Work Text:
He’s stressed.
She can tell. She can always tell, but it’s especially obvious right now. His hand running through his hair, his teeth biting hard on his lip, his pen tapping harshly against the table. It all comes together to create the tired expression on Steven’s face, complete with long yawns and eyes that keep fluttering shut.
Connie sighs. “You need a break.”
She can already hear the response, and she shakes her head when it comes, a quiet mumble of “M’fine.”
“You are not fine. You’re taking on more than you can handle again.” She throws a hand out and gestures to the table, running fingers over the stacked sheets of paper that cover the surface. The table is barely visible underneath it all; lists of names and facets, of schedules and classes, of addresses and demands. It’s so much, too much, and she neatens one of the piles of paper with a huff. “I know you want to help, but haven’t we been here before?”
Steven gives her a weak smile. “It’s not like that this time. I’m just helping out.”
“At the expense of your own health?”
Steven blinks, the pen in his hand slowing and coming to a stop with one final tap. “I’m- it’s not- it’s fine, really.”
“When did you last sleep?” It’s soft, and worried, and caring, and she doesn’t mean it to be condescending; she knows that he knows that. His face softens a little, eyes flicking down to the ground, and she reaches out to him slowly.
“Last night.”
“For how long?” He doesn’t answer. Connie sighs. “Steven...”
“Three- no, two hours. Two.”
Another sigh, and her fingers lace through his, the pen in his hand dropping to the table. “You need to rest. I know you wanted to help with Little Homeschool - you always want to help, and I love that about you - but you need to rest, Steven.”
He looks up at her, letting out a soft breath, and she smiles at the sleepy look in his eyes. “But I need to...”
“You need to take care of yourself. You need to let me take care of you.”
He melts at that. He leans into her, squeezing her hand softly once, and Connie laughs as his face buries into her shoulder, nestling and finding the comfort that he’s been needing for longer than he can remember. She stands up slowly and he follows, still clinging onto her like he’s almost afraid to let go, and she takes his other hand in her own and leads him away from the table, away from his work, away from everything.
She leads him to the bed.
It takes him all of three seconds to flop down on top of the covers, settling into the blankets with an instant smile, pulling the fabric up to his face. It’s almost painfully cute, and Connie suppresses the heart eyes that are threatening to take over her face, instead opting to sit down beside him and pull his jacket away from his shoulders. He doesn’t fight it, lets her take it without any argument, and she reaches underneath his shirt to trail her fingertips down his spine.
He falls. His entire body goes limp, and he giggles sleepily at her as she traces over the skin, soft patterns and kind words of relax, sleep, rest, relax, sleep, I love you.
She settles next to him without pulling her hands away for even a split second, and grins as Steven immediately pulls himself towards her, his head in her lap before she can even say a word. He still clings to her, to the fabric of her shorts and the wrist of the hand that’s comforting him, and she lets him hold on without any argument; he needs this, and she needs it too.
The tips of her fingers spider from the top of his neck to the bottom of his spine, and he presses his smile into her leg, lips kissing the skin of her knee gently in between sleepy giggles.
“You don’t need to help everyone,” she whispers, and her smile softens when he makes a quiet noise of affirmation, muffled against her leg. “You don’t need to be useful. You can just be you.”
“Me is useful.”
She snorts at that, quickening her fingers and grinning when he lets out a slightly louder laugh, arching his back. “You are useful, but you don’t have to be.”
“Thank you,” Steven says, still muffled against her leg, and she reaches a hand up to ruffle his hair with a laugh. He shakes his head away, turning his head to stick his tongue out. “But I still need to finish the work.”
“No. Right now, you need to go to sleep. Preferably with me.”
“Wow. This is peak romance.”
“Shut up.”
“Make me,” he grins, followed by a shriek when she pushes his head off of her lap and his cheek connects with the bed. He bounces slightly before sitting up to glare at her, diving at her and tackling her back against the covers, hovering above her with a narrowed eyes and a small smile.
Connie raises her eyebrows. “What happened to you being tired?”
“What happened to you helping me sleep?”
“Touché.” Her hand grabs his wrist and pulls, and he lets out another shriek as he falls on top of her and she switches their positions, leaning over him while he giggles up at her, her hair falling past her shoulders and brushing over his cheeks. “Now sleep.”
“It’s three in the afternoon!”
“Did I stutter?” Connie pokes his cheek when he rolls his eyes, and collapses next to him with a happy sigh, tucking herself against him and pulling his arm to pin it under her shoulder. “Goodnight.”
“It’s three in the afternoon.”
“Goodnight, Steven!”
Her eyes screw shut resolutely and she hears him laugh softly, turning onto his side to put an arm over her waist. He breathes out, quiet and gentle, and pulls her just a little bit closer. “Goodnight, Connie.”