[OPEN-ISH]

[starseedling]

Who: Steven, Greg, Peridot, Zecora, and OPEN.
Where: The Doctor's medical tent.
When: After the attempted agent kidnapping of him and Peridot.
What: Steven gets shot with a gun, and has to go to the doctor. It's upsetting.
Warnings: Gun wounds, the left overs of violence.

When they port back into their real bodies, it's like everything's started all over again. The hit his body takes from it is instantaneous - and now there is a pain in his mind along with it that hadn't been there before. It's like the echo of what happened to him in the Matrix has overwhelmed his mind, and that his mind has inflicted it back to him. The mind makes it real, or whatever. He's just glad that he's not a full gem, for a solitary moment, because if his mind did this to him now, he doesn't want to consider what could have happened to his physical form if it was entirely reliant on it.

He staggers down onto the grass, the exit wound in his back burning, and blood bubbling out of his nose. Transitioning through realities has just made everything even more confusing, and he doesn't take much initiative besides letting Peridot carry him. They're back at the carnival. But they're not home.

It isn't until they've made it to the medical tent that the adrenaline has faded and things start to hurt for real. With some of the shock beginning to pass, the pain and fear is quick to catch up with him. He really wants someone to hold him, but he knows that he has to have his injury looked after first. He doesn't even consider trying to act tough, this time. Instead, he whimpers and starts to cry a little once he's laid down, too confused and scared to reason with himself or do much about anything.

[The open portion takes place after he's been patched up a bit and is resting, for anyone who wants to check on him.]

Comments

[starseedling]

For a moment, that reassurance almost makes him feel worse. Because he knows. Like Garnet had showed him, he knows that the only way to feel better is to address all of this head on, but he still can't for some reason. He keeps delaying, and hoping for alternatives, or for a time when he'll feel more ready.

But he never does. He certainly doesn't now, when he knows that Greg has been having a hard time settling in as it is. This isn't his kind of place.

How could he tell him that, despite what's happened to him, that home wouldn't be any better? Is he wrong for feeling that way? Isn't that just another way he's avoiding dealing with how he feels?

He holds Greg's hand, closing his eyes and nodding. He curls himself so that he's closer to his dad's body, looking for reassurance in that contact.

"I know," he says, and it means a lot to him. But saying he will, for sure, is a lie. Steven knows it is.

[fragileandsoft]

For a long while, that's all. They stay like that, hands held and bodies close, taking both solace and fear from each other's presence. They're here, and they're together.

Greg wonders, quietly, if that's any help at all. He can comfort and hold Steven close, but he can't protect him. Not from this. It's always been a fear of his, but it's worse here, so much worse. Nothing is certain, nothing is set in stone. All that reassured him is gone, everything from their home to their bodies and even their magic. Nothing works right, and Greg is only burdening Steven more.

He always trusted Steven to look after himself, but if this place has made it hard for him to do even that, then Greg can't blindly let his son handle it all by himself again.

"You know..." He finally speaks, very softly, and pauses there. Just to make sure Steven hasn't fallen asleep. "I've been thinking..." Another pause. He'll say it out loud. Once he's sure he's not bothering Steven. Just... finding the words is hard.

[starseedling]

Steven cracks open his eyes, looking at Greg sleepily. He's awake enough that he wants to know what his dad is going to say, regardless of how tired he is or isn't. He feels his tail wags a little in his pants. Oh. Weird.

"What?" he prompts. He doesn't have a tone of energy to say more than that with, but he does want to know.

[fragileandsoft]

For a second longer Greg considers dropping it and letting them both get some rest, but he pushes through. This is important. For both of them.

"I... I wanna get better. At magic. That protection spell."

No matter how much of a bad feeling it gives him... there's no actual downside beyond his own issues. It seems like the spell only does any good for himself, but maybe if he works at it... it can help others, too.

"Maybe... you could teach me how you do it? We could make it a family thing. Shield practice."

[starseedling]

Steven is confused for a moment, sleepily unsure if he's misconstrued what Greg said, but as it dawns on him that his impression is correct, he starts to smile more genuinely. He's still tired of everything, but he asked for his dad to be protected, and anything that will help with that is solidly a good thing.

Steven needs practice, too. He can't let this happen again - it doesn't matter whether or not he wants to fight, the fight always seems to come to him.

"Yeah!" he says, his agreement warm and as enthusiastic as he can muster. "I dunno if it works the same, but... I bet we can figure it out together. Right?"

[fragileandsoft]

Steven's enthusiasm lends a little more confidence to him. No matter what Greg thinks he can do with magic, he'll be doing it with his son. That's plenty reason it'll work out for the best, even if the magic itself is a failure.

"Yeah. Even if they're pretty different, it's even important to know what doesn't work."

He leans again into the bed beside Steven. "I betcha, though... it'll be way easier than trying to learn alone."

[starseedling]

He's still pretty tired, so now that this is decided he'd inclined to drift off again. It lends him a burst of warm happiness, though, as he curls up at Greg's side, folding his clawed hands in front of him and he leans in against his father's chest. He smiles, and nods a little in agreement.

"Yeah. It always is."

He closes his eyes and falls silent then, drifting off. If Greg doesn't prompt him for anything else, he'll fall asleep, faintly beginning to purr after he's become fully relaxed.