Connie, Jasmin and Jacob were snuggling in the basement, half dozing half watching TV when they heard commotion upstairs.

They ignored it at first, pleased when Anna and Adam rejoined from whatever they were doing. It was some cartoon with satirical undertones and adult humor masked with goofy jokes. They'd started watching it as a joke, but the more they did, the more they kind of found themselves giggling and sinking into the couch more.

"Steven Universe get me the hell out of here dammit!"

"You asshole! How could you do this to me?! I thought..."

"Don't you dare when you know that's not true! Don't you dare cry at me!"

A loud bang was all the more they needed to race upstairs and find the most unprecedented altercation they'd ever seen.

Steven was red faced with fury, and had erected a cage-like box around Hazel in the kitchen. Various things were strewn about the floors and Hazel looked seconds from fatal explosion.

"Steven! What's going on?" Connie looked between the two boys who were so close glaring at each other.

Steven didn't seem to hear her at first, he crossed his arms then dropped them and turned away. "Get him under control."

"He's being an asshole, this was unprompted!" Hazel protested, throwing his weight against it with no luck. "I swear to god Steven, get me out of here or there's going to be problems."

The man in pink froze mid motion and clenched his fists. Steven turned and walked up to the cage, brown eyes turning pink and staying as his rage reached new highs. "Oh, so we're threatening people now? What, are you going to hit me again for protecting you from yourself?!"

Adam got between them and pushed Steven back. He whipped to Hazel menacingly. "You did what?!"

"That's not what happened!" Hazel rebutted, his voice cracking with obvious grief. "That's not what happened at all!"

Steven chuffed and crossed his arms. "And you're a liar. You learn new things every day about people who supposedly love you."

The heartbreak in Hazel boiled over and he hauled off, punching at the cage with all his might. Steven watched as it broke and his powers flickered out.

"Hello?! There has to be context to this!" Connie put her hand on Steven's chest. "You're making it worse on purpose, Steven."

He scoffed and shook off her hand, glowering at the floor with tears in his eyes. "He made it worse first. I did what I had to do."

Adam gripped Hazels shirt and pulled him down to his level. "You need to start talking or there's going to be a much bigger talk happening. You don't want that. I don't want that. Speak."

Steven sighed when Hazel went mute. "I'm almost entirely certain–,"

"Almost?" Jasmin asked with a glance Hazels way.

"Let me finish, god dammit!" Steven snapped. "I'm not going to out him because I am undyingly kind, but I know what he was going to do, which is worse." He started forcing away sobs as he glared at Hazel. "You fucking dick, you don't just get to do stupid shit like that. It's not fair."

Jacob's face dropped in realization. "Steven, what did he do?"

He couldn't even say at first, he either had to wait for the need to cry his eyes out to cease or risk breaking down. "I... I heard him say it. I know I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy. B-but you walk in and hear something like that and you have to either t-take the risk or remove him and I-I panicked." Connie tapped his cheek to quit his rambling and tried giving him a tiny grin. "He was... he misses his sister."

Hazel scoffed and crossed his arms. "This is so fucking stupid I don't even know what to say right now. What, you felt threatened by me?"

"Uncalled for!" Jasmin exclaimed with a jaw dropped. "So uncalled for!"

"Whatever. I need a cigarette," Hazel muttered. "This is stupid."

"You're not allowed to smoke cigarettes." Jacob shoved his hands in his pockets as he regarded the man on the kitchen floor. He had been clearly upset and depressed recently, but he'd not spoken a word about it.

Hazel glowered at him and Jacob raised an eyebrow at the threatening stare. Hazel was bigger than him in multiple ways, but Jacob was a wild card. There was no telling just who would go down when Jacob had a high pain tolerance and Hazel was a powerhouse.

Adam lifted his head to look back at Anna, pale with fear and frozen in place. "Hazel, I'm not going to be mad at you. What did you do?" Hazel refused to respond so he let him go and glanced around the kitchen.

Steven shook his head. "The garage. You have to check the garage. I-I think he needs to go to the hospital." Now he looked pale too. He slumped over to sit on the floor and stare off into the distance, motioning for Connie to sit in his lap.

Connie turned to the others. "Someone needs to stay with Hazel, too. I can't tend to both if it's like this."

Anna took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I can stay. Adam, you guys go."

He nodded and knelt down to Hazel, trying to tilt his head up but being ignored. "Please tell me... Please tell me I'm not going to find a garage shut with a car running."

Jacob sucked in a breath. Realization turned to a sickening dread rising up from his stomach. "Not Hazel."

Hazel pulled his knees up to his chest. "Then you won't."

The rest left for a few minutes, and they sat in the heaviest silence to date. Steven had his thousand yard stare on with one hand on Connie's outter thigh and the other on her waist. She was weakly locked in place, a shallow but clearly heard message in his actions. He needed her to stay. He needed her to stay, or things might get catastrophic fast.

Steven and Hazel were among the closest in the entire polycule. Their friendship was unbreakable, and their love ran right through their bloodstreams. Truthfully, Hazel had taken a bit of a load off of Connie's back (that she'd been more than happy to help shoulder). Things were easier to handle when he got upset. When his two favorite people were holding his hands and loving on him, his fear and self hatred melted away. Steven had taught Hazel a much easier way to love, and helped him find himself. Nowadays they spent a good 60% of their time most weeks around each other in some way.

Connie had a special relationship with Hazel, too. He was like a big brother, but also very much not that when she greatly enjoyed being stuffed by him. The giant was so gentle and adoring and bubbly, he and Anna were perfect together, and having a brooding goth boy just made them all the cuter. She couldn't believe he had really hit Steven, there had to be more context.

Still, her arms wrapped around her Steven tighter to mock the feeling of a weighted blanket. She gripped until he grunted and drew in a breath that signaled he was relaxing an iota.

Anna pulled Hazels head onto her lap and rubbed at his cheek. She'd never seen him so dead, not like this. Dead tired maybe, but not dead sad. She wanted to shake him as fear and adrenaline pulsed through her, but instead she kissed his forehead as he stared past her. It hurt her feelings, but she knew she was being irrational. "Hazel, Daddy, please talk to me. Tell me what I need to do to help you."

Hazel shifted, going limp right after. "I don't know."

Arguing from the garages carried into heavy footsteps running back in. Adam was running at full speed to clearly rock Hazels shit in a rage, but Jacob had longer legs and grabbed him in a hold before he could. "Get ahold of yourself, Adam! Calm down! Breathe!"

For a second, the only sound was the desperate gasps of clean air as their lungs fought against the effects of even being in the garage for three minutes.

"I'm sorry... I-I just..." Adam relaxed and dropped his head. "The garage is open now, no one goes in or out. The cars need all the windows and doors open for a few hours."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself, I promise," Hazel mumbled tearfully. "I genuinely spaced it out that idling the car could kill me."

"You're a fucking liar, Hazel!" Steven cried. "You were manic and out of your mind. Y-you landed a hit easily." His hand twitched at Connie's side. "I-I know it wasn't on purpose."

Connie frowned. "And you know that how?"

Steven sniffled and buried his head in her neck. "I startled him. I came in too fast when I heard the car running with music. I was in a blind panic because I heard it running for like 20 minutes a-and I realized whoever was in there was still in there and then I heard Death on repeat and I thought I was going to almost lose someone again so I super speeded and he clocked me square in the face."

"I didn't mean to!"

Steven laid back on the floor. "I know."

Jasmin sighed for a long time and then stood up a bit straighter. "Hazel, get in the car. I'm taking you in."

"I wanna go to," Adam begged. "Don't make me worry."

"You need a minute." Jasmin nodded to Jacob to grab her keys. "I don't think it was a conscious choice. But it wasn't like he didn't know."

By the time they got him there Hazel was completely unconscious. Steven held him bridal style and they walked into the ER, Jacob calling for someone to help. Hazel started seizing as soon as they hooked him up and Jasmin had to completely remove Anna from the room. She screamed bloody murder and nearly decked a doctor who'd ran in.

Everyone was in a sure panic, another three of them having to comfort while needing to be comforted. Steven was inconsolable and eventually they were asked to clear the room.

For hours, they knew nothing about what was going on.

Steven refused to be checked for a concussion despite the serious bruise he had and the tension in his neck. "He didn't hurt me, it wasn't on purpose," He muttered over and over again, even going as far to throw a serious 'Do Not Touch Me' glare at anyone who came close. "I only want Hazel to be okay."

Jacob couldn't seem to comprehend speech. He just stared, mindlessly.

Adam's crying grew in volume suddenly and he stormed out, quickly followed by Connie.

"Adam, stop it," She demanded. "Please, Hazel needs you!"

He couldn't hardly answer, he just turned and cried into Connie's neck, nearly hysterical. "I almost lost him! He was so cold..."

She nodded, remembering a time when Steven had made her feel like this. "It hurts, I know. It feels like he doesn't love you anymore." She swallowed and ran her fingers through his hair. "Like you're not enough."

"I'm not!" He gripped her tighter and started trembling. "I'm not enough."

Connie pried him off of her and shook him. "Adam! Get ahold of yourself and listen to me! Hazel loves you. He is in love with you and if you let your insecurity dictate this forever when we have no idea what happened, you're going to lose him indefinitely!" She wiped at her face and growled. "This just happens sometimes! Sometimes you wake up to find your husband in a staring contest with your kitchen knives and spend the entire night dulling them until– until you're not scared to go to work anymore..."

Adam stared at her, brows furrowed. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Connie was already too wound up to accept his apology and sighed shakily. "Don't think it hasn't happened to Jasmin, either. You guys are... we get it. We understand you, and we don't get mad at you." She pulled him into another, more tender hug. "But we can't do it alone. Anna needs you badly right now, Hazel needs you more. You have two more jobs than I do, pay attention to both of your partners, and pay attention equally. It's not easy, but when you choose love, you choose all the bad stuff too."

She walked Adam back in and he sighed deeply before squeezing her hand and going to hold Anna. She broke down immediately and he did too, but they were together and that made it better.

Hazels eyes opened again an hour later, into silence.

Steven's eyes found him first and welled with tears. "You're awake. I'm– so glad." He walked over to kiss him deeply, pleased when he kissed back. "I'll grab Adam and Anna."

"Call them," He pleaded. "Stay with me please."

He nodded. "I'll call all of them."

"Thank you."

They came in and surrounded Hazel in their special hug, but he just went limp and muttered, "I don't remember why I'm here."

Adam pulled away, eyes wide. "Please... don't say that. You remember–,"

Hazel looked right through him and his face tightened. "Please don't cry." Then to Anna. "I remember you guys I promise... it's just a little foggy."

The doctor knocked and they dispersed quickly, watching as he checked vitals. "All good news, Hazel. Your vitals are stable enough to go home." He pulled up a seat and sat, clasping his hands firmly. "Do you need them to leave?"

"No," He said immediately. "They can stay."

The doctor blew out a low breath and went through a clipboard. "Hazel, you do know that idling a car in a garage is dangerous, right?" He nodded. "What happened?"

Hazel frowned and shook his head. "I remember I missed my sister. She's dead, but I wasn't... I-I don't–,"

"You're upsetting him," Adam snapped.

The doctor shot him an anxious glance and cleared his throat. "Hazel, there's no evidence here that you weren't trying to kill yourself... But there's none saying you weren't."

Hazel made eye contact with him. "I'm just a little stupid, I swear. I was out of my mind because I felt abandoned. I was upset no one noticed I was upset but I didn't go in there to kill myself. I shut the garage because I didn't want anyone to hear me cry." He glanced at the bedsheets and sighed. "I'm not good at it yet."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Right. We'll discharge you as soon as possible. My nurse will be in to take out the IV in a few minutes."

The car ride home was silent, and Hazel insisted and even pleaded to drive. Only when they made a wrong turn did Anna speak up. "Where are we going?"

"Ice cream," Hazel replied, giving her a loving smile. "Everyone gets ice cream."

"Ice cream isn't going to help me not hate myself," Adam sighed. "I'm so sorry."

Hazel tipped his head a bit, pulling into the empty parking lot. "Rats, I forgot it's a Sunday. It's closed."

"Are you listening to us, Hazel?" Anna asked, tugging on his arm.

He sighed. "Yeah, I am. But you don't need to apologize. I'm not upset, and you didn't do anything wrong. I'm still learning to adjust to this sometimes, I struggle to ask for a kiss, I struggle with feeling like I'm not enough."

Connie tossed Adam a look and nodded to Hazel. He sighed and reached up to grab Hazels hand. "I choose love, Hazel. I choose to believe you didn't do this on purpose."

"We choose you," Anna added. "Every time."