"Good morning Steven. How did you sleep?" Pearl asked, taking a sip from her tea as Steven came downstairs, wiping sleep from his eyes. "Good. In fact, a little too good." he explained. "I wanted to let Freshwater know her bubbles are coming to the Temple and that you and her could communicate directly that way, but we didn't connect last night." he said, sighing.
Pearl ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Hey, I'm sure everything is okay. Gems don't need sleep like humans do. If a few days go by, then we'll start getting concerned." she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than the boy in front of her.
"I hope you're right, Pearl. I'm going to the Big Donut for breakfast. I'll see ya later." he said, hugging the gem before heading out, Pearl waving goodbye as the door shut behind him. "I hope I'm right too." the gem murmured, sighing as she took another sip from her cup.
…
"Hey Lars! Hey Sadie! What's up, Jonathan?" Steven said, grinning and waving as he opened the door to the Big Donut. "Lars brought a new food for us to try!" Jonathan said, high-fiving Steven as he sat on the seat next to him. "He made it and it's super good!" he said, staring up at the boy, starry eyed.
"Oooh, can I try?" Steven asked. Lars rolled his eyes and looked away. "Sure. Go for it. Don't get your hopes up too high though." he said as Steven made his plate, the group watching his face expectantly as he chewed and swallowed.
"Lars, this is delicious!" he said, eagerly finishing off his portion. "I told you, Lars!" Jonathan said, grinning. "It's not a big deal." Lars insisted. "I just made seven small crescent shaped cakes and used cream-cheese icing to hold them together. Anyone with two hands, half a brain, and a recipe could do it."
"Oooh! Can you teach me?" Jonathan asked eagerly. Lars looked away, embarrassed. "Sure, if you want. Like I said, it isn't a huge deal. I'm not a good teacher and you'll probably get tired of it after a few recipes, anyw- Buck Dewey?!" Steven and the others turned as the door to the Big Donut opened, Buck stepping inside with D13 and H11 behind him, Lars immediately grabbing the cake and tossing it into a trash can underneath the table.
"Hey guys!" Jonathan said, hopping up from his spot at the table and going to hug the siblings. "Feels really weird seeing you guys outside of band practice." H11 nodded with a small laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that. Doctor Mahashwaren has really locked down on sweets and we've got what she calls 'homeschool' where a human comes by and teaches us more and more about Earth. She's really cool, right D13?" she asked, grinning when the boy nodded. "She even takes us outside of Beach City every now and then to explore Earth. It's a blast."
Jonathan grinned. "Well I'm glad things have been going well for you guys! We'll have to all get together outside of band practice sometime then! I'd love to catch up!"
"Well, that's actually why we swung by." Buck said, giving the boy a smile. "The band's getting together for a hangout tonight. It's gonna be a potluck." he said, looking up at Lars, Sadie, and Steven. "You all should come, too. Bring some food too since that's what ya do at a potluck."
"That sounds super cool! Great, even! Bingo, bongo!" Lars said, giving an uncomfortable grin and making finger guns.
"Cool." Buck said, turning and heading back out. "Later Johnathon!" D13 said, the trio hugging before the siblings ran out the door after Buck.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Lars groaned and put his head in his hands. "Bingo Bongo?! What the heck even was that?!"
"I liked it!" Jonathan said excitedly. "Yeah! Bingo Bongo!" Steven agreed, him and Johnathon flashing finger guns at each other and giggling.
"This is great! You won't believe us when we say we like your cooking, but you'll have to believe it when it's coming from Buck." Sadie said. Lars groaned and put his head on the table. "I'm not going." he muttered, rolling his eyes when the room erupted in a chorus of "What?!"
"You just got invited to a party with the cool kids! Isn't that what you've always wanted?" SAid said, frustrated. "Yeah, Lars! If anything, someone as cool as you will fit right in!" Jonathan agred. "They've known you longer than I have, so of course they know how cool you are!" Lars sighed, lifting his head. "Nobody knows me. And nobody knows I can bake."
"Well, we do!" Sadie protested. "Yeah Lars! You should make this your big debut! And you could use it as a chance to teach Johnathon a little of what you know!" Steven suggested. Jonathan's eyes widened in excitement. "That would be amazing! PPllllleeeeaaassssseee Lars?" Lars started to protest, but hesitated when he saw the puppy dog eyes the boy was giving him. Damnit. "Fine." he relented.
"Awesome!" Steven said, hopping up. "Well, I'm gonna go get Pearl to help me with my thing. See you guys later!"
"What about you, Sadie? You gonna lock up early?" Jonathan asked, cocking his head to the side. Sadie shrugged. "I don't see why not. We've been dead all morning." she said with a shrug. "Catch you guys at the potluck?" she asked, looking expectantly at her coworker, who blushed and nodded. "Yeah. Of course." he said, motioning for Johnathon to follow him as he made his way out the door.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Jonathan said, pumping a fist in the air as Lars lead the way to his house. "I hope so." Lars muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. Jonathan lowered his fists and cocked his head to the side. "What are you so worried about? You're a cool guy with a cool cake who's going to a cool party. That's awesome!" Lars couldn't help but smile at that as they made their way up the driveway.
After grabbing the recipe for ube from his secret cookbook, the boys spent th rest of the day grabbing their ingredients, cracking eggs, whisking, greasing, pre-rolling, and rolling before finally putting it into the fridge, the pair finally collapsing onto the couch, exhausted.
"So. Still wanna take those lessons?" Lars said, flashing a grin at the boy and looking surprised when the boy nodded. "Yeah! This cooking stuff is hard, but I'm having a fun time. Plus, you're a really good teacher!" Lars looked away, embarrassed. "Well, if you really wanna learn, then I can teach ya. I'm sure my mom and mine wouldn't mind you coming over here after work. Jonathan looked a little confused. "My mom?"
"Wait, is Jet not your mom?" Lars said, looking mortified as the boy shook his head. "Gems don't have parents."
"Wait, you're a gem? I thought you were one of the humans from the Zoo?" Lars said, his mortified face shifting to one of confusion. "Well…I am? But I'm not? Jet says my dad was a half-gem. An Onyx, apparently. And my mom was a human." Lars nodded in understanding. "Oh, so is that why your skin is pink?" Jonathan shook his head. "Oh, no. That just happened when Rose Quartz heals people." he said, waving his hand nonchalantly. Lars sighed, standing as the timer went off on his phone. "I dunno how you keep up with all this gem stuff. It's confusing." he said, making his way to the kitchen and grabbing the cake as Johnathon grabbed the icing. "It is. Thankfully, that's all over now and the only thing we have to worry about for now is getting this masterpiece to the party." he said, grinning as Lars helped him put three dollops of icing atop the cake.
Lars and Johnathon stared at the cake in front of them, both boys gabbing a fork and taking off a small sliver and putting it into their mouths. "This is amazing! You're an amazing baker, Lars!" Jonathan said with a grin as Lars rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I am. And one day you can be too." he said, tossing the utensils in the sink and ruffling the boy's vibrant pink hair. "I just hope they like it."
Jonathan frowned. "We worked for forever on this recipe, and it turned out great. Who cares what they think?"
"I do." Lars blurted, blushing and looking away at the boy's concerned expression. For a moment, the pair sat in silence as Lars started to get the cake container ready. After a brief beat of silence, the teen jumped when he felt a hand on his back. Looking down, he saw Johnathon looking down at him, concerned.
Lars sighed as he started to put the cake in a paper box, handing Johnathon a marker, who immediately scrawled their names in Homeworld's language followed by another phrase taht Lars didn't catch. "I'm…not worried about the cake," he admitted. "The cake is gonna rule. I'm worried about showing up with the cake. I don't like telling everyone I like baking because it's…it's lame. If I show up to this party with this weird purple cake, everyone's gonna know I love baking, and everyone's gonna know I lov- ugh. This isn't gonna be some ironic potluck. It's gonna be an actual family, couple, neighbor, actual potluck. And I'm gonna be there being all bingo bongo!"
"If these kids are really as cool as you say they are, when they get to know you a little more they'll see how cool you are too. I think you're cool, Sadie thinks you're cool, and Steven thinks you're cool too. If they don't like you," he said, hugging the boy around the waist, "then I guess they aren't that cool after all."
Lars nodded slowly. "Thanks, Jonathan." he said, returning the hug and nodding decisively. "Let's get this bad boy to the potluck." Jonathan nodded in agreement and grinning as he picked up the cake and led the way out.
"I'm telling ya, Lars, it's gonna be great!" Jonathan said, practically skipping alongside his teenage companion. "So, what kinda recipes are we going to learn next?" Lars chuckled. "Something less intense than ube, that's for sure." he said, the pair launching into a conversation about the many different types of recipes they could tackle together. The pair were so engrossed in their conversation, in fact, that neither of them noticed the tall, looming figure approaching slowly from behind, a far smaller figure flying at its side as they made an escape plan until both boys were frozen in a bright blue beam of light, the box Lars was holding falling and spilling its contents on the ground.
"That's one down." Aquamarine said with a grin as she came from the shadows, the gem at her side nodding curtly. "This mission is proving to be even easier than I thought it would be." she said, her eyes widening as she turned her attention to Johnathon. "How peculiar! Look, Topaz! We've found ourselves an Off-Color human. How revolting." Aquamarine stroked her chin as her eyes widened excitedly as she continued. "Ooh, My Diamond might like you. The humans at the Zoo have really helped with my Diamonds grieving process. Having a human that is the same hue as a gem from her court may lead me to being rewarded quite handsomely." she said, turning to Topaz. "Let's get the Lars the Off-Color back to the ship before we continue our mission. I don't want it corrupting the others."
…
"Figures the one day I decide to try one of these donuts that Johnathon is so crazy about, they end up being closed." Jet muttered, sighing as she stared at the "Sorry! We're Closed!" sign hanging on the door.
"Jet! I'm so glad to see you!" Jet turned, surprised to see Greg jogging towards her, an anxious look on his face. "Oh, hi Mr. Universe. Where's the fire?" she asked, a concerned look coming to her face as Mr. Universe took a moment to catch his breath. "Lars let me know he was taking Johnathon to hang out with H11, D13, and the rest of the band, but they didn't come home last night. When they didn't get home late at night I figured they lost track of time and fell asleep there, but I called this morning and he didn't answer. Did he come by the barn last night instead?"
Jet felt her heart drop as she shook her head. "No! Lapis, Peridot, Pumpkin, and I were stargazing all night. We would have known if he had come home. Has Steven seen him?" she asked, feeling her heart start to race.
"I'm not sure." Greg said with a shrug. "But something tells me something bigger is going on. Something gem related." he said, handing the Onyx gem a missing person poster with the face of a small boy Jet often saw wreaking havoc at Funland on it. "It wouldn't surprise me. Homeowlrd's been up our ass more and more lately." she said, clenching the missing person picture in her fist.
"Let Mayor Dewey know what's going on. Me and the Gems will handle this."
…
"We should be preparing for a fight! Whoever this is, she's from Homeworld. She's gotta be here for us!" Pearl said, holding up a picture as Jet burst through the front door, panting slightly. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, putting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "But have any of you seen Johnathon? Greg says he didn't go to his van last night, and Lars didn't answer when he called either."
The gems exchanged a worried look as Steven spoke. "Unfortunately, no. We haven't. In fact, he isn't the only one that might be missing." he said, taking the gem's hand and leading her to the couch as he caught her up to speed.
"There are all these people missing. Maybe her dad's gone missing too?" Steven suggested. "But gems don't have dads!" Amethyst protested. Jet nodded, rubbing her temples to try to sooth her pounding headache. "The only exception to this rule that I've seen is Steven and Johnathon, and neither of them look the way you described this gem to me. We could be wrong though. I mean, Jonathan's the son of a half-gem and a human and we don't even know if he has any powers or just takes a long time to develop them." she explained.
"Well, no matter what is going on, we have to get to the bottom of this. We need to separate." Garnet said, getting to her feet as Steven's eyes lit up. "Oh! Ruby and Sapphire!" he said excitedly.
"No, I mean split into teams." Garnet corrected. "I'll go with Jet, Pearl and Amethyst can go together, and Steven and Connie."
"You guys don't think Freshwater had anything to do with this…do you?" Steven asked, looking around the room at the gems who shook their heads. "Before we saw her at the Zoo, I would have." Amethyst admitted. "But now? I'm not so sure." Garnet nodded. "Though it is possible that she would turn on us," she said, nodding down at Pearl and putting a hand on the gem's shoulder, "I believe it is very unlikely."
Steven took a deep breath and let it out slowly with a grin. "Okay, good. Neither do I." he said before waving at the gems and leading the way out the Temple door.
…
Jet did her best to still her nerves as she and the fusion made their way through Beach City, being sure to stay near each other in case something happened. "I just don't understand how this could happen." the Onyx muttered, lifting the lid to one of the dumpsters and peering inside, cringing at the abhorrent smell. "Even if whatever is happening is because that gem is trying to get more humans for the Zoo….that doesn't explain why they would want him. I figured they would see him the way they see Uni - defective."
"It is quite peculiar." Garnet agreed, peering into FunLand and sighing when she saw it was empty as Jet made her way to one of the alleyways, arching an eyebrow when she saw a box on its side, its contents being swarmed over by a pack of flies. PIcking up the box, the gem started to disregard it but froze when she read the writing on the outside of it. Picking up on the gem's concern, Garnet read over the gem's shoulder. "Johnathon and Lars. Best friends forever."
Jet angrily chucked the box in a nearby trashcan. "How could I let this happen?" the gem said, shaking slightly as angry tears filled her eyes. "Jet. This isn't your fau-"
"Yes it is." Jet snapped. "Buckstar's last wish was for me to protect that little boy with my dying breath, and I somehow manage to lose him? Who knows where he is or what's happening to him? I fought so hard to get him out of the Zoo and he just…disappears on me? Probably taken by a gem who probably doesn't know the first thing about taking care of humans, nor cares to learn about it because to them he's defective?" the gem put her head in her hands. "What was I even thinking, thinking I could take him out of the Zoo and give him a better life. Buck would be ashamed."
"Jet, listen to me." Garnet said, putting a hand on the gem's shoulder. "None of this is your fault. It isn't any of our faults. In fact, I think Johnathon and the other humans are happy here. Everyone in this town has been doing their best to help you and those kids adjust to life here. Jonathan doesn't have to hide the way he looks just to live another day, the humans are free to make their own choices instead of listening to those earrings about what they need to do and when, and Johnathon was able to make a friend that - if my future vision is correct - is going to be a friend for a very long time. Before, he was fighting to survive. Now, he's doing more than living - he's thriving. You did give him a better life." she said, rubbing the gem's back.
"Now we just have to get him back to it."
…
"The Rose Quartz! Can you believe it, Defect?" Aquamarine said, excitedly pacing pacing back and forth in front of the bars that separated her and Johnathon. "I mean, I must admit, it is a little frustrating that she freed the Onion, the Connie, the Sadie, AND the Jamie," she said, rubbing her temples. "BUT. On the bright side, I'm sure the Diamonds will happily accept that little oversight when they learn that the Steven is actually Rose Quartz!" she said, clapping excitedly.
"You won't get away with this! The gems are going to come and rescue me, Lars, and Steven. Then, you're really gonna be in a world of hurt!" Jonathan said, grabbing the bars and shaking them. Aquamarine chuckled, looking at the boy smugly. "You really think the Crystal Gems would waltz onto Homeworld when their leader has surrendered?" she said, pinching his cheek. "How cute. Let me explain something to you, defect. The second we get to Homeworld, the Lars will probably be sent to the Zoo. Who knows? Blue Diamond might decide to keep you in the Zoo with him if they realize your defect can't spread. It's far better than what will happen to Rose Quartz. You should be grateful!" she said, laughing.
Jonathan fumbled for a rebuttal but found none as he sat on the floor, dejected. Aquamarine was right. Things were looking pretty bleak.
…
"I can't believe Aquamarine backed out of our deal." Steven said, glaring at the ground below him.
"I can." Lars said dejectedly. "I mean, she did kidnap a ton of humans, so I guess lying wouldn't phase her much."
"What even happened back there, Lars? Everyone but you and Johnathon managed to get off the ship." Lars sighed. "Honestly? Two things. First, I was terrified. I froze up." he said, looking away in shame. "When Sadie needed my help, I froze. I just…couldn't move. I'm lucky that Sadie managed to bite down on that big gem's hand and escape, since when she did that I finally managed to pull myself together." he said, hanging his head and sighing. "Second…I went to see if I could find Johnathon. I knew it was a long shot, but after I was such a coward in front of Sadie I…I couldn't let her think I was even more of a coward for not finding Johnathon. I saw he was taken down there," he said, nodding to the stares next to the captain's chair, "but I couldn't get to him. I figured when all the craziness broke out that was my chance but…" the boy's voice trailed off. "You see how that worked out." he said, sighing.
For a moment, the boys sat in silence before Steven finally spoke. "Lars….that was brave." he said with a grin. Lars scoffed. "No it wasn't. It was stupid. I froze up trying to help Sadie. Why did I think I could go down there and try to get Johnathon?"
"Because you're a good person?" Steven said, laughing. Lars rolled his eyes. "That's rich. Steven, I know you're nice to me and all, but let's not pretend I wasn't a total douche to you for a while." Steven paused, mulling the boy's words over. "Yeah. You were. But you changed, Lars! You may not have been the…most pleasant person for a while, but when Johnathon and the others got here, something changed in you. It wasn't overnight and I don't even think you really meant to, but it did. The you before would have been really mean and snobbish. The you now, though, is very kind to Johnathon. That's why he likes you so much."
Lars looked away, mulling over Steven's words. "That's very smart. When did you become so mature?" Steven laughed with a shrug. "Somewhere between learning to summon my shield and my mom becoming a war criminal?" he said, the boys sharing a laugh. "Hey, Steven? Lars said, looking away. "I'm….sorry, by the way. I know I'm a different guy now, but I shouldn't have been so mean to you. Being a teenager has been awful, but nothing compared to what you're going through. I've only been going through this gem stuff for a few hours, and I gotta admit - it sucks."
Steven nodded. "It's okay, Lars. Everyone can change, but that doesn't mean everyone will change." He said, pausing. "And…even though this whole situation does suck, I'm…kinda glad you're here? Even if it is my fault?" he said, his eyes welling up with tears. "I….don't want to be alone right now. Isn't that awful?"
Lars sighed. "Dude….at this point, everything is awful." he said, tearing up as well as the two boys laughed. "I'd give you a hug, but I can't exactly use my arms at the moment." Steven said. "I could try using my legs, but that would be awkward." Lars agreed.
"That's…so beautiful."
Lars and Steven looked up at the fusion's words, surprised to see tears running down her face. "Even in the clutches of certain doom, you're happy to have each other. I don't know what Topaz would do if she didn't have Topaz. I've always wanted to tell me how I'm helping me through this, but there's always someone between us." she said, getting choked up. "They're always sending us on these miserable missions, and I'm always pretending I'm okay with it. But you two? You're so honest and open. So. I want to help you guys. What do you need?" She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Steven and Lars perked up considerably. "The pink boy! He's very important to us." Lars said. "And, a way off this ship." Steven added. Topaz nodded. "I can do that." she said decisively, making her way towards the stairs.
As soon as Johnathon saw Lars, the boy hopped up from his spot in the corner, eagerly running up and wiping tears from his eyes. "Lars! Are you okay? Did she hurt you? What's going on?"
"Hey, hey buddy. Look at me." Lars said as Topaz started to set up the warp pad. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."
"As soon as you and Johnathon hop in the warp pad, it'll do its thing." Steven agreed.
"Wait what? Dude, you're coming right?" Lars said, shocked. Steven shook his head. "No. Someone has to pay for what my mom did, and unfortunately that someone is me."
"What? No way! Let's just go!" Jonathan protested as Lars nodded in agreement.
Before Steven could argue any further, a familiar voice sounded from upstairs, making everyone in the room freeze. "Topaz! What are you doing, you big boulder? We're almost to Homeworld." The gem asked, making her way downstairs and freezing at the sight before her and looking from Topaz to the warp pad, to Johnathon, and back again. "What are you doing?" the gem said, her voice soft, yet furious.
"Look, I can explain." Topaz said sheepishly. "They had this whole heartfelt thing about being there for each other and you totally missed it! One reason this human," she said, pointing to Lars "didn't get away, is because he wanted to save his friend!" she said, motioning to Johnathon, who looked mortified.
"What? Lars you idiot, why did you-" the pink boy's protests were cut off as Topaz jumped out of the way of a beam of blue light, the attack hitting the warp pad and allowing Aquamarine to destroy it. "Noone is escaping!" The blue gem snarled furiously. "Aquamarine, let's just talk about this." Topaz protested. "Yeah!" Steven agreed. "I bet you don't really want to hurt us! You probably just act mean because deep down you're afraid you're weak! Go ahead, let it out. We're all sharing right now." he said, giving the gem an awkward smile.
Aquamarine pinched her nose and sighed deeply before turning on her guard. "Topaz. You had one job. And if you aren't going to do it, then you're of no use to me." she said, raising her weapon to strike and awaiting the fusion's decision.
Topaz hesitated, eying a rack of gem destabilizers before lunging at the blue gem, grabbing one before pinning the shorter gem easily with the other hand.
For a long moment, the room went silent as everyone waited with baited breath, in shock. "So. A revolt, is it?" Aquamarine finally said, locking eyes with the taller gem. "And what do you plan to do after this? Go back to the Diamonds, my gem in your hand? I'm sure they'll love that. You'll be rewarded handsomely by being seperated," she said, grinning when the fusion's eyes widened, "then shattered."
Topaz froze at the gem's words before dropping the destabilizer and dropping to her knees. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." she said, flinching as Aquamarine picked up the gem destabilizer and leveled it at her comrade. "That's the problem with you fusions. You're all so…sentimental." she said, scoffing as the floor rumbled beneath their feet, signaling their trip had come to an end. "We're here." the gem said, looking away with a sigh. Look…Just…Unfuse, okay? And we'll never speak of this again. One of you take the humans, the other take Rose Quartz." she ordered.
"I'll let the Diamonds know we're here."