Templeschool

2. Late Night Studying and Nightmares

The only noise that could be heard in the temple was the soft snores of Steven, and the crinkle of paper as Twoie turned the page in the book he was reading. He'd been reading the book for hours, A Guide to Homeschooling, ever since Steven went to bed. The kid was so tired after all the excitement and had promptly passed out on the couch when they got home. Twoie snorted as he thought of the moment. He'd had to carry his younger self to bed, tucking him in like he remembered Garnet doing for him.

The book was a useful reference, at least. Twoie already knew he'd have to test Steven to see where he was academically, but the book came with a good comprehensive test. Twoie had printed out a copy of each test while they were at the library, the stack of papers sat neatly stapled next to him. His focus now was on catching himself up with the subjects he would have to teach Steven and coming up with a schedule.

Twoie bit the end of the pencil he was writing with as he looked at the subjects he'd have to teach: Biology, English, History, Math, and Physical Education. He could do all five subjects for an hour like traditional school, but what if the Gems needed them on a mission? Besides, wouldn't that take five hours, not including lunch? Maybe it'd be better to make it four hours instead. Two subjects a day for two hours each. He'd just alternate the other two subjects and count PE as Gem missions or training.

He'd just finished writing down more notes about the type of workbooks/textbooks he could use when he heard rustling upstairs. Twoie rubbed his eyes with his hands before turning in his chair to look behind him. Steven was sitting up in his bed, eyes wide as he stared forward. He lightly smacked his face a couple of times with his hands before he noticed the light shining dimly in the kitchen.

"Twoie? Are you still up?" He blinked a couple of times before fully focusing on his older self. Twoie softly smiled at him and gave a little wave. "Yeah, still awake. What woke you up?"

Steven trudged down the steps, making his way over to stand in front of Twoie. "...I had a nightmare. About Malachite." Twoie frowned at him. It was pretty traumatic, and no one ever really talked to him about it afterward. He sighed, gesturing to the chair next to him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Steven shook his head. He paused for a moment, then climbed into the seat next to Twoie. "Not right now. It's really late Twoie, are you gonna go to bed soon?" The older boy hummed as he turned his phone on. 1:34 am. "Whoa. It really is late. I'll head to bed in a minute. I wanna finish this section first." He went back to writing notes on the book again as Steven laid his head down on the table. The two sat in silence for several minutes. Steven was still feeling down; he really wanted some company, but he didn't want to bother Twoie. He opened his mouth a couple of times, to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Steven bit his lip and mustered the courage to scooch his chair over a little closer to Twoie. If he heard the noise or noticed the movement, Twoie didn't show it. Steven looked up at him again before scooching even closer. He leaned over until he was resting against Twoie's side. The older boy looked at him for a second in surprise, but his expression quickly turned into a fond smile. He moved his arm around Steven so he could hold him and brush his fingers softly through the kid's hair as he continued reading. It didn't take long for Steven to fall back asleep.

Once Twoie finished the chapter he was on, he gathered his notes into a pile, closed the book, and carefully picked the slumbering child up. He tucked Steven into bed again, then gathered some blankets to sleep on the couch. He wanted to be nearby in case Steven woke up again.