Templeschool

33. Circling Thoughts

When Steven first saw the phantoms of the shattered gems, he was terrified. He kept feeling heat flashes, and the strain on his mind and ears was painful. Once Steven realized it was the gems, like Twoie warned him, it wasn't as scary anymore. Peridot was freaked out for a moment until she remembered, and then she watched over him until he woke up. He and Peridot were so thankful that his big brother warned him about the experience.

The climb back up took about the same amount of time as it did to drill. Peridot let Steven sleep for most of the way back, exhausted from helping the Cluster bubble itself and his anxiety over his brother's unknown condition. She had assured him throughout their trip that Twoie would be fine, but nothing could calm his fears about his brother. When the green gem woke Steven up, about a half-hour before they breached the surface, she hoped that the gems and Twoie would be there to greet them.

It was to her great relief when the top of the drill opened, and Twoie and the gems were waiting for them. Steven didn't hesitate to jump out of the drill and throw himself at his older brother. He had the biggest smile on his face, but when he pulled back, he spotted the marks on Twoie's neck. "Twoie! What happened? Where were you? Are you okay? How are the bruises back? How long have you been waiting for us?" Twoie ruffled Steven's hair with a laugh.

"Breath, Steven! Everything's fine. I see you guys were able to help the Cluster!" His smile turned somber. "I'm sorry we weren't able to join you. I know how scary it was to see the Cluster like that." Steven puffed his cheeks out, ready to chastise him, but was interrupted by the Crystal Gems before he could.

Pearl ran over and hugged Steven. "I'm so glad you guys made it back! Did you destroy the Cluster?" The kid smiled and shook his head.

"No, I talked to it!" Amethyst huffed but smiled fondly at his statement. Pearl had her brow raised, horribly confused, while Garnet watched with a small smile. Peridot walked up to them with a smirk on her face. Steven turned, so he was facing the gems. "It doesn't want to destroy the earth, it just wants company! And it's got it now. It's like a bajillion people. They'll have lots of time to get to know each other, now that they're in a bubble."

Pearl stared at him. Everyone watched as she silently stared at him for a couple of seconds. Then, "How on earth did you bubble that whole thing?" Steven chuckled at her.

"We had a little help." Steven turned back to face Twoie, who was quietly watching everyone else talk. "So, what happened after I left? I was so worried about you! And you still never told me why the bruises are back?" Steven frowned at the annoyed look that flashed across Twoie's face. He looked behind him at the others to see they were worried. The kid returned his focus to his older brother.

Twoie rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to get his thoughts together. Garnet sighed and stepped forward. "Twoie got hurt when he was attacked by Malachite. Once we found him, we brought him to Rose's Fountain." Steven knew the fountain would've healed all of his injuries, so why were the bruises still there? The kid hugged his brother's arm as Garnet continued her explanation. "He must've used make-up or something akin to that to cover up the markings on his skin. It washed away in the water, which is how we discovered that he lied about his condition. As of now, I'm going to ask that you do not do anything too strenuous with Twoie. That means no training and no missions." Steven looked up at Twoie. He felt Twoie's hand clench into a fist, and there was a flash of something in his eyes that Steven couldn't place.

"Are you okay, Twoie?" Steven frowned when Twoie nodded. He was sure that Twoie was lying to him. Maybe when they went back home, they could talk about this. Steven just wanted Twoie to be okay. Speaking of okay... "Oh, what about Lapis? Where is she?"