Templeschool

49. Back To Waiting In The Wings

AN: Update #3! Also, the song referenced in this chapter is "Waiting in the Wings (Reprise)" from Tangled the Series!

"Why are you here, Bismuth? You know you are supposed to wait for us to deem you as someone safe to be around Steven and Twoie." Garnet stalked forward, so she was blocking Steven from view.

Bismuth awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck at the show of hostility from her old friend. She knew it was probably going to be a while before she gained the trust of her friends back, but it still hurt. Speaking of friends, her expression morphed into one of concern. "Yeah, I know, but I just wanted to ask about Twoie. He looks so different now!" Everyone else perked up in surprise and confusion. Bismuth didn't notice as she rambled on about Twoie. "I mean, he looked different from normal humans when I met him, but man, he's changed since then. Oh, and another thing, he also mentioned something about you guys getting in an argument?" Steven's eyes widened in realization while the gems exchanged horrified looks. "It must be some kind of misunderstanding, right?" She chuckled as she looked at the gems. "I mean, you guys fought me to protect him. There's no way whatever actually happened was so bad that he ran away. So, what's really going on? I want to help him." At their silence, Bismuth's smile dropped. "Guys? You're worrying me. What happened between you all and Twoie?"

Steven pushed his way past Garnet and Amethyst, running forward to stand in front of Bismuth. Garnet reacted quickly though, grabbing Steven's wrist as he passed. "Steven, wait. We don't know if she knows you're not Rose."

The blacksmith cleared her throat. "Actually, I do know they're different people. While I was staying in the forge, I did some reading up on humans." She faced Steven, clear sincerity in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand before. I know I really hurt Twoie and you, since you had to see him that way. I already apologized to him."

That was enough for Garnet to loosen her grip, and Steven pulled his hand out of hers. "You talked with Twoie? Did he visit you?" Bismuth knelt and placed a hand on Steven's head. Ignoring Amethyst's quiet growl, she brushed her hand through his hair in an attempt to soothe him.

She could see that he was about to start crying, and Bismuth didn't think she could bear to see the little meatball upset. "Yeah. He came to the forge, asking for a place to stay, but I had to tell Twoie that he couldn't since the forge is too warm for humans. I could tell he was upset about something, so I didn't press him about whatever caused it." She looked over at the gems. Her eyes narrowed slightly in her worry for Twoie. "Now, I think that I should've." She stood up while keeping her hand comfortingly on Steven's hair. "I really want to know what happened? I want to help." Pearl looked over at Amethyst and Garnet since they were around for what started it.

The two gems retold all of the events that led to Twoie's abrupt decision to leave the house. Bismuth listened quietly, but the longer the story went on, the more her face pinched in anger. Once the story finished, Bismuth took a deep breath. "And I just let him go. Man, I knew something was wrong. I just knew it, but I thought I'd hurt him if I tried to ask." The blacksmith glanced at Steven in concern. She could see the red eyes with the shadow of bags underneath them. The kid looked exhausted, and Bismuth knew it was because he was stressed and worried. Steven didn't need anything else to weigh on him. Bismuth knelt next to Steven again. "Hey, buddy, why don't you go for a walk? I want to talk to the others about this corruption theory of theirs, and I have a feeling that you've been through enough stress today."

Steven blinked, surprised that Bismuth was giving him the opportunity to leave before the talk became heavy. "O-okay. That does sound nice. I'm gonna go back to the garden, actually. I just want some time to myself." He turned to his dad and the gems. "I have my phone, so call me if you need me, okay?" Once they nodded, Steven grabbed his pink hoodie and walked out the door.