Let it be known that Gregory Universe was a determined man. He woke up early that morning and prepared breakfast for his sons. This was going to be a long and complicated conversation that he was determined to make a good one. Greg finished setting the table when he heard his sons wake up. Twoie was the first one down. The older man winced at how worn his eldest looked. It was as if he slept for an hour instead of a full eight. His youngest bounded down the steps a minute after, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"Morning, Twoie! Morning, Dad!" Steven chimed as he ran over to the table. The kid glanced at all the food with stars in his eyes. "You didn't have to make breakfast. But it looks amazing!" Twoie chuckled and rubbed Steven's head as he walked by him.
The young man patted his dad on the shoulder, and blearily grabbed a mug. "Morning Dad, and Steven. Did you already serve yourself some coffee?" He poured himself a cup and took a big gulp. Greg laughed and held up his own mug.
"Yeah, I did. Thanks for asking." The father waited until both of his sons had sat down and served themselves before taking a deep breath. "Look, kiddoes. I-uh…" Twoie and Steven swapped a look of concern as Greg awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just…" Greg steeled his nerves. "I think it's time I told you more about myself." Twoie choked on the pancake he was eating. Steven's eyes widened as he looked at his dad in wonder. "Oh, boy…" Greg nervously smiled at their completely opposing reactions.
"Are you going to tell us more about your life as a Rockstar before you met mom? Are you going to tell us more about mom? Are you going to tell us that you actually grew up as the son of world-famous singers and were tragically separated while on tour, and now you have a clue as to your parentage and you'll be going on an adventure to find them?" Steven rambled in excitement as he stood on his chair and leaned over the table. Twoie softly snorted at his younger brother's last question and their dad's confused expression.
"I'm pretty sure that's the plot of a movie, Schtu-ball." Greg cut another slice from his pancake and ate it. "I've lived in the van for decades. A couple of months after I decided to live life on the road, I met Marty, and he became my manager. I already told you that story, Steven."
Twoie raised a brow in confusion. "Was that after you stopped talking to Uncle Andy?" Steven's head whipped to face him as he mouthed, "Uncle Andy…" Greg, on the other hand, was perplexed.
"Uncle Andy? You mean, my cousin Andy?" Twoie nodded. Greg brushed his hand through his hair. "When did you meet my cousin? I stopped talking to the rest of the family a long time ago." Steven looked back and forth between them, eyes widening further at the thought of more family.
"Yeah, Steven will meet him pretty soon. Sometime after Lapis and Peridot move into the barn, Uncle Andy shows up and tries to make them leave. I had to call you to explain the situation and man, was he not happy about a lot of the decisions you made. But he came around to it after we carried out the old DeMayo tradition of a family dinner at the barn. I still talk to him, and he sometimes visits." Andy was the only family Twoie had besides the gems and his dad. He was very fond of the older man and was happy that they were able to keep in touch over the years. His dad seemed like he got along with him as well, which was why the annoyed glare he was now sporting stunned him.
Greg rolled his eyes as he glowered at his food. "Ugh, the traditions. The DeMayos were all about tradition."
Steven frowned, gaze flicking back and forth between the two of them. "Wait, DeMayo? What's that?" Twoie gestured to their dad.
Greg let out a long sigh. "My original last name was DeMayo, but when I moved out, I got it legally changed once I was old enough to change it."
Steven pouted and sat back down. "DeMayo is such a cool name. Much cooler than Universe." Twoie laughed and patted Steven's back.
"I thought that too, when I first heard it. But it just means that we're Steven Quartz Cutie Pie D-." Twoie froze as his mind caught up to his mouth. "DeMayo Universe." He laughed off the look the other two gave him.
Greg hummed as he ate the last of his breakfast. Steven frowned and looked back at his father. "But why did you change your name? Why did you stop talking to the rest of your family? I didn't even know we had other family." He pushed the food around on his plate.
Their father sighed and picked up his plate. He headed over to the sink and washed his dishes, putting them in the dish rack once he was done. "I never told you guys about my family because I grew up in a prison." He sat down at the table again. "My parents were very strict. Anything I liked was off-limits, and I had to do every little thing they told me to do, or they would throw a fit. So one day, I decided I wasn't going to live like that anymore. I took to the road and truly began my music career!" Greg smiled as he imagined that amazing night where he took his future into his own hands. That was when he heard that song. He accidentally left that at home, didn't he? "You know what? Get dressed, boys! We're going on a family road trip!"
Twoie and Steven startled at his excitement. The timing was a little odd, but family road trips were things people usually did, right? Twoie's dream flashed in his mind for a moment. It'd be nice to be a normal human for once.
The Universes bundled up into the van and took off on their family road trip. Although the van didn't have a back seat, Greg had jerry-rigged a back seat and seatbelt for Steven along the wall of the van behind the driver's seat. Steven and Twoie had dressed for the occasion as it was a fairly warm summer day. There wasn't much traffic heading out of Beach City, and Steven had his face pressed against the window. The kid was rambling about all of the new sights and towns they were passing by. The group stopped at a burger place for lunch and eventually arrived in a neighborhood at sunset. Greg scanned the rows of cookie-cutter houses. Once he found the right one, he pulled over and parked along the sidewalk. There was no car in the driveway, and Greg didn't expect there to be one. "Good, they're not home."
Twoie and Steven stared at Greg in surprise as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. "Wait, Dad? What do you mean by that? Where are you going?" Twoie quickly unbuckled his own seatbelt and rushed out of the car, Steven following him a second later. The two shared a look of panic as Greg climbed over the fence. They hopped over the fence and floated up to the window their dad had opened.
"Dad! You're breaking and entering!" Steven whisper-yelled as they also climbed inside. Their dad was rifling through several boxes in a simple blue room. Twoie walked out of the room with the intent of leaving a note while Steven stayed and tried pulling on his dad's arm. "You can't just go into people's houses and take their things! I thought you said we were going to get something you needed?" Steven lectured him. The kid started putting items back into boxes that Greg left out and hoped that he put things in the right places.
"I just need one thing, and then we can leave. Believe me, I wouldn't have come here if I could avoid it. I hate being in my parents' house." Steven froze. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything as he looked around his dad's old room.
"This… was your room?" Steven would've said more, but Twoie called out from the hallway, sprinting into the room.
"This is your house?" Twoie smiled and began looking around the room once Steven confirmed it. "This place is beautiful! I thought you said it was a prison?" Steven tilted his head curiously and went to go explore the hallway and the living room. Twoie snorted as he heard the echoed exclamation of wonder from Steven somewhere in the house a moment later.
Greg scoffed as he continued digging through boxes. "I did! I told you that this morning. You have no idea what it was like curfew, chaperones, meatloaf!" Steven walked back into the room.
"You didn't like meatloaf?" He questioned as he looked around the room. His eyes lit up, and he knelt down at the box in front of him and Twoie.
"Not every Thursday for twenty years." Twoie smiled at his dad and knelt down beside Steven. He watched his dad push the box away and grab another one.
Twoie glanced down into the box, watching as Steven carefully moved the items inside around. "It can't have been that bad." He chuckled as Steven pulled out a wrestling trophy and excitedly shoved it in his face.
"Twoie, it was horrible. Do you know how old I was the first time I had a taco?" Greg sighed and stared off into the distance. "Too old…" Steven pulled the trophy back. He frowned at his dad but brushed it off to hold up the trophy again.
"Dad, I didn't know you wrestled! Amethyst and I used to be underground wrestlers. You could've taught me some things!" Steven was so excited to learn all these new things about his dad.
He had grandparents, an Uncle Andy, his dad used to wrestle, but then Steven's joy dimmed when he heard his dad practically growl, "Not by choice."
He didn't get the chance to reflect on it for long as Twoie pulled out a middle school yearbook. The young man squealed in joy as he found their dad's photo. "Steven, look! He had braces!" Steven laughed at Twoie's excitement. His brother had been really upset lately with everything going on. It was nice to see him so happy. He watched his older brother take a photo of the picture. Twoie's face became wistful as he looked at it. "You look just like us, only… more human." Steven raised a brow in confusion but didn't voice his concern. He wasn't sure what Twoie meant by that, but it seemed to make him sad.
They flipped through the book together until they reached the end, where friends could write notes. "Wow, so many people signed this! Tim says he wants you to have a great summer and… Who is Lauren Hett?" Steven giggled at the way Twoie said it. "She sure wrote a lot." Twoie was almost sing-songy as he teased their father.
Greg wasn't phased by any of it, though. He just sighed and continued rummaging through his old boxes. "We were in mathletes together. It's just one of the million things my parents made me do."
Steven frowned as he realized that his dad was upset. It didn't seem like Twoie noticed, though. The youngest coughed and hoped to steer the attention away from his dad. "Where are your parents, anyway?" And Twoie ruined that plan. Steven looked worriedly back and forth between his two family members.
"They're probably in Empire City. Every summer, they take a trip to Empire City to watch a couple shows, visit the art museum, and eat at fancy restaurants. They would only do things that were "refined" and "tasteful." And every single winter of every single year, they go to their timeshare on Florida Island. They threw a fit the first time I refused to go with them." Greg huffed. "I'm okay with traditions when they're fun, but DeMayo traditions were always so restrictive."
Okay, Steven needed to make a distraction. The kid stood up and walked over to his father. "What are you looking for anyway? Maybe I can help?"
Before Greg could reply, Twoie chimed in, "Ooh, your hair, it's so short!" Steven sighed as their dad facepalmed.
"Oh, no. Is that my graduation photo? They made me cut it." Steven frowned as Greg glared at the box. "And it was right before a gig. I told you that everything music was off-limits, which is why I had to…" Greg looked up at the vent of his room. "Hide my stuff!" The older man pushed a chair against the wall so he could unlatch the vent and pull a small box out. "Yes, this is it! We can finally get out of here!"
Steven sighed in relief. Although he was happy to learn about his dad's family, he would love to go home now. He didn't like seeing his dad upset or annoyed. And it seemed like the older man was both whiles inside this house. Their dad headed over to the window again, but Twoie convinced him to use the front door instead. Once they were back in the van, Greg started down the road and back towards Beach City. Twoie held the box in his lap while his dad drove. "What's inside here anyway. This was the whole reason you brought us there, right?"
Greg grinned as he steered the car onto the highway. "When I was little Gregory DeMayo, I was just going through the motions. Doing what everybody else wanted me to do. Why don't you open that box?" Steven peered over the side of his dad's seat just in time to see his older brother pull a CD out of the wooden box. "One day, my buddy in social studies snuck me that. That is the CD with the song that made me who I am! Put that in the CD player and play Track 4."
Steven giggled as Twoie did as instructed. "You like that song so much you have the track number memorized?" Steven laughed at the thought of his dad playing one song over and over again.
Greg grinned as the song loaded. "You know it! Hold on to your butts, kiddoes!" Steven leaned back into his seat as the song started playing.
"Looking for your place in the universe. Don't you know the universe is looking too? Looking for its place in you. And now it's coming through."
Twoie thought the song was fine, but he felt a little awkward sitting in the car without talking. This song was important to his dad, though, so he was happy they got it. And it meant they got to learn more about him then he'd ever told them before. His father, back in his original timeline, had never told him much about himself. It felt funny being closer to his past dad than his future dad, but it really meant a lot to him. Everything had been so confusing lately with all of the gem stuff going on and his weird sickness thing. This little family road trip felt… normal. Like being human instead of a gem. "Hey…"
Twoie didn't get to finish thanking his dad for opening up to them because his dad immediately stopped him. "Hang on, this is the best part!" Twoie blinked in surprise but stayed quiet as his dad started singing along. "Welcome to the party, Mr. Universe. We're so glad we are a part of you. Meet the rocks and flowers. The seconds and the hours." Twoie sighed and just watched the scenery outside the window as his dad continued. Steven was smiling in the back, swaying back and forth to the rhythm.
"The splinters, winters, apples, chapels, teardrops, temples, cats, and castles. Anything that you can be, the things you see and cannot see, are Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe." Though Greg and Steven were enjoying themselves, Twoie's eyes widened in realization and slight horror. It seemed ridiculous, but hearing the phrase, 'Mr. Universe' multiple times in his dad's favorite song…
"Dad? Is this where our name comes from?" Please say no, please say no. Twoie looked over at his dad and grimaced when his dad sat up straighter, as though proud of picking his name from a song.
"Yes! Yes, exactly!" Steven smiled from his seat and was about to chime in about how cool that was when he caught sight of the angry expression on Twoie's face.
"You took it from a song?!" Twoie gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe it! His dad renounced his family name for a dumb song lyric? There was no familial or special meaning? No history? Here he was, wishing and dreaming, for something that didn't involve gem stuff. He wanted to be a normal human being. Because normal humans wouldn't have had to deal with intergalactic dictators and having to fix all of Pink's mistakes. And he could've had that! But his dad gave it all up.
Steven could see Twoie getting even angrier at their dad's nonchalant attitude. "I think it's pretty neat. Dad wasn't happy at home, and so he went out and did what made him happy! Isn't that what matters in the end, Twoie?" He didn't know why Twoie was so upset. Steven mentally berated himself for not working harder at getting Twoie to open up to him. Maybe then he would've understood why his older brother was upset. Maybe he'd be able to calm him down, say the right thing for once. But it seemed like he only made Twoie angrier.
And Greg didn't notice any of this. "Once I heard this, everything changed. I suddenly realized there was so much out there I hadn't even thought to dream about! The whole world, the whole universe! I wanted to get out and see all of it!" Greg took a hand off of the wheel and gestured to the van. "So, I took this van on this road, and I never looked back!"
Twoie's eyes widened. Pearl began to draw the sword, but Pink stopped her. "Wait." Pearl set the sword and scabbard down. "There is one last thing I need to do. No one can ever find out we did this. I never want to look back."
"Twoie?" Twoie blinked a couple of times as he snapped to attention. His dad had a brow raised and was looking at him with slight concern.
He decided not to acknowledge his sudden flashback. "What did you say, Dad?"
His dad shrugged it off. "I said, Mr. Universe was exactly what I needed. I know you've been having a hard time being here in the past, and with whatever weird gem things have been going on. And you've been dealing with those weird bruise things that have been showing up. I told you two about myself because I wanted you to know that I'm here for you. For whatever you need."
Twoie clenched his fists. "What I need? I need what you had!" Twoie glared at his dad. Steven flinched as his brother raised his voice. "I wish I could've grown up in a house like that!" Steven tried to interject, but Greg beat him to it.
"No, you don't!" Greg said incredulously. He knew that Twoie wanted a normal lifestyle, but his parents were suffocating. That wasn't the lifestyle Twoie, and Steven wanted.
"Maybe your parents weren't so bad! Maybe they gave curfews, a-and chaperones, and meatloaf for-for a reason!" Twoie's cheeks lit up the faintest of pink.
Steven watched the argument spiral and quickly spoke up from the back. "Twoie, wait- just-!"
Greg interrupted him. "Twoie, you don't know what they were like!"
Steven called out again from the back. "Dad, you should explain-!"
Twoie's cheeks glowed even brighter. "They can't be worse than Mom's family!" Steven froze. Wasn't Mom's family the gems? What did Twoie mean by that? "I went halfway across the galaxy for them, and this was right here?" What was Twoie talking about?
Steven was scared. He'd never heard Twoie speak with so much venom in his voice. D-did, did he hate the gems? Even Greg was startled. He was trying to keep his eyes on the road but kept flashing concerned glances at his eldest son whenever he could. "Twoie. I couldn't do anything growing up. Everything I liked, or wore, or wanted was wrong! I know you dream about living like a normal family, and maybe you would've been happier with more rules growing up, but the truth is, you're still better off than I was."
Better off? Better off? Sure! Having to fix every single mistake that Pink Diamond made, fighting another intergalactic war, almost dying on multiple occasions, was better off?! Maybe his dad's family wasn't what he had expected, but that can't have been horrible people! The Diamonds were horrible people! His mom was a horrible person! And his dad just ran away? Just like-! "I can't believe I never realized… You're just like Mom!" Twoie's body became encased in pink. Steven knew this was bad, but Greg didn't understand.
"You grew up with actual freedom!" Greg was trying to understand why Twoie was so upset. It didn't make sense to him.
"I GREW UP IN A VAN!" Twoie shouted. Steven flinched and curled into himself. He covered his ears and shut his eyes, trying to block out the infuriated shouts of his older brother. Was he really going to grow up to be this angry? "I never went to school. I never even went to the doctors! The closest I've gotten was Priyanka coming by the house!"
Greg unknowingly raised his voice in response to Twoie. Soon both Universes were yelling at each other. "Steven! You're a gem! You're not like other kids!"
"WHAT IF I WANTED TO BE!" Greg flinched. "WHAT IF I WANTED TO BE LIKE OTHER KIDS! WHAT IF BEING LIKE OTHER KIDS WOULD'VE STOPPED ME FROM ALMOST DYING ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS?! WHAT IF BEING LIKE OTHER HUMANS WOULD'VE SAVED ME ALL OF THE NIGHTMARES AND FLASHBACKS THAT I GET FROM BEING ON THE FRONTLINES OF A SECOND INTERGALACTIC WAR? WHAT IF BEING LIKE OTHER HUMANS MEANT I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE THE REST OF MY LIFE FIXING AND MAKING UP FOR ALL OF PINK DIAMOND'S MISTAKES?" Twoie's rage resounded through the whole van. "THE PROBLEM ISN'T THAT I'M A GEM! THE PROBLEM IS THAT I'M A UNIVERSE!"
In his fury, Twoie slammed his pink fists into the dashboard of the car. The whole console caved in, smashing the windows, and making Greg swerve as he slammed the brakes. The van drove off onto the side of the highway, leaving tire tracks in its wake. Finally, the van stopped several feet away, in the dirt and grass. Everyone sat in silence. Twoie, now hit by the gravity of his actions, lost his pink glow and stared in horror at the damage he caused the van. It felt like slow motion as he turned to see his dad, staring wide-eyed in front of him, both hands gripping the steering wheel like a life-line. Breaths heaving as he tried to calm himself down. He turned his gaze to Steven in the back. Thankfully, the kid was still in his seat. But he was curled up in fear. Legs tucked tightly to himself, and arms covering his head. He was whimpering quietly.
"Everyone, okay?" Greg called out worriedly. The man eased his grip on the wheel and twisted in the chair to check on Steven. Steven uncurled himself and tearily nodded at his dad. Twoie unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped outside of the car. "Twoie, wait! Where are you going?" The young man said nothing. He walked over to a small bush on the side of the road and vomited.
His dad and Steven rushed out of the van in concern. Twoie tried to calm his frayed nerves as he realized that he almost made his dad crash the car. He almost hurt Steven and his dad. It would've been all his fault.
Steven hugged him in the hopes of calming Twoie down. It just made him feel worse. Greg knelt down beside them and put a hand on Twoie's shoulder. "You okay?"
Twoie looked at him in horror. "Dad, I'm so sorry! I-!" Greg gently shushed him.
"It's okay. The van's been through worse a-and we'll get through this!" He looked at the van, and then to his eldest son again. "Look… I-…" Greg knew Twoie was upset about not growing up like other kids. He couldn't bring himself to be mad at his son. Twoie was upset and wanted to express himself. That was something he'd never been able to do with his parents. "I'm proud of you."
Steven and Twoie looked at him in surprise. "What?" Twoie exclaimed as he gently pushed Steven off of him.
Greg nodded and smiled at Twoie. "You know, I never had the guts to tell my old man off like that." He sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. "I'm glad you can tell me anything." Twoie felt something cold inside. He felt numb. He couldn't believe that he had done something so- so horrible! And yet his dad wasn't going to scold him for any of it? Twoie pulled his phone out and looked at the picture of his dad's yearbook photo. Maybe his life wouldn't have been so terrible if his dad had just decided not to run away. Maybe he wouldn't be such a horrible person if he had the chance to be more human. Twoie's eyes narrowed. Maybe he wasn't meant to be human. All of his hopes and dreams were just that. Hopes, and dreams.
Steven watched as Twoie's expression grew more and more alarming to him. His anger had put them in danger, and now, as their dad rambled about things they could do back home to make him feel better, Steven saw Twoie narrow his eyes at the photo he took earlier. His eyes widened when he heard Twoie delete it. Steven was done. He was done letting Twoie keep his feelings to himself. He was done with staying quiet because Twoie didn't want to talk. Twoie needed to talk. And he already knew what he wanted to ask. "Twoie?" His older brother's tired, annoyed gaze shifted from the phone to Steven. "What did you mean when you said Mom's family was bad? Why did you have to go halfway across the galaxy for them? And why do you believe you have to fix Pink Diamond's mistakes?"