I'm in the autumn of my years

[panspermia]

Who: Greg Universe and any Rescuers
What: who's this asshole
When: June 18
Where: The Rescuers' ship
Warnings: trauma and PTSD

If Greg has a reaction to entering a massive alien guitar spaceship, he keeps it to himself. Between the drama of the ritual, the return of his maimed soul, and his haphazard rescue, he simply has too much to process first before he can take in the rest of the rescuer operation. As a result, first thing he does is find a small, empty room--a bathroom--and ask to be left alone for a while.

An hour or so later, a very different man emerges again.

It hadn't been his first intention in locking himself in that room, but the longer he'd been in there, the more necessary it had felt. Greg hasn't felt like himself in a very long time. The worst of it was the result of Blanche's meddling with his soul, yes, but it extended before that point as well. The face of his youth, the one Blanche used and tried to make into a different person altogether... Greg couldn't keep looking at that face anymore. It hurt too much, made him too sick. Adding a few years on to his appearance and a beard isn't going to fix it, either; he's not the same person he used to be, either. (After all, he did keep the hair.) But this is better, closer than before. Whoever he is now, this is about as close as he's willing to get.

Greg Universe emerges into the ship, avoiding eye contact, and finally begins to take things in.

Comments

[panspermia]

So she went for Steven... That's good. Someone had to try and help him. If only it had worked out... Greg holds her fast, shaking his head. "What Pride did to him can't last. I'm proof of that, right? You were really brave, Connie." He barely lasted a moment against that manag-- "Wait, robot, what?"

[missknight]

Yeah, that’s right… Greg’s fatherly words of wisdom seem to be penetrating, and Connie’s miserable expression eases up. Even in the depths of being brainwashed, Greg has still gotten here. She just has to try harder next time.

Her plots for ‘next time’ are interrupted at his sudden surprise and she blinks up at him. Oh, right!

“All the managers for both Virgo and Pride, along with some of the bodyguards, are robots! The two people in helmets- Gold and Silver- told everyone. That’s how I was able to fight Jin without being worried about going to prison and making my parents upset.” That last part is a priority, for the record.

[panspermia]

"All of the...?" Greg stares at her a moment. Sure, Kimiko hadn't lived with them or anything, so it never struck him as all that odd how he never saw her eat or sleep or use the bathroom or anything. With all the magic powers flying around he'd been able to brush off that crazy strength without much thought. Yet, with this information, all he can do is rub at his face and admit, "That... makes a lot of sense, actually."

Then the rest of her words sink in. Greg looks over her scrapes and bruises, concern mounting further. "Holy cannoli, you really went after an evil robot, though? She cleaned my clock! Yeesh, you're really something." This girl's twelve years old, has no magic, and fought on enemy territory against a super-strong robot. Connie, you're kind of his hero.

[missknight]

Such high praise makes her face heat up, and Connie folds her hands against her back. It feels funny to get a compliment like that since she still wasn’t able to rescue Steven, but…. Maybe he has a point. “All of Pearl’s training has come in handy… And I think it’s a lot easier with a sword.” She has no idea what Gems make their weapons, whether or not they come out of their gems, but Rose Quartz must have had a fantastic smith.

“Next time… Next time I’ll definitely convince Steven to come with me. I promise, Mister Universe.”

[panspermia]

Blades made with magic have a history of being above average, and Rose didn't cut corners on her weapons of war. If that sword has to be back in use, Greg's glad it's serving Connie well.

His hands stay resting on her shoulders, both resolute and unwilling to let her go. "We both will. We're in this together." He finds a smile and a wink. "Steven can't resist his two favorite people."

[missknight]

“Yeah…” Her hands curl into determined fists, and Connie beams up at him. “Yeah, we’ll definitely convince him together!” Just like that, everything feels better. Even with Pearl and Amethyst around, in a way, it had felt like she was on her own. She wasn’t a Gem, just a human trying her best. Like always, Greg just being there makes her feel better.

“But- that’s enough about me! Are you alright, Mister Universe? You got your hair back!” She pauses, brow scrunching up. “Or… lost it again?”

[panspermia]

For the first time, Greg feels a genuine twinge of certainty. In a reality where everything has become unfamiliar and the truth has faded and cracked too many times, Connie's bright determination and camaraderie finally feels like something is as it should be.

He flushes a bit, a hand running through his full head of hair. "Ehh, well. All the other stuff that happened, I thought there's no point going bald again, right? I worked hard enough growing it out the first time, anyway." It feels sort of silly, when he's rejecting everything else the label gave him, and yet... he's allowed some vanity, okay?

[missknight]

“Well, you should probably brush it and put it back into a ponytail. That way it’ll be harder for people to recognize you!” She curls a hand at her chin. “Although… Looking a few years older will probably do the trick just fine, but still.”

[panspermia]

"...Brushing it!" Greg leans back and smacks his forehead. "I didn't even think of that! Heck, that'll guarantee they can't recognize me." Blanche may have seen him as an old guy once, but never with combed hair.

[missknight]

“It’s the perfect plan.” Or, at least, it will probably help a little bit. Connie knows all about how even a little change to your appearance can make all the difference. That’s what happens when you wear glasses, after all. “Do you need help? There is a lot of it.”

[panspermia]

"You really are a hero." There's enough junk in his van that he can't truthfully claim he doesn't own a brush, but he sure hasn't seen it in years. "It takes a brave soul to tame this mane."

[missknight]

“Well, I am a brave rescuer!” Right now, she can even say it with an honest grin. “We can use mine! And if it gets lost in your hair, well… We can always get a new one wherever we stop by next.”

Or ask to borrow Shep’s but she’d feel bad about losing one of his brushes.