Work Text:
Lars:’puts some ingredients on his shelf, he wipes some sweat off his forehead’there, all done, it should be ready for tomorrow.
Then he walks out of the shop and locks it.
Lars: now, time to go home-
Then he stops when he notices a figure walking towards the beach, a very familiar figure, it was Steven, he raises an eyebrow at him, but he slowly follows Steven towards the beach, he was surprised that he didn’t even notice him at all.
Steven:’sits down on the ground’
Lars: Steven?
Steven: oh, hey lars, do you need help with anything?
Lars: no, I just closed down my shop for the day and I saw you walking here, so I thought I would check up on you.
Steven: oh, are you sure?
Lars: I'm sure, don’t worry, I was about to go home after closing my shop when I saw you, so I wanted to check up on you, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to talk to each other, so, how have you been?
Steven: I've been……….busy.
Lars: with all of the gem stuff?
Steven: ya……..
Lars: How has it been? I know you’ve been really busy with all the new gems and trying to help them get used to things and make sure they feel welcomed, it must not be easy to do all of that stuff, but i’m proud of you for doing all of that stuff, i know it’s not easy to do this stuff, but i know that-
Then he stops hearing sniffling.
Lars: Huh?
Then he looks and his eyes widened seeing that Steven had tears running down his face, he frowns and puts a hand on his shoulder.
Lars: steven, are you-
Steven:’cries into his hands’i’m tired! I’m so tired of this! I have so much to do, I've been trying to make everything work but I feel like I'm about to go crazy! I've been trying to make time for everyone and make everything work but it feels like it's not enough, i don’t know what to do, and it feels like-
Lars: steven-
Steven: i’m not doing enough-
Lars: steven-
Steven: and i don’t know how to make it work, i want to make sure everyone is ok, and that they feel safe and-
Lars: Steven!
Steven: Huh?
Lars: I know you're scared and that you're really busy, but maybe you need to take some time off, I know that you want to make sure that everyone is comfortable, but you're overworking yourself, you look tired.
Steven: I'll be fine.
Lars: You need to rest because you're going to overwork yourself into unconsciousness, do I need to remind you that you're half human?
Steven: I already know that, lars, it was part of my identity for a long time, half gem, half human, i’m not human, and not a gem.
Lars: Well, more like a diamond.
Steven:’gives him a look’
Lars: Right, sorry.
Steven: i just……….I just need to process everything and figure out a good schedule, i'm supposed to repair another gem and show them around, along with figuring out new ways to help them live here, i want to expand some options to help them feel welcome, to make sure they feel safe here.
Lars: But you need to rest.
Steven: But I have to be the one that does this, everyone is relying on me to do this, I need to do this now.
Lars: What do you need to do right now is sleep.
Steven: but i can’t, i need to be okay-
Lars:’grabs his shoulders’steven.
Steven:’looks at him’
Lars: You don’t need to be okay right now, Steven, I know that you’re working really hard, I am proud of you for helping everyone as much as you can, but you need to know that you can’t do this on your own.
Steven: but i-
Lars: Steven, you are clearly overworking yourself and you need to rest, you might be half gem, but you're also have humid, and this is coming from a human, we have our limits and we don't have endless energy, you need to eat, drink, and sleep, come on, i’m taking you home so you can sleep.
Steven: but-
Then he yelps when Lars picks him up and carries him, Steven starts to struggle, but Steven has no idea how Lars was so strong.
Steven: Lars, let me go!
Lars: no, you need to sleep.
Steven: but-
Lars; no excuses, I am going to wrap you in a blanket like a burrito and make you sleep, you're actually going to be in my house because I know that if you go back to your place, then you're going to work.
Steven: How do you know me so well?!
Lars: Do you really want me to answer that? Or did you forget that I've known you since you were a little kid? And the fact that we've recently discovered that we're brothers, still shocked by that but I can now see it.
Steven: Dammit.
Lars: Steven!
Steven: What?!
Lars: Let's just get you home.
Steven: well i’m not going to your house-
Later………….
Steven:’wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate’
Lars:’looks at him’
Steven:............ok, i’ll admit, this is really nice, and this hot chocolate with a slice of cake is really nice, did you try a new recipe?
Lars: I did!
Steven:’smiles and takes another bite of the cake’
Lars: I hope you’ll learn to take better care of yourself.
Steven:...............maybe i will.
Lars: Steven.
Steven:’chuckles and smiles at him’
Lars: oh, and before you say anything, I already called the gems and told them that you’re hanging out with me for the day tomorrow.
Steven: Wait, what?!
Lars: And they're already telling everyone that you're taking the day off so don't even try to do anything tomorrow, it's just going to be us tomorrow, hanging out like brothers, and you're actually going to relax for one.
Steven: You're evil, I hope you know that.
Lars: I literally became a space criminal, I've done a lot of things and you don't even understand half of it.
Steven: I was a kid back then.
Lars: fair point.