A/N: Here it is! Even though I'm honestly worried the characters might be OOC in this chapter, so I'm sorry if that's the case :'v

So... that was it.

Steven had just gone back to the very place that had once been against him and would have killed him if the chance had been given. He had gone back to Homeworld with everyone else - even his human friend Connie. Lars hoped nothing horrible would happen to any of them, and especially not her; given how his first trip to the alien planet had not been at all pleasant.

It was... too much for his head. To think that Rose Quartz had been Pink Diamond and had hid everything from her friends. Although she had saved the planet and everything, the thought of many gems dying to defend a fake, ideal symbol - in both sides of the war -, and not to mention the ones that had gotten corrupted, and- and incorporated in a giant gem shard fusion beneath the Earth's crust... It was honestly just- revolting.

Not to mention that the impact Rose/Pink Diamond had on everyone's lives would be overwhelming; Steven, a fourteen-year-old boy, had to deal with all the diplomacy, because his mother had not done things more wisely. That, and also... the fact that his friends had been inspired by her story. It was what had boosted their confidence. They had already been skilled gems in fighting, but after what Garnet had told them, their performances and skills had made Lars even prouder than ever.

So, to no longer find the admiration and light in the eyes of the Off Colors haunted him to no end. And the thought of Steven back there... it was not any reassuring.

Lars hadn't known Homeworld that long. He had been there once, yet it had changed his life forever. From the stories he had heard from his friends, the alien planet was a horrible place to live, where they would kill those that would not fit their patterns. Everyone in that planet absolutely despised Rose Quartz - and even if she was Pink Diamond, the captain was... not quite sure whether every single gem in the planet would be accepting of the truth. Pink had still faked everything, had been a rebel, and he assumed many would get revolted. He- just knew it. Even if Blue and Yellow Diamond apparently cared enough about Pink Diamond, that possibility could not be dismissed.

This- This sucked.

Lars let out a groan, sinking into his seat. The rest of the Off Colors were standing in the same room, staring at the glass in front of them, which revealed the night sky and the long, long sea. Several stars shone in the blackness, among the Moon. The pink human would have been awestruck, once more, by the beauty of Earth he had so long missed; but given the circumstances, he could not find himself pleased.

The more he thought about Steven on Homeworld, the less optimistic he was - and that came from the least optimistic person you would ever know. Lars did believe in Steven; that boy had done some of the most amazing things anyone had ever seen. However, knowing from the short time he had been stuck there, Homeworld was terrible, and the pirate couldn't reassure himself anymore.

The dead silence that filled the environment did not help him, either. He began tapping his fingers in the arm seat on impulse, unsure of what to do next. Though he did remember the suggestions Greg had given them - to explore the Earth, to cherish all the great things it had to offer, to... meet his parents.

Thinking about his loved ones would only make all the mixture inside his mind a lot harder to swallow and reflect. Maybe it- it was selfish of him. To not... go home right away to greet his mom and dad; or even... Sadie. Yet, he hated to admit how terrified he was of the thought of them seeing him like this. After everything that had happened...

And Lars doubted he could- even be home without the Crystal Gems there.

He pressed his hand against his forehead. A quite unpleasant feeling started crawling his gut and trying to escape his throat. Lars could not keep himself perfectly still after some time, feeling as though he would panic at any moment; even if he should be happy, he should be glad he had gotten home at all. But there was no Steven and absolutely no clue when or if he was returning at all.

Oh, what a mess, He thought, letting out a shaky sigh.

Being a space pirate, associated with the son of a former, controversial empress was just... ugh.

"We... We should have known."

The disappointment in Rhodonite's voice caught his attention, bringing him to turn around to her. She held her own four hands, staring at the floor. Her frown had grown deeper since they had left Steven's house.

"I mean- we can't... d-deny she saved Earth and all," The fusion tried to rephrase. "And- maybe I shouldn't... be feeling this way, but I thought...

"If a gem was capable of fighting back, then- then I could be, too! E-Even if we had never known much about her before, hearing that story... had given me so much hope and... now I don't feel any better, remembering I had only started fighting because of someone who had... faked everything, who had... led countless gems to perish in order to fight for... for something that was not even real."

Hearing that only made Lars feel worse. The defeat in Rhodonite's tone was hard to swallow, to believe it was entering his ears at all. Despite having expected that reaction, having to explicitly prove it was horrible, nonetheless.

The others had not added anything, but they all had the same quiet look of disappointment; which would feed a growing feeling of anger that suddenly resonated inside him. Not towards the Off Colors, of course, but towards everything that had happened in the past, and everything war-related. He couldn't let Rose's misdeeds discourage his friends like that. It was not fair.

"But you are capable," The captain said, his tone serious. "You guys did awesome things even before you knew who she was! You were able to break the system and- and gosh, if it weren't for you guys, we wouldn't have stolen this ship, we wouldn't have gotten to Earth in the first place! We are our own rebellion!

"Though, like, I get that- that she was an icon to you, and I'm... I'm sorry about the revelation. But her being Pink Diamond doesn't change any of what I just said, do you understand?"

The gems had this questioning look in their faces. In fact, it almost seemed as though there was a little hope in their eyes. However, Rhodonite, being openly the least confident gem in the crew, she did not appear to feel better.

"Even then," Rhodonite sighed, her voice nearly as quiet as a whisper. "You're the one who really got us out of there, Lars. We- We were just... cowards."

Lars could not actually believe those words were spoken. His reaction lead Rhodonite to avoid his look of disbelief and hurt.

"W... What?" He let out, shaking his head. "You don't... actually think like that, do you?"

The silence that followed only lead him to stare at them in utter incredulity. Yes, Lars did have the advantage of not having a gem, so he was able to slip past Homeworld's robonoids and everything, but the Off Colors were the ones that had lived in Homeworld for thousands of years and had far better knowledge of an alien planet than he did. He wouldn't have gotten out of the Kindergarten if it hadn't been for them, for crying out loud!

"No," Lars let out a hysterical laugh. "No, c-come on, guys, don't- don't say that! You are amazing, for Christ's sake-!"

"Whoever Christ is, you can't deny that!" Rhodonite raised her voice, much to the captain's disbelief; he took a step back as a result. "We never did anything on our own, we only got out of Homeworld because of you! A-And knowing that at least one gem decided to fight back and made a difference before, it- it meant something to us! B-But now it's just another reminder that we are still worthless!"

Her face almost immediately showed regret and shock over her own outburst. The other gems were as surprised; yet Lars in particular was downright hurt, heartbroken. Rhodonite covered her own mouth with her upper hands. He could tell she was shaking and- even expecting him to lash out at her.

Yet Lars couldn't say anything. He only stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I- We..." Rhodonite still tried to say something, but the words caught up in her mouth, preventing her from creating actual sentences.

"Rhodonite..." Fluorite called her name, as she would reach her shoulder with one of her many arms; yet Rhodonite was fast enough to escape to the engine room downstairs.

"Rhodonite, wait!" Rutile screamed, following her and leaving Lars with Fluorite and Padparadscha.

The trio remained silent; were it not for the orange Sapphire, who let out a small gasp and covered her mouth, possibly as a reaction to what Rhodonite had said and done.

"Captain... are you... alright?" Fluorite focused on the pink teenager, who had not said anything since.

Lars lowered his head, his face twitching. Tears began to take their form, and to blind his vision slightly. He clenched his fists, which began trembling.

"I'm... I-I'm..." His voice was tiny for a moment. He gulped and tried to speak again: "I'm sorry."

"Do not... worry," Fluorite tried to be assuring, even if... her tone implied otherwise.

Lars sniffed, still not looking at them; yet the shy touch of Padparadscha's hand against his own caused him to look at her. She managed to caress his hand, as a way to comfort him.

"Lars will be feeling guilty," She predicted, sounding very sad.

Despite agreeing with Rhodonite, Padparadscha was willing to comfort him; which didn't make him feel so much better, once he stopped to think about it.

Lars could never understand what they had all been through; even if he did have an idea, the Off Colors had been isolated from the Homeworld society, because of how they looked and of the choices they had made. They could have been killed if the other gems had had the chance. Having a leader like Rose was what served to be the light of hope for them. Lars, on the other hand... was not a gem. He was a human, that had had a good life, but had taken everything for granted. He was afraid of showing his true self, but that was because he was a coward. Not them; they didn't have a choice.

He couldn't... help them. Nothing he did was- ever enough, anyway.

...

The pink pirate kindly pushed Padparadscha's hand away and walked up to the exit. His hand went for the control panel that would open the door compartiment.

"Where... are you... going?" Fluorite asked.

"I'll... stay outside for a bit," Lars swallowed, as the breeze hit his face. "I need some fresh air."

"Lars will be leaving," Padparadscha said, worried.

He glanced over at the two of them. Fluorite looked at the floor, seeming guilty. Padparadscha aimed her head at him and appeared to be concerned. Lars let out a deep sigh and turned around.

"I'll be right back," He told them, although not being so sure about it.

With that, Lars jumped out of the ship, the exit closing behind him.

The previous nights in Beach City had been characterized by the beautiful starry sky and peace; that one in particular, however, stood out from the others. Maybe it was due to the moon, which was significantly bigger than usual, alluring all the passionate human eyes.

Greg hummed a song to himself by the time he caught the beach on sight. The box of pizza he carried warmed his hands, the smell of the cheese and tomato sauce lead his stomach to rumble as it entered his nose. A big smile formed across his face; he had not had pizza in a while. Not since...

...

The bittersweet reminder that the Crystal Gems were not there - and the thought of Steven being very fond of that particular flavor, which happened to be Greg's favorite, too - led the man to lose his joy; which had already been lost, taken to outer space, and... with no hopes of coming back soon.

...

Well, Garnet had at least assured him Steven would be fine. Given she had future vision, Greg tried his best to remain optimistic, even if the past days without the Crystal Gems had been a bit hard to accept and get used to. He was sure that was what Steven would have wanted him to do, rather than just worrying constantly. Despite the difficulties, some good things were to be considered. He and Bismuth were making great progress in repairing the beach house and looking after Peridot and Lapis Lazuli. The gems would be proud of them, he was sure of that. At one time they would also take those Diamond ships off the beach, too; though they didn't have enough time... nor strength. In fact, maybe Lars and the Off Colors could help them with that! When they were able, of course; they still had a whole world to explore!

He might not be there to protect Steven (and he probably couldn't, in the middle of an alien planet), but he at least supported his son and helped in his own way. Steven would most definitely be proud. Greg just... hoped he could see his boy again shortly. Other than that, life was good; sometimes hard to get by, but still good.

Mister Universe reached the sand and was making his way to the beach house... when he came across a tall, familiar figure that stood by the Diamond ships, and the Off Colors' one. The waves were the only ambient noise, apart from the breeze that would hit his ears and long hair one time or another. Greg raised an eyebrow, at first assuming it just might be someone interested in the Homeworld ships, but, as he approached more, he was able to recognize Lars Barriga, staring at the lonely sea, at such lonely place...

Greg admitted being a little confused at first, having expected Lars to remain inside the ship with the newcomers. Instead, the pink teenager was just... there. He didn't do anything other than to gaze at the horizon, with the moonlight reflecting on the water. His bright pink hair danced around with the wind, only then leading Greg to acknowledge it had grown quite a bit, becoming messier. Lars no longer wore the cape he had once used, thus looking more like a regular teenager who just wanted some alone time with his precious home.

Although being comprehensive of that, Greg didn't feel like just walking past him without saying at least 'hi'. He was just used to doing that to everyone, without exception; even though he and Lars had never quite interacted, given how the boy would spend most of the time inside the Big Donut, as far as he had known.

"Hey, Lars!" Greg greeted him.

Lars jumped in surprise, turning around and revealing a shocked face.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," The older man chuckled. "Just wanted to say hi."

The teenager sighed in relief, followed by a... rather tired, sad smile.

"Oh, hi, Mister Universe," Lars said. "I should be sorry, though, I didn't really hear you coming."

"Nah, it's alright. I see you've been chilling around here. It sure is a nice night tonight, huh?"

"Yeah... it is."

Greg could not ignore the sadness that suddenly grew in Lars' expression.

"Hey, are you okay?" The man asked.

Lars shrugged in response rather than saying anything. He didn't look at him anymore, much to Greg's suspicion; the voice tone and behavior were things he had been a bit too familiar by then, having had... similar occasions with Steven before. Except Lars was a more reserved kid when it came to express his feelings; he was aware of that thanks to the older boy's parents, who had somewhat interacted with him sometime before; as well as Sadie, having become closer to her due to the fact that he was the manager of her band.

Before Greg could ask Lars again, the teenager ended up saying what was wrong, as he looked... defeated.

"My friends and I, we... we fought."

Greg admitted he had not seen that coming.

"Oh, really? Why is that?" He asked.

Lars sighed deeply. "It's kinda about... Rose."

The pain was clear in the pink boy's expression, as he shut his eyes. Greg then couldn't take his eyes off of the long scar that stretched in his face, a detail he had not given much attention to, when he had greeted him. Regardless, the older man shook his head and let out a sigh as well.

"Oh, gee, I'm... I'm sorry," Greg said, somehow feeling guilty.

"You don't have to be."

Greg knew that, but he couldn't help the feeling. He rubbed the back of his own head, as Lars turned his back and hugged himself. Mister Universe could understand what the Off Colors must be going through; even though they hadn't been close to Rose like the Crystal Gems, he assumed they must have been inspired by her, too. And after the events that had almost torn the Crystal Gems apart, he was then not... this surprised. Yet it hurt him to see Lars and his friends so down, when they had finally gotten to Earth at all.

"Like, they've never been this... confident about themselves," Lars broke the long silence, which did surprise Greg a little, as he hadn't expected the other to say something else at all. "But Rose... she inspired them so much and..."

The captain shut his eyes, letting out a shaky breath.

"I wish I could- help them feel better," Lars admitted. "But it's- it's just not enough. They won't- listen to me when I tell them how great they are."

"I think you should give them some time," Greg advised. "I don't think there's much you can do right now. I'm sorry for saying this, but... it's true."

Lars let out a hollow laugh. "Apparently, I can't help anyone right now- not Steven, not the Off Colors... I guess I really am just useless."

The teenager muttered under his breath, "Which is nothing new."

Greg sighed deeply, not quite knowing what to say to him; as he did understand how Lars must be feeling. At some point, he wouldn't see worth in himself, either, since he hadn't found himself useful to help the Crystal Gems out.

The two ended up silent, staring at the sea. Greg glanced at Lars' ship, thinking about how the Off Colors were reacting to it all. The man's gaze soon returned to Lars, whose look was filled with guilt and hurt. The sight of that pained Greg a little.

Mister Universe looked towards the beach, realizing there was only the two of them. Greg wondered what could... make Lars feel better. He- He was home, after all, there must be something to make him happier. Maybe one of his friends, or- or his parents!

... wait, he didn't get to reunite with his family, right?

"You didn't get to see your parents, huh?" Greg asked. "Maybe you could-"

"No," Lars cut him off, rather bitterly. "I'd rather... not do that just yet."

It caught him by surprise. It must have been, what, two months since Lars had gone to space. Mr. and Mrs. Barriga had had a very hard time to cope with the absence of their son, barely showing up in town at all. So, seeing Lars wish that, taking into account how much everyone suffered, was just- shocking.

"What? But- But why?" Greg questioned, sounding incredulous. "You've been away for so long and- and you don't even want to tell them you're here?"

Lars didn't answer. He clutched his own space suit, while lowering his head as to hide his face from the older man.

"Come on, Lars," Greg insisted. "Your parents have been worried sick - you can't just-!"

"This is the last thing I need right now!" Lars raised his voice. "I can't just- go home and pretend things are fine when they are NOT!"

He stepped towards Greg, who backed off in response. The pink boy shot him a furious glare, only for it to fade away within seconds; Lars' face softened into one of shame and exhaustion. He almost fell on the sand, standing on his knees instead.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Lars sighed. "It's just... there's too much in my head- I'm not well with the fact that Steven is in space, and that my friends are all upset about everything. And- to have my parents asking me about... all this," He pointed at himself as a whole. "I just- can't face them right now."

Lars' eyes aimed at the Diamond ships once more, while Greg watched him; his eyes suddenly seemed a lot deeper than they were, perhaps as deep as the ocean. It was like... they hid many insecurities and repressed thoughts.

" Yeah, I... get how you feel," The long-haired man replied afterwards, as he reflected on the other's situation.

Steven had somewhat explained to Greg what had happened to Lars back on Homeworld; for him to become pink and to escape with a group of rebel gems. Thus, Greg figured that Lars... still couldn't bring himself to process everything that happened at such a rapid rate in his life; not to mention that his friends had fought and that the all the Crystal Gems (including Connie) had gone off to Homeworld, with the exception of Bismuth, Peridot, Lapis and Greg himself; though, well, he couldn't quite label himself as a Crystal Gem, no matter how much Steven wanted to include him. That gem stuff just wasn't for him.

And he figured that Lars had dealt with it for too long as well. After all, the poor boy was just a human being. Someone who had been taken away from home and abducted to a dangerous alien planet. In spite of all the changes he had gone through, he was still a teenage boy. All he needed was a break.

Although Greg didn't quite like the thought of Lars being there without his parents even knowing (and god, did he know their pain; when Steven had gone to space without anyone to look out for him, he had been incredibly desperate, at loss of what to do), he didn't want to force the space pirate to head home - not when he had this huge weight crushing him. He needed somewhere else to cool down, to let his thoughts out; and the beach might be the best choice.

However...

Greg soon remembered the box that he carried, with the smell of pizza maintaining its strength. It had fortunately not cooled down too much, despite the breeze. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. What was best to cheer someone up other than the wonderful pizza?

"Hey, Lars?"

Lars turned his head around, appearing to be hesitant and showing regret for having yelled at Greg before.

"Bismuth and I were going to share some pizza at the beach house," The brown-haired man pointed at Steven's... currently busted home, which still had a well-maintained living room. "Wanna join us?"

The pink teenager blinked in surprise, having not expected the invitation.

"Wha-? You really... mean it?" Lars asked. "You want me to join you?"

"Yeah, of course! We're going to share some food and just hang out. What do you say?"

Lars seemed thoughtful, his eyes glancing at his ship in concern.

"Gee, I don't want to bother you guys or anything..."

"No, no, it's fine!" Greg assured. "Come on, I think you might need it."

It took him some time to really process it, only then nodding in response; despite appearing to be a little lost.

"Uh, o... okay," He replied, standing up. "I think that would be nice."

"Great!"

"Just, uh," The teenager cleared his throat before the two of them could head to the beach house. "I don't know if I'll... really eat anything. Being a space pink... zombie kinda makes me not feel so hungry anymore."

"Oh, it's okay - you can just hang out with us so you won't feel so down."

"Yeah... Yeah, okay," Lars gave him a subtle, awkward smile, while rubbing his own arm.

Greg and Lars then made their way to the house, with the latter stopping at some point in order to take a look at his ship- or well, at all the ships at the beach, and giving them a sad look. The former's smile faltered a little, but he tried to lift his mood, anyway.

"Don't worry, just give them some time," Greg assured. "Now come on, it's going to be fun! Bismuth is a fun person to have around - even if she seems a little intimidating at first."

Lars couldn't help the shy smirk that formed on his face, once his eyes met Greg's again. "Heh, I can tell. She seems cool."

"Oh, she sure is! She can make weapons, too; and she's doing a great job at fixing the house!"

Thus, the two climbed up the stairs and reached the door. Greg knocked on it, with a grin on his face. Lars smiled back, despite his uneasiness. The man quietly assured him it would be fine.

In a matter of seconds, Bismuth answered the door with enthusiasm.

"Yo, Greg! You got the stuff?" She asked, with a smirk on her face.

"Yep! It's right here!"

"In this compartment? Fancy," Bismuth nodded in approval. Her eyes were quick to acknowledge Lars, and so she let out a surprised noise.

"Oh, captain Lars!" She greeted him with a grin. "Are you joining us in this fine pizza tradition?"

"Uhh, yeah, sure," Lars shrugged, nervous.

"Great! Now, come on in, you two! Just be careful, the house can only really store three people and these small animals," Bismuth pointed at the blue-eyed cat and... the walking pumpkin, that barked once it reached them; Lars' eyes widened at the sight, yet the captain didn't question it. "Oh, and the big cat up there, but it mostly stays outside, anyway."

Greg was quick to acknowledge Lion lying around what was Steven's bedroom. Lars glanced over at him, with a surprised look. Greg couldn't help smirking at the reaction; he had pretty much become used to weird stuff happening to him.

Finally, the trio entered the house, the smell of pizza filling the house, the two cats making noises and Pumpkin, barking excitedly as it smelled Lars, who didn't know what to do.

A/N: Yeah, I'm adding one more chapter (so it will be most definitely be four chapters in total), I just don't know when I'll be able to finish it ;-; And I truly hope the interactions here weren't too out of place, I just thought the Off Colors would still be conflicted about Rose and themselves... but I don't know if that was forced or anything, ugh