AN: I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! I promised I would update this story once a month, and I am pleased to be updating Greg's reaction to the incident. I hope you guys enjoy it!
There was something off about today. Greg wasn't sure what it was, though. He'd gone through his morning routine of waking up, texting 'good morning' to his sons, and opening up the car wash. The mayor had come by with the Dewey Mobile, and Jenny had dropped off her family's delivery car for a wash as well. Neither had informed him of anything odd in town when they chatted, so Greg just shrugged the feeling off as unprompted paranoia. Lately, Beach City had been dealing with a lot more gem incidents than usual, so the older man attributed his unease to that. Greg regretted his inaction when the earth rumbled and shook. He quickly ducked under his desk inside the car wash and waited for the rumbling to stop. "Since when does Beach City get earthquakes?" The vibrations faded as rapidly as they started.
Greg rushed out of the building, staring in horror at the cloud of sand rising from behind the lighthouse. "Oh, no…" He quickly pulled his phone out and dialed Steven's number. His fear skyrocketed when the father reached Steven's voicemail. He tried to stay calm as he redialed the number, only to reach the voicemail message again. Greg dialed Twoie's and Pearl's numbers as well, but every call went unanswered. "Please be okay." Even though Greg had a strict stance on gem stuff, he knew he needed to go to the beach house. He had to see if his sons were alright. Greg quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket and started up his van.
It didn't matter that he was only human. He was going to be there for his sons if they were in trouble. The worried father didn't even close up the wash as he drove onto the road. His only concern was reaching the beach house. As he headed towards the boardwalk, he could see other residents walking out of their houses, curious about the earthquake as well. His eyes scanned the people he drove past, but he didn't see either of his sons among the growing crowd. Greg's heart hammered in his chest. He recalled Steven talking to him about the incident with the green handship. Thoughts of his sons being kidnapped again or killed or injured by the gems involved plagued his mind. He was so consumed in his thoughts that he almost drove past the small entourage walking towards the boardwalk. Greg slammed his foot on the brakes as he saw Steven with a pink version of Twoie, a green gem, and an unconscious Twoie in the pink one's arms. "Steven! Twoie!" The older man put his van in park and rushed out to his sons. Immediately, he noted red eyes and tear tracks on Steven's face. Something horrible must've happened.
Greg wished he had acted on his bad feeling as his hands hovered over his eldest son. Stars, Twoie's clothes were torn and covered in dried blood. Greg lightly touched his son's face as he tried to rouse the unconscious teen. "Twoie!" His skin was so cold. Twoie looked so pale and lifeless. "Twoie, please!" Greg's shaky fingers pressed against Twoie's neck, straining to find a pulse. The father sobbed as he tried Twoie's wrist, then pressed his ear to his son's chest. Nothing. No pulse, no breath, nothing.
Greg collapsed onto the sand. His son was dead. Twoie was dead. The little baby that he held in his arms… The baby that took his breath away when he first held him. That filled his heart with more love than he ever felt in his life. He did everything for Steven. He loved his son with every fiber of his being. Taught him music. Took him to festivals at the beach. Watched him laugh, and cry, and smile. Watched him grow into a kid… And then met who he would be. The young man who saved the universe. Who became an older brother to Steven and a vital part of their family. The young man that Greg was so proud of. Someone placed his eldest son's body in his arms, and Greg clutched him close. He never thought he'd hold his son like this. Why did this happen? Why did his son have to die? Greg wanted to keep his son close and never let him go. But he couldn't. Twoie was gone, and he had more than one son. Greg couldn't afford to lose himself to his grief. Steven still needed him. He glanced up and saw Steven crying anew. Greg shifted Twoie in his arm, then held his free hand out to his youngest.
Steven stumbled forward, collapsing onto his father's chest. "I'm so sorry, Dad!" The kid tucked his head under his father's chin as he cried. "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't!"
Greg tightly hugged his youngest son. His heart agonized over Twoie, but he needed to focus on Steven. "What happened, Steven? Who did this?" He looked up in surprise when the green gem and the pink version of Twoie walked forward.
The green gem stood in front of him, rubbing her hands nervously. "Hello, the Dad. My name is Peridot." Peridot took a deep breath. "I am requesting shelter on behalf of my comrades. The ones who did this to the Twoie were the Crystal Gems." Greg's eyes widened in disbelief. There was no way that was true. That couldn't be true. "Twoie was trying to defend me, and the gems took it as a betrayal. They fought the Twoie, and…" Peridot looked away sadly. "We've got nowhere else we can go."
Greg felt sick. He thought he could trust the gems. He left his son with them so they could give him a better life. So they could protect him and raise him to use his powers safely. Never had he ever thought the gems would be responsible for the death of his son. "They killed him!" Steven wailed as he pulled away from his dad. Peridot flinched at the anger in the kid's voice. "I was trying to tell the gems to stop, and they wouldn't listen to me! They just k-kept hurting him!" Greg was taken aback by the anger and sadness in his son's gaze. "And during the fight, the cliffside got damaged, and the rocks fell on top of Twoie. He would've survived if the others hadn't cracked his gem!" Greg flinched in horror. He knew Steven and Twoie had their mother's gem, but he had never really thought of the stone cracking. The older man didn't know how that had affected Twoie. Greg bitterly wondered if he knew anything at this point. Steven looked at his brother, heartbroken, as he recalled what had happened. "He's gone, Dad."
"Oh, Schtu-ball…" Greg pulled his son close and brushed a hand through his kid's hair.
Steven couldn't fight back the new wave of tears. He was so tired. He wanted his brother. Twoie always knew how to cheer him up. But Twoie wasn't here anymore. Twoie was dead. Steven's mind reeled. Twoie was really gone. No more late-night talks about Crying Breakfast Friends. No more stories before bed. No more school. No more cooking together or hanging out on the boardwalk or playing games together or sparring together or trips to the museum or- or… "H-he's gone!" Steven bawled over his brother's body. "I-I want my brother b-back!" Tears dripped down his cheeks and splashed onto his brother's clothes. "I want Twoie back!" And as Steven sobbed in his father's arms, a couple of tears landed on Twoie's hand. The tears sparkled before disappearing. And then, as though answering Steven's plea, Twoie's body began to glow. The light shined brightly, catching everyone's attention. Steven stared in awe as the glow spread, until every inch of Twoie was glowing pink. As suddenly as it had started, the glow faded, leaving behind pink skin and light pink hair.
Twoie's hand twitched. Peridot gasped in amazement as Twoie's face scrunched, and he groaned in pain. No one could look away. The young man opened his eyes as he slowly sat up. "Steven?" His eyes widened as he took in his brother's state. Steven was crying silently, staring at him with his eyes wide in shock. Twoie worriedly grabbed his younger brother's hands. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"TWOIE!" Greg and Steven cried out as they tightly hugged the revived teen. Twoie looked around in surprise. Peridot stared at him in awe, and he briefly wondered when she had shown up. Then, Twoie's eyes alighted on Pink Twoie. Memories flooded his mind. He remembered hiding Peridot, being yelled at by the gems, being cracked, and then-! The teen quickly raised one of his hands up. Pink. His hand was pink. Twoie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The gems had killed him. Twoie had died, and if it weren't for Steven, he would've stayed dead.
The revived teen was roused from his thoughts when Pink Twoie walked up to them and knelt beside his other half. "I protected them. I knew that was what you would have wanted."
Twoie grabbed Pink Twoie's hand, flashing him a wobbly smile as tears welled in his eyes. "Thank you. I didn't expect to come back after what happened. Thank you for watching over Steven and Peridot for me." Pink Twoie silently accepted the gratitude.
Greg tearfully looked up at the newcomer. He was curious about this pink version of his eldest son. "Anyone willing to protect my sons is a friend in my book. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Greg, Twoie's, and Steven's father." Pink Twoie stared at him, though he did nod back.
Twoie brushed a hand through Steven's hair as he turned to their dad. "Oh, he's actually my gem half. He's aware of who you are since we share my memories."
Greg blinked in surprise before smiling softly at the gem. "I guess that means I have three sons now. What should I call you, then?"
Steven sniffled as he pulled back from hugging his brother. "Yeah, Pink Twoie! You should pick out a name!"
Pink Twoie stared at his human half. He would always be a part of Twoie, even in this new form. If his other half was giving him a choice… "Ven." Ven liked how it sounded. He felt uncomfortable going by something unfamiliar to him. No matter what, he would always be a part of Steven Universe.
Greg helped Steven and Twoie stand, then he walked forward and pulled Ven into a hug. "It's nice to meet you, Ven." His newest son hesitantly hugged Greg back before breaking off the hug. Greg figured Ven wasn't comfortable and took no offense. Everything was changing so quickly. Greg wanted to know more about Twoie's new state but decided it'd be better if they didn't talk about it while being this close to the beach house. Greg honestly wanted to be as far from the house as possible, though he knew that wasn't realistic. He turned to face the green gem. "I think Steven and Twoie told me about you. Peridot, right?"
Peridot crossed her arms and stood proudly, though it was obvious she was still shaken by everything. "Y-yes! Verifiable genius, astounding technician, and certified Kindergartener." She looked behind herself nervously before turning back to Greg. "Have you accepted our request?"
The older man nodded. "It's not very big, but I own a car wash in town. We can stay there for now until I figure out somewhere better." Greg figured it would do for a couple of days, but he knew it wasn't a long-term solution. Maybe they could brainstorm together? The older man ushered everyone into the van and headed back to the car wash. As he drove, Greg came to an epiphany. For years, he had tried to remain uninvolved in anything gem-related. His stance was the reason he wasn't around for so many situations that had affected Steven and Twoie. Maybe he would've been able to stop the gems if he had been around more often. Maybe he would've seen the signs that they were going to hurt his sons. Greg knew what he needed to do. He needed to be more involved in all aspects of his sons' lives.