When Steven first saw the phantoms of the shattered gems, he was terrified. He kept feeling heat flashes, and the strain on his mind and ears was painful. Once Steven realized it was the gems, like Twoie warned him, it wasn't as scary anymore. Peridot was freaked out for a moment until she remembered, and then she watched over him until he woke up. He and Peridot were so thankful that his big brother warned him about the experience.
The climb back up took about the same amount of time as it did to drill. Peridot let Steven sleep for most of the way back, exhausted from helping the Cluster bubble itself and his anxiety over his brother's unknown condition. She had assured him throughout their trip that Twoie would be fine, but nothing could calm his fears about his brother. When the green gem woke Steven up, about a half-hour before they breached the surface, she hoped that the gems and Twoie would be there to greet them.
It was to her great relief when the top of the drill opened, and Twoie and the gems were waiting for them. Steven didn't hesitate to jump out of the drill and throw himself at his older brother. He had the biggest smile on his face, but when he pulled back, he spotted the marks on Twoie's neck. "Twoie! What happened? Where were you? Are you okay? How are the bruises back? How long have you been waiting for us?" Twoie ruffled Steven's hair with a laugh.
"Breath, Steven! Everything's fine. I see you guys were able to help the Cluster!" His smile turned somber. "I'm sorry we weren't able to join you. I know how scary it was to see the Cluster like that." Steven puffed his cheeks out, ready to chastise him, but was interrupted by the Crystal Gems before he could.
Pearl ran over and hugged Steven. "I'm so glad you guys made it back! Did you destroy the Cluster?" The kid smiled and shook his head.
"No, I talked to it!" Amethyst huffed but smiled fondly at his statement. Pearl had her brow raised, horribly confused, while Garnet watched with a small smile. Peridot walked up to them with a smirk on her face. Steven turned, so he was facing the gems. "It doesn't want to destroy the earth, it just wants company! And it's got it now. It's like a bajillion people. They'll have lots of time to get to know each other, now that they're in a bubble."
Pearl stared at him. Everyone watched as she silently stared at him for a couple of seconds. Then, "How on earth did you bubble that whole thing?" Steven chuckled at her.
"We had a little help." Steven turned back to face Twoie, who was quietly watching everyone else talk. "So, what happened after I left? I was so worried about you! And you still never told me why the bruises are back?" Steven frowned at the annoyed look that flashed across Twoie's face. He looked behind him at the others to see they were worried. The kid returned his focus to his older brother.
Twoie rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to get his thoughts together. Garnet sighed and stepped forward. "Twoie got hurt when he was attacked by Malachite. Once we found him, we brought him to Rose's Fountain." Steven knew the fountain would've healed all of his injuries, so why were the bruises still there? The kid hugged his brother's arm as Garnet continued her explanation. "He must've used make-up or something akin to that to cover up the markings on his skin. It washed away in the water, which is how we discovered that he lied about his condition. As of now, I'm going to ask that you do not do anything too strenuous with Twoie. That means no training and no missions." Steven looked up at Twoie. He felt Twoie's hand clench into a fist, and there was a flash of something in his eyes that Steven couldn't place.
"Are you okay, Twoie?" Steven frowned when Twoie nodded. He was sure that Twoie was lying to him. Maybe when they went back home, they could talk about this. Steven just wanted Twoie to be okay. Speaking of okay… "Oh, what about Lapis? Where is she?"
Amethyst smiled and gestured to the barn. "She's fine. I put her in the barn when we got back. Once she wakes up, we'll see how she feels and what she wants to do next!" Peridot hummed as she stepped forward.
"You guys! We still have to tell you about everything that happened!" The gems grinned in amusement as Peridot launched into an exaggerated story about her and Steven's adventure to defeat the Cluster. She waved her arms around, made her hands look like blasters, and teased Steven about passing out on her. Steven took over for his part in talking with the Cluster. Once their story ended, the gems clapped for them. Peridot placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. "You know, I'm glad we were able to stop the Cluster. I like it here! In fact, I think I know what I want to do now that I'm living on earth."
The others looked at her curiously. "I'm going to remain here at the barn and use my brilliant mind to create new things! I want to learn all about Earth technology, and then come up with my own technology that will be vastly superior! Nyeh-hehe!" Steven squealed in joy at how happy Peridot was. However, Twoie looked resigned at her decision.
"Well, at least the barn already has electricity. I'm… glad you found a place to call home, Peridot." Twoie pushed himself to his feet and started walking away. Everyone stared at him in confusion.
"Twoie, wait! Where are you going?" Steven called out after him. Twoie plastered a weak smile on his face and gestured to the barn.
"I'm going to go check on Lapis. She is supposed to wake up tonight, but who knows?" The young man continued unhindered. Once inside the barn, Twoie listened to make sure he wasn't followed. Hearing no footsteps or voices, Twoie slid down against the barn wall until he was sitting on the floor. He buried his head in his arms and cried.
Quiet voices woke Twoie up that night. He blearily opened his eyes and noticed that Steven was no longer asleep in the loft with him. Without making a sound, the young man peered over the edge of the loft. In the center of the barn were Lapis and Steven. They were talking for a couple of minutes before the blue gem took off into the sky. He quickly slid back into his sleeping bag and pretended to sleep when Steven climbed back into the loft. "Psst. Twoie?" Twoie mustered all of his control to not respond. After a pause, he heard Steven sigh and climb back his own sleeping bag. "I wish you would talk to me."
Twoie snapped his eyes open. Suddenly, all feeling of exhaustion was wiped away at Steven's wistful tone. He took a deep breath and focused on not reacting as Steven continued. "I know you're lying to me. You're hurting, and I want to help you, but I don't know how. I've tried talking to you like you did with me, but it seems like I can never say the right thing to help you open up. It's frustrating because you're my brother, and it hurts to see you so upset." Twoie bit his lip. He was hoping he'd fool Steven, but the kid was just too perceptive. "I wish I had the courage to tell you this while you were awake. Maybe you would stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong." Twoie must've been biting too hard because his teeth started aching, and suddenly he could taste copper in his mouth. He held back a wince of pain. The last thing he wanted was to cause Steven even more grief. "I'll find a way to help you. I promise. Love you, Twoie."
Twoie laid there, stewing in his own guilt while waiting for Steven to fall asleep. Once the kid's breathing evened out, Twoie made his way outside the barn. He couldn't keep doing this. It seemed like everything worsened as time went on. Peridot was leaving now, but this time he knew it was coming. And who was he to selfishly ask her to stay at the house? Peridot needed to be her own person. She found her home on the earth at the barn. There was no way he could ever imagine trying to stop her.
And now he was hurting Steven, But what could he do? He couldn't just unload all of his problems and feelings on Steven. That's why he was behaving this way in the first place. He couldn't talk to his gems. He couldn't talk to his Connie or friends, and Priyanka was really busy with work. He would only bother her by making her worry while she was cities away. Twoie was fine. He was fine! If he told himself that often enough, then he'd have to believe it, and it would be true, right?
The time traveler sat outside, leaning against the barn for hours, just him and his thoughts. The moon slowly started to fade as the sun began to rise. As he was about to head inside to make some coffee, he paused. A figure flew across the sky and alighted on top of the silo. Huh. He always wondered how long Lapis had spent sitting on top of the silo. Twoie smiled and headed inside to make the coffee.
He walked back out with two mugs of hot coffee in his hands. It would be cool enough to drink in a couple of minutes due to the chilly morning air. Twoie floated up from the base of the silo and sat down next to Lapis. She was staring at him in confusion. "Uh, who are you? And why do you look so much like Steven?"
Twoie chuckled. "My name is Twoie. I'm Steven but from the future. It's nice to see you again, Lapis!"
Her eyes widened. "Did you say future?"
He nodded. "About three years into the future. Here, this is called coffee." Twoie held out the mug to her. She grabbed it and sighed at the warm feeling of the drink in her hands. Her companion took a drink, so she copied him. It was strange. Bitter. She took another sip. "It takes a little time to get used to the bitterness, but it's good once you do. It's nice and warm, and sometimes I feel like it's the only thing that helps me get through the day." He froze once he realized what he just said. "Don't tell anyone I said that! I'll be put on house arrest if Steven or the gems found out."
Lapis rolled her eyes.. "Trust me. I know what it's like to be trapped against your will." The blue gem tilted her head as she scrutinized him. "Are you sure you're Steven from the Future? You sound really pessimistic for such a happy person."
Twoie laughed at her. "I'm sure. Beach Summer Fun Buddies, remember?" Lapis snickered, bringing her palm to her mouth and making a plbtt sound. The two laughed together and watched the sunrise.
Lapis continued to take little sips from the cooling mug in her hands. It was soothing, the bitter drink warmed her hands comfortably, and the taste was oddly refreshing. Like she was somehow ready to tackle the world now. Maybe that was because of her buddy, though, instead of the drink. "How long do you think you'll be here, Twoie?"
"I don't know. The artifact that brought me here broke. I can't go home unless the gems can find a way to glue it together, and the only thing that can do that is off-world. I'm stuck here, at least for now. What about you?" She glanced at him. "I thought you were leaving for Homeworld."
She frowned and looked back into the sky. "I was going to. But once I was in the atmosphere, I realized that I couldn't. Homeworld is so different now, and with what happened with Jasper, who knows what they'd do to me if I returned. I've got nowhere to go." She narrowed her eyes suddenly and turned to face Twoie. "You know what? You're a lot like me. Can't go home and stuck in a world you weren't supposed to be in." She snorted as she realized that she sounded negative now. "I guess we're the Pessimist Summer Fun Buddies."
Twoie laughed at their new title. "There is a difference between us, though." He looked across the horizon, at the trees changing colors and the sparkling ocean. "I think you're where you're meant to be. You can live here on earth. You can live how you want to. Fly in the sky, tour the world, play on the beach! Whatever you want to do, Lapis, you can do that here." Lapis smiled.
"That's the Steven Universe I remember." She stood up and brushed the dirt from her dress. "Alright then, Twoie. I'll think about it." Twoie jumped off the silo and floated to the ground. Lapis landed beside him.
"Great! I know someone who can help." He gestured for the aquatic gem to follow him as he led the way back into the barn.