile an attestation to his confidence in it. He rechecked the phone. "Anyway, where were we, again? Oh right, the canned cranberries!" The younger boy stuck a finger towards the next aisle. "Onward!"
Kurtis pushed forward on the cart to amble down the aisleway, cart and all, content to let his friend make an adventure out of this mundane trip.
Behind them, a worker came in to restock, only to notice and peer at something off about the handle.
How did ice get on the outside?
XXX
The sight of an angry red-in-the-face Andy marching past greeted the boys when they returned to the barn. Not good.
Amethyst, Garnet, and Lapis joined their side at that moment while Marcus and Greg brought up the rear, everyone all various degrees of baffled and worried. When Kurtis and Steven tossed the adults a baffled look, Amethyst held her hands up before any questions could fly.
"Hey, we're as much as in the dark as you guys. The dude started throwing a fit outta nowhere!"
Andy swiveled around at the purple Gem's flippant response, somehow even redder now. "Fit? FIT?!" He jabbed a finger at the propellor-based oven over in the distance that Kurtis and Steven only now noticed. "You damn hippies butchered my parents' plane and made-made...WHATEVER THIS THING IS!"
"An oven cooktop combo actually," Pearl corrected in a matter-of-fact tone over the sound of sizzling.
Amber, in between Uma and Lapis and out of Andy's line of sight, facepalmed. Maybe leaving the other Gems with Andy hadn't been the best idea.
"It's TERRIBLE!" Andy continued to rant. "That was the heart of the legendary wings of the 'Daring DeMayos'. I learned to FLY on that plane!"
"No one was even—" Lapis cut off at the feel of Uma tugging at the blue Gem's dress. When she shot the elder a miffed gaze, Uma shook her head to urge the Gem to hold her tongue for now.
Marcus held his hands up. "OK, OK, let's settle down," he coaxed, "I'm sure they didn't recognize how much it meant to you. It's cool."
"IT AIN'T COOL, YOU TREEHUGGER!" Andy missed the way Kurtis' eyes narrowed at him like a sniper rifle, Marcus' son clearly not tolerating his father being addressed in such a manner. Only Greg's hand on his shoulder prevented Kurtis from possibly getting physical. "You people think everything just belongs to you, cause nothing belongs to anybody, and you take it, and—" At this point, Andy gripped his head, appearing ready to burst.
Greg furrowed his brow in worry, starting to approach. "Andy?"
Andy held up a hand as he backed away from his cousin's attempts to comfort him, pinching his own eyes with the other. "Ah! I need a moment. I just can't look at this right now."
When his cousin started to stomp away, Greg gave chase. "Wait, Mark's right! They didn't know!"
Steven slumped. "This is going down in flames."
Pearl put a comforting hand to the boy's shoulder, adopting what she hoped constituted an assuring smile. "Now Steven, I'm sure Greg will turn this around."
The resounding argument between the two men proved her otherwise.
Well, this simply won't do, Uma mused while tapping her chin in critical thought. "It seems we'll need to up the ante, won't we?"
Steven made a fist and palmed it into the other, determination returning. "You're right! We need the ultimate party to fix this! The best of all parties combined!"
Pearl crossed her arms. "Then I suppose it's our turn for a trip." She looked to the golden dog. "Care to join us?"
Amber flitted her eyes to where Greg was currently trying (and failing) to help his family member cool down, and then shook her head at Pearl. The yellow Gem felt she'd be needed here more. Besides, the molehog trusted her fellow Gems enough to sensibly puzzle out what to collect for a simple party.
A few minutes later all the Gems sans Amber loaded Greg's van and drove off, waving goodbye to the others. By then, Greg had semi-succeeded in getting his cousin to cool down enough to join his fellow humans, although Andy still kept his distance from everyone besides Steven, who's best efforts to get him to interact with the others met resignation at best.
That is until Uma worked her grandma magic, sweetly asking Andy for helping with various tasks. Between her and Steven, the pilot never stood a chance. The three plus Kurtis were now currently in the process of peeling the vegetables, Marcus and Greg cooking the meat over on the oven while Amber lay curled in the shade of a nearby tree, watching from afar.
Greg eyed the food on the table. "You guys sure you don't need any help? I can switch with you, if ya like, Uma."
Uma casually waved off the offer. "Oh, I think we're fine for now."
"Yeah," Steven added in a confident tone, "we've got this." He then noticed how his uncle was handling one of the potatoes and awed. "Wow, one peel!"
Uma cocked her head, likewise impressed. "My, my, quite the skill you have!"
The double-sided accolade inspired a mellow half-smile out of Andy. "Thanks. Aunt Deb and I usually got put on kitchen duty when the family got together. I peeled a lot of potatoes back in my day."
Hearing the name of someone he hadn't seen in sometime opted Greg to ask on her current well-being, but a sound nudge and sharp headshake from Marcus advised against it. Call him presumptuous but Marcus had a feeling Andy might not respond well to Greg inquiring about the rest of his family after decades of not being in touch with them.
Fortunately, Greg caught on and opted to keep the question to himself, although not without a sad sigh. Fortunately, Andy was too preoccupied with everyone else to notice.
"Make sure not ta throw the peels away," Marcus called out, "we can work them into one of the dishes. Plenty of nutrients!"
Andy huffed, still gruff but a little more good-natured than he'd been towards the man so far. "Ya sound like Deb. She never stopped finding ways to get use outta even the scraps."
This aunt sounded practical, a quality that Kurtis could respect. "Waste not, want not," he coolly commented, coming up with one peel himself. A gentle elbow to the side brought his attention to a smirking Andy.
"Looks like I ain't the only one who knows his stuff."
Kurtis blinked in mild surprise at first at the praise but merely nodded back with a grunt. Maybe this guy wasn't a complete jerk after all. Still, it would take a lot for this man to get on Kurtis' good side, especially after the way he yelled at Marcus.
To his credit, Andy read the room and managed a humbler smile. "No really, I've been seein' how you handle the food there. You could teach your future dad a thing or two, I bet."
Blink, blink from Kurtis.
Blink, blink from Steven.
Both boys cast baffled stares on the man. What did Uncle Andy mean by that? Amber, too, raised her head upon hearing this supposed development.
Seeing the confusion on the boys' faces wiped the smirk off Andy's face and as expected set him off once he put two and two together. He rounded on Greg and Marcus, scowling. Did neither of these bozos tell their sons?!
Marcus proved quick to smooth the tension over with a (far too in Kurtis' opinion) lighthearted laugh. "Ah well I guess we couldn't be discreet about this forever!"
He put down the cutting knife, turned, and beckoned Steven and Kurtis closer with a hand. The boys shared a look of confusion before complying and neared until Marcus could put an arm around each boy's shoulders. "Boys, we didn't tell ya this right away cuz we weren't sure how to break the news but…Greg and I are in love."
Again, Kurtis and Steven could only blink in utter bafflement, brains processing what they'd just been told. Once they registered Marcus' words, questions on top of questions piled up to the point that neither of them had the faintest idea where to start.
"I'm so…happy for you guys?" Steven managed to squeak out with a forced smile, then uttering under his breath and averting his eyes, "And really confused."
Seriously, if this had been a thing, why was Steven only learning about this now? Usually, romantic stuff was top priority on his radar. Unless the friendly way his dad and Kurtis's had been interacting lately had been leading to other stuff between them. In any case, the young hybrid couldn't shake away the feeling that something about this development felt off.
At that moment, Marcus released the boys and clapped his hands. "Let's chalk it up as another reason to celebrate, shall we?" He turned to Steven. "You mind lending a hand over at the stove? Ya'll look about done with those veggies."
Indeed, Andy had finished the last potato and vegetable overall while Marcus had been dropping his 'bombshell'.
"O-Oh, course!" Steven whipped out his pink shield, a sight that sent his uncle aback, and gathered all the veggies into it before carrying the load over to the oven to use as a makeshift pot. Even as he did, though, he still spared a suspicious glance at his dad and Marcus, not entirely certain he approved of whatever the two men were up to.
Kurtis did similar as he gathered up the cutting utensil to get them washed, although he only eyerolled. If anything, dinner would prove quite entertaining at the least.
Andy rubbed his nape. "Heh, that's one way to do it, I guess." He glanced at the makeshift oven. "Ya know, maybe these old plane parts are seeing good use after all."
"That's the magic of recycling, brother!" Marcus quipped. "The possibilities are almost endless when you practice reusability!"
"Plus, you've got a new plane anyway!" Greg piped up.
"A darn good one, too! Been all over the world in that thing!"
Steven's eyes sparkled in response as he peered around the oven, disapproval forgotten. "All over the world?"
Hearing that perked Amber's interest. A fellow globetrotter? The very thought made the Gem consider revealing her real self although she had no way of knowing for sure how Andy would respond to the concept of a Corrupted Gem. The man seemed to be barely adjusting to the idea of Gems in general. How long had it been since she last swapped tales with a fellow traveler?
So lost in thought, she tuned out of the rest of the conversation by accident to the point that she started when she looked up and caught the sudden somber change in Andy's demeanor, a change the other humans noticed too judging by the varying miens of concern.
Before anyone could ask, the familiar sound of the Universe van drew near, signaling the other Gems' return.
One look and Amber couldn't decide whether to bury her head in the dirt or let her sides split from laughter, floored by her second bad call today. That merry band of idiots she called friends seriously gathered up mementos for every aspect of the human life cycle, gravestones included. Something about Lapis being the one to carry the markers felt oddly appropriate though.
Oh, but the kicker had to be Pearl proposing to 'all marry each other'. Even Kurtis couldn't resist snorting at that line.
On the bright side, Andy took all these shenanigans in stride much to everyone's surprise, even going as far as to laugh about the whole ordeal. Seems all that time around everyone wore down his walls after all. That in turn made dinner go more smoothly than anyone, let alone Andy himself, anticipated.
Didn't stop some awkward moments from cropping up. For instance, right at the start of dinner once all the food had been readied and set on the table. Andy eyed one of the dishes, drawn in by the smell.
"Hey, that smells pretty good." He pointed a fork at a huge plate full of poached chicken coated in glistening brown sauce and topped by egg slices and black olives. "What is that stuff?"
"Aji de gallina," Marcus responded. "Creamy chicken. Goes great with a side of white rice! Also had Uma bring in some of my white wine to counter the sweetness." When Andy shot him an alarmed look, Marcus rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Steven's getting white grape juice – but the kind I make myself, not of that cheap commercial junk."
Andy balked at Marcus in surprise. "Didn't you say you sell flowers?"
"That's the main schtick of our family business. Our little greenhouse in the back also has a little section dedicated to produce." Marcus made a point of flicking the lapels of his dress-shirt with his thumbs in delight. "My pride and joy…after mis cachorros of course."
Andy could only assume that last bit was referring to Kurtis and Steven, judging by the boys' blushes. He's met plenty proud parents to recognize that tone and smile. "Heh, I'll bet." Out of his peripherals, the pilot noticed a plate full of balls covered in white. He fork-pointed at one of them next. "This is another, uh, Peruvian dish, right?"
"Indian, actually," Uma corrected. "Coconut ladoo. Steven's friend, Connie, taught me the recipe, and I've been dying to make some. I sincerely hope it came out well."
As expected, Andy blanched more than his complexion suggested he could. His bright blush only made his reaction more prominent. He stretched the collar of his shirt with a finger and chuckled anxiously. "Oh, my bad. This Connie's about Steven's age, right? If she could teach someone how to make this, she must be pretty smart then."
"Connie's super smart!" Steven chipped in, eager to talk about his best friend. He swiveled in his seat to face Andy with starry eyes. "And she knows so many cool things! You've gotta meet her someday!"
Pearl perked at the mention of her prime pupil. "She's quite a quick learner as well! One of the most I've had the pleasure of teaching in fact!"
Andy twisted his face in confusion at the lean rock. "Wait a sec…you homeschool someone else's kid too?" The Gems and other adults had explained to him the educational setup they had going on for Steven while the boys had been out, including the science lesson he had inadvertently disrupted, but hadn't mentioned any other students.
Pearl stared back in likewise sentiment for a moment but then laughed once she realized the mix-up, waving her hand. "Oh no, no, that's only for Steven! On the contrary, I've been teaching her the art of sword-fighting upon her request."
A girl wanting to learn how to wield a sword: Andy wasn't sure what to say to that. Scratch that, he would have known some things he could say, but after spending time with these people, he couldn't bring himself to even be passive aggressive. Besides, he could tell his nephew thought the world of this girl, so instead he uttered under his breath, "I sure hope she let her folks in on this."
When tense quiet settled over the table, Andy realized he may or may not have hit a sore spot anyway and blushed accordingly. "That…was a bad thing to bring up, wasn't it? Sorry."
"Eh, she and her 'rents had a little personal family drama we'd rather not get into." Amethyst took a more meditative swig of her oil can before waving a dismissive yet assuring hand. "But it's all cool now."
"You oughta meet her folks, too," Greg added to steer the conversation back to less fraught territory. "A little stern but they're good well-meaning people."
Well-meaning. Yeah, Andy could understand well-meaning people, so long as he allowed himself to accept and respect their background like he's doing here. The mere thought invoked a big smile out of Andy. "Ya know what? Since we're throwin' tradition out the window, how's about we skip straight ta dessert?"
To prove he meant business, Andy cut up a slice of cake and politely handed the first plate of it to Steven, who graciously accepted it with a thank you.
From there the young man politely handed it to Peridot, who politely handed it to Lapis, who politely handed it to Pearl, then to Amethyst, then to Garnet who handed it to 'Sparky', who took the offered plate in her mouth and proceeded to chow down, frosting getting all over her face in seconds.
"Gems don't really eat. Well except for Amethyst," Steven explained at Andy's blank stare. He noticed his uncle's eyes stare linger on the little yellow dog next to Kurtis. "And Sparky's a little…different from other dogs."
"Oh yeah, almost forget!" Amethyst cut in, before thumbing over her shoulder at the oven. "Hey Sparky, want some cooking oil I haven't drank yet? Last one!" As if on cue, the purple Gem belched out a burst of fire.
The yellow dog angled her furry head and then waved off the offer, an action Andy found oddly human, before going back to eat like a regular canine.
Amethyst shrugged, looking oddly pleased as though she pulled off a perfect punchline. "Eh, suit yerself!"
"More cooking oil," Pearl chirped with a hearty thump of one fist into her other hand, "I knew we were forgetting something!"
"And a shopping cart!" Peridot threw in. "We could have added that next to the truck!"
Kurtis furrowed his brows at the former technician in between filling his plate. "That's stealing," he drily stated. "Also, the local landfill has plenty metal."
"None of which is fresh!" the green rock snipped back, "Lapis and I have far too high standards to rummage around in mere garbage!"
Lapis shared a quick glance with Amber, the doggy rock giving a terse shake of the head, to which the water Gem nodded back. Best not to counterpoint that the meep-morps literally consisted of discarded material and let Peridot have her moment.
Greg looked to Kurtis, unsure whether to disapprove and a little surprised the younger man would suggest it in the first place. "Wouldn't that still count as stealing?"
Lapis sported a skeptic face and crossed her arms, leaning forward on the table. "Why? If it's thrown out, then there's no one left to care about what happens to it. Well, except the person taking it. Isn't that the whole point of that recycling thing humans like to go on about?"
"Not like the police around these parts bother when it comes to petty crimes," Uma commented as she sliced up a piece of turkey. "Hmph, if my daughter were still around, she would have whipped such layabouts into shape!"
Andy perked as he passed down the pot full of cranberry sauce to Marcus. "She was a police officer, eh? Musta been one tough nut!"
"Well, you have to be for such a dangerous occupation, especially if you're a woman of color. My Lydia always had a strong sense of justice, right to the very end." A brief melancholy came across the old woman's face before she regained her sunny wistful demeanor. "It runs in the family after all! I could tell you all about the times Kurtis got in trouble in elementary school for tackling bullies twice his size!"
Kurtis hunched his shoulders, face pinched in embarrassment. Did his grandma have to bring it up?
In a stroke of both fortune and irony, Peridot drew attention back to herself. "How does that differ from what we've done for the Earth?! The only difference is that Homeworld has way more advanced battle tactics!"
Garnet shrugged. "Different methods, same basic principle."
"Albeit on a much grander scale!" Pearl added.
Greg leaned sideways towards Marcus, uttering into his ear, "That's a pretty big playground then, am I right?"
"In that case, the Himalayas make for the perfect jungle gym," Marcus joked back, gently nudging the other man's ribs. "Plenty of sandboxes too if you know what I mean."
"Oh, oh!" Steven, who overheard, stuck a hand up into the air and waved it vigorously. "Can the jungles be the swing sets and the hills slides?"
Garnet smiled at her boy's silliness. "Only if the caves and caverns get to be tunnels."
"Wait, what would that make the oceans?" Lapis brought up, confused by the comparisons yet curious.
Amethyst set both hands behind her head and leaned back in her seat. "How about them roads outside the playgrounds? Oh wait, why not make 'em the schools? Cuz ya know…," she trailed off purposefully. Steven snorted at the implicit pun.
Pearl hummed with one hand on her chin, semi-seriously contemplating Amethyst's suggestion. "Both do have plenty of activity that take place interrelated with yet separate from the areas of interest. Not to mention both in a sense have plenty of fields yet to be explored."
Uma chuckled. "Just make sure to respect the equipment! The forces of nature make for formidable monitors."
Lapis snorted, thumbing at herself. "I should know. I'm one of them!"
Even Kurtis couldn't resist laughing alongside the others at that one, the young man's shoulders trembling as he palmed his face to hide a mirthful smile.
As more playground jokes dominated the air, Greg took in all the smiles and laughter and beamed. This, this was how a family gathering should be. The man wrapped an arm around his son, feeling so proud right now. "Putting this meal together was a great idea, Steven. Thank you."
Steven returned the hug in equal gratitude. "Everyone deserves a thank you!" He looked to the maroon fusion. "Garnet's the one who gathered up the vegetables!"
Garnet in turn looked to Lapis and Peridot. "There wouldn't have been any to pick if not for these two growing them in the first place."
The green Gem took the next turn. "Well, Pearl deserves thanks for driving us to the store!"
Lapis elbowed her barnmate. "Don't forget Kurtis and Steven! They were the ones who bought everything else! Remember?"
"Only after Uma and a good friend of ours helped us figure out what to get," Kurtis added. He received a thankful pat on one arm from his grandmother and affectionate nuzzle in the other from Amber.
"Let's not forget everyone who helped pitched in with preparing the food!" Pearl added.
"And disposin' of the leftover stuff!" Amethyst agreed before letting off a burp that smelled suspiciously like onion skins. Peridot rightfully wrinkled her nose and waved off the offending smell, albeit with a fond half-smile she barely tried to hide.
Andy gave a slightly off chuckle, once again thrown by how Steven's mom-aunts-whatevers marched to the beat of their own drums. Hell, about everyone at this table seemed to have their own rhythm, as if they had their lives all figured out.
Pearl splayed her hands in a hearty manner. "Well then, I think that's everyone!"
"Wait," Steven cried out as he shot up in his seat. "What about Uncle Andy?!"
Andy put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, managing a weak smile. "Eh, it's fine. I pitched in with cutting up the food, 'member?"
"Precisely!" Peridot agreed before holding up her plate high in the air. "That leaves only one human milestone left! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" everyone returned, raising their plates as well.
Everyone except Andy, who couldn't bring himself to follow suit. He only stared down at his piece of cake, a tiny groom standing alone atop the frosting. A rueful frown took shape.
Steven did not take long to notice. "Uncle Andy?"
Nor did Andy take long to stand up and leave, much to everyone's concern, plainly stating to the Gems that the barn belonged to them now and leaving things at that.
Too bad (and lucky) for him Steven wasn't the type to simply leave things at anything. One flight later courtesy of Lapis followed by an emotionally charged confrontation Universe-style, his nephew succeeded in convincing him to circle back to the barn.
Plenty of time for a certain conversation – or rather lots of certain conversations - to be had.
Once the plane touched down on the grass and the pair exited, they were greeted by the sight of Greg, the Flores, and the Gems waiting in a loose nervous circle in front of the barn. Greg was the first to notice his cousin's return and ran up to him.
"Andy!" He stopped within arms' reach of the other man, half-ready for another refusal of physical contact. "You OK?"
Color him surprised when Andy tackled him in a fierce bear-hug. That sufficed for an answer.
When Andy stepped back, he averted eye contact while rubbing the back of his balding head in low-key shame. "Um, sorry about bailing out of dinner like that, guys."
Uma chose that moment to approach, hands behind her back. "Oh sweetie, of course we forgive you," she cooed with a smile before gesturing the taller man to bend down to her level. Once he did, she beaned him in the forehead with one of the wooden ladles used for the salad, "now that is."
Despite the sharp pain, Andy managed a sheepish chuckle even as he rubbed the affected spot. Yeah, he definitely deserved that one.
"We're just happy your leave wasn't permanent!" Pearl chirped, hands together. Man, this lady gestured with her hands a lot.
"Especially after we put so much work into that dinner," Peridot grumbled under her breath, eyes angled to the side and arms crossed. She earned a double elbow in the ribs from Amethyst and Lapis.
"Ya know," Andy continued as he took a step towards the group and observed the abandoned dinner, "there's still plenty to go around. I didn't even try some of those grape dumplings Uma brought yet."
The elderly woman smiled at one of her native dishes being acknowledged, let alone being shown interest.
"Eh, it's all cool, ¡hermano!" Marcus cheered while he wheeled towards Andy and gave the thickset man a big hug, one where Andy surprised him by returning it.
"Thanks, buddy and…sorry for giving you and Greg grief. I really hope you two goofballs are happy together."
Ah, the perfect moment for Marcus and Greg to not only blush but also catch the urging 'tell the truth' frowns from their sons, even empathetic nods from some of the Gems.
Greg cleared his throat. "About that. Marcus and I aren't really dating…or engaged or anything. We're just really good friends, and we wanted to get back at you for all the stuff you were saying about everyone."
"Particularly the immigrant jab," Marcus added as he disengaged from his hug, looking serious for a moment. At least until he spared a glance at Greg. "Not that I don't find your cousin handsome or anything—"
Really? Steven set his hands akimbo. "Marcus."
A series of astonished chuckles from Andy stopped him, the older man waving a placating hand at his nephew. "Nah, nah, Steven! They got me good with that one. Plus, you gotta admit I had it comin'!" In fact, the pilot adopted a conscientious frown and took off his aviator's cap in respect. "I'm really sorry about all the stuff I said, everyone, especially when I showed up. That was…definitely not cool. Sorry for being a handful, guys."
All the Gems shared a long look before exploding into laughter. Even Amber hid a humored smirk beneath her fur.
"A handful?!" Peridot cackled. "Please, you should've seen me when I first arrived on Earth! No, no, no! When the others had me trapped in Steven's bathroom! I was a complete menace!"
Amethyst doubled over, snorting at the memories. Oh 'menace' was putting it lightly.
"Hey at least you didn't steal the oceans and disrupt climates and ecosystems all over the world," Lapis jokingly shot back…only to blush indigo. She put a hand to her nape, sheepish now. "Still working on fixing that one."
Pearl took the reins of the conversation. "What we're trying to say is, everyone's a work in progress! What matters is that we all acknowledge where we need to improve and take responsibility of ourselves to do better!"
"Nicely said," Garnet agreed, setting a hand on her friend's shoulder with an agreeing nod.
Greg emulated the nod in full gusto. "Then let's start this dinner back up!" He flung a wink over to his cousin. "So long as you don't mind a little more time with our 'coven' of course."
Andy smirked before giving the smart aleck a playful punch to the shoulder. Hey, he got in this deep with this colorful cast. Why back out now?
XXX
"Are you certain, Yellow?"
"Blue, look at these screens! How can I be anything other than certain?"
Blue Diamond cupped her elbow in one hand and her chin in the other, perplexed. She and Yellow Diamond were standing within the atrium of the golden matriarch's office before a set of massive screens outlining various data. "I don't understand how they're managing to gain ground on us like this, let alone recently."
"The how does not matter!" Yellow snapped. "The mere fact this is happening at all should be concern enough!"
With a sharp turn of her heels, the golden monarch set her hands behind and regarded the readings in deepest disdain. "Doesn't help that the Cluster still has yet to have emerged from that backwater planet." Never mind the fact that the Ruby Squadron she sent there returned with the most transparent excuse she'd ever heard.
'Lost in the crash landing', her facet. Yellow Diamond had dealt with Pink's Jasper for far too long to not recognize her vengeful fixation with Rose Quartz – and the sad part: she couldn't even fully blame that Jasper for wishing to stay behind. Stars, she could even relate. But Yellow knew better than to give into sentiment unlike these lesser Gems. Homeworld needed her and the other Diamonds to know better.
Unfortunately, with everything else going on and resources already stretched thin, there would have to be some reordering of priorities.
The golden matriarch stroked a hand against her chin, pondering for a few moments. "Blue, are you planning any trips to Pink's palanquin anytime soon?"
Blue shot her fellow Diamond a gaze full of wonder. "Why yes, Yellow. In fact, I was originally intending to do so after the next series of meetings with my Court. Are you suggesting I hold off on that for now?"
"On the contrary, I believe it may be conducive to send protection – or better yet extra eyes." Reaching forward, she pressed a button on the armrest of her throne-like chair. "Pearl."
The squawking voice of her assistant responded with flawless promptness. "Yes, My Diamond?"
"Are any Benitoite squadrons currently available?"
Various bleeps sounded. "As a matter of fact, Your Radiance, one has just returned from a mission. Shall I send them to meet you at your current coordinates?"
Yellow Diamond nodded. "At once." With that, she unpressed the button and ended the call.
Blue Diamond's surprised and slightly concerned voice returned the matriarch's attention to her azure counterpart. "Benitoites? Yellow, what exactly are you expecting me to run into on that planet?"
"Hopefully, whatever caused that one Peridot to turn traitor. For the most part, however, I want to figure out what's keeping the Cluster." With luck, perhaps this course of action could reveal a connection between the two. "Homeworld's under enough stress dealing with them. The last thing we need is any unexpected surprises."
Not that Blue couldn't understand her fellow Diamond's concerns; she only struggled to see what dangers Yellow expected, unless – Blue bit back a grimace. No, she'd rather not entertain any thoughts of them still being alive. Instead, she set a gentle hand onto Yellow's shoulder. "Are you sure you aren't being a bit hasty, Yellow?"
"Blue," Yellow sighed in a slightly softer tone while setting her own hand atop Blue's and fixing her with a compassionate frown, "you know as well as I do how imperative speed is when dealing with enemies like these. We can't afford to lose any more than we already have."
Blue returned her gaze to the screens, eyes heavy from questions plaguing her. One in particular.
Would it not be too late then to gather one last piece of Pink's legacy?
Sorry about taking so long. This chapter was surprisingly tough to write. On the bright side, ya'll can consider this a belated New Years gift. 3