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It’s a nice, slow day at Spacetries. Since opening his own shop, things have been going well. No more disasters, no more horrible things to ruin his life. Lars has never thought this day would come… but here he is.
He’s cleaning the glass while Blue Lace talks to a customer about a wedding cake. And he’s still in the half of his task when his phone starts vibrating. But not as in a quick text. It’s a phone call.
At the very least, Lars is not in the cash register, so he figures it’s not a bad time to answer. He smiles when he sees that it’s Steven.
“Hey, Steven, what’s up?” Lars speaks with one hand holding the phone, and the other cleaning the window. “You good?”
The other end, though…
Is quiet.
Deadly silent.
He stops.
“... Steven?”
Lars is already putting the cloth away, taking the bucket with him to the break room in the back.
“Steven, are you there?” He insists.
“... Lars?”
Steven says it like he hasn’t realized he called him.
He sounds terrible.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Lars is taking off his starry apron.
“...”
“Steven, please, talk to me. Are you home?”
“... I can’t fix her.”
Lars frowns. “What?”
“My mom. I can’t fix her. I can’t.”
“Wh- What do you mean?”
“I broke her, Lars. I broke her and I can’t fix it.”
He doesn’t know what any of it means. But Steven sounds like he killed someone.
“Just tell me where you are, buddy.”
“I’m home…”
“Okay. Okay, I’m coming to see you, yeah? Hang in there.”
“...”
Lars hangs up at the lack of reply. He sighs deeply. He doesn’t think his heart has ever beaten this fast since he was brought back to life.
The pink teen quickly gives a heads up to Blue Lace, who gives him a thumbs up, indicating she’ll take care of the shop without a problem. Lars is rushing to the beach, until he reaches the only house in it.
When he knocks on the door, he sees…
Multiple shards everywhere on the floor.
All the windows are gone.
“Steven?” Lars calls, going inside as he sees the door is unlocked. “Is everything–”
The rest of the house is a mess, but nothing they can’t fix.
Except…
A huge portrait that is torn in half like a beast destroyed it.
Steven is in front of it, mourning it in solitude.
Lars takes a few steps forward, stopping to give him space.
“I didn’t mean to…” the half-gem tries to apologize. “But I…”
Steven’s hands close in tight fists.
“I HATE…”
Lars approaches a little more, dodging the shards.
“... I hate her.”
He’s almost next to him.
“I hate her for hurting everyone. For leaving everyone. For leaving me behind to fix all her mess.”
Lars sees the portrait. Rose’s smile. You’d never imagine her to be the person Steven is describing just by seeing the painting.
Steven trembles.
“But… I miss her.” His voice quivers.
Lars is closer…
“SHE LEFT ME!” Steven slams on the floor, which causes an earthquake-like explosion of sound. Thankfully, Lars is not thrown away to the distance, albeit a little.
He approaches again, not kneeling down to the kid’s side.
Tears are falling on Steven’s knees.
“She left me…” he repeats, tragically.
Steven is then sobbing.
Lars carefully puts a hand on his back, which makes the other cry louder.
So, the kid is immediately lying against Lars, craving for human contact. The older teenager gladly wraps both arms around him.
Steven cries like he’s a little boy. Not that Lars is complaining; but he realizes that’s how the sixteen-year-old has felt for forever, without being able to process it, without others to understand. Now, it’s come to this.
What do you know about my mom?! I DIDN’T EVEN GET TO KNOW MY MOM!
It was always right there.
And nobody did anything.
Lars sighs, rocking him a little side to side. Steven tightens his grasp around him, begging him to stay. Begging anyone to stay. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore.
The ex-space pirate almost wants to cry, too. It’s like he can feel Steven’s pain despite not relating entirely to it. Lars always had loving parents who were there with him from the beginning. But he knows deep in his heart how it is to be alone. And no kid deserves to be nor feel alone.
Lars looks around him in the meantime, analyzing the destruction, then analyzing the portrait. He can’t imagine for how long Steven must’ve endured to look at the painting every single day, without knowing how to feel about his mother, or having to face the fact that she caused a lot of harm to the people he loves.
The gems must have no idea about any of this, do they?
“... P-Pearl once told me…” Steven says like he’s reading Lars’ mind. “That I don’t know anything about her, because I never even met her.”
There’s resentment in his tone, but there’s a sense that Steven might have internalized it, too. Lars can’t help feeling some anger. How could his own parent say it right to the poor kid’s face?
“And I remember… what you said, Lars,” Steven adds.
The older boy freezes.
“... I’m sorry.”
Lars blinks. “What?”
“I was wrong about her. Like I said, I never met her in the first place. And… you were right.”
Lars is shaking his head.
“Steven, don’t say that. I wasn’t right about anything. I know her even less.”
“No, Lars, you know a lot of things. You were right about her.”
He figures that arguing about this is not going anywhere, as Steven is extremely convinced. Thus, Lars says something that probably surprises Steven, given the kid suddenly stiffens.
“... I was wrong about you, though.”
Steven doesn’t say anything.
“I disrespected something- someone that meant a lot to you, even if it’s bad. I disrespected you. But Steven, you’re… you mean a lot to me,” Lars continues. “It took me a long time to realize it, I know, but it’s true.”
The boy is staring back at him with glowing eyes, like he’s never heard anyone say something so honest to him before. It hurts Lars inside, and he’s trying his best not to let it get to him right now.
“You… don’t deserve any of this, do you hear me?” Lars almost breaks. “You deserve better. So much better.”
Steven hiccups and is sobbing once again, but perhaps more… intensely this time. Now that he isn’t looking, Lars might shed a few tears in silence. He keeps thinking, he’s just a kid. He’s just a kid, for God’s sake. Who hurt him, I want to know and I want to kick their butts.
Unfortunately, Lars can’t do much to help, if not for this.
“W-What am I going to do?” Steven sobs. “What are the gems going to say?”
Lars rubs his back.
“I’ll help,” he says simply.
Steven sniffs. “Huh?”
“I can help.”
“But- don’t you have work?”
“Blue Lace is covering for me, don’t worry.”
Steven looks at Lars like he’s an angel.
“You don’t have to face this alone,” Lars explains. “I want to make sure you don’t get to face any of this on your own. You just gotta trust me, okay?”
The half-gem gulps. “O-Okay.”
Lars smiles at him and squeezes the kid one last time. Steven doesn’t take long to calm down.
Figuring it must not be a good idea to keep staring at your absent/dead mother’s smiling face, Lars is pulling Steven to his feet, slowly.
“Let’s get you some water, okay?” The former suggests.
Steven nods quietly.
Except he’s hugging Lars again. Not desperately this time.
“... thank you,” Steven whispers.
Lars snorts, returning the gesture, using it to say “you’re welcome”.
He can hear the ocean from far away.
Everything is calm.
Everything will be okay.
He’s here for Steven.
It’s a mess, sure. But they’re not alone anymore.
Lars won’t leave him.
He’ll make sure of that.