Headcanon: Ready, Set, Action! [Black Noir x Actor!GN!Reader
Warnings: super fucking long. cursing, like "fuck" and "shit" i think. idk, i didn't edit this lol.
srsly tho, supes long. like 1,135 words but written in a bulleted list.
also tried to keep it GN but if there's like hint of gender in there, tell me so i can fix it.
Being the hottest self-made shit in town, with 84.9 million subscribers on YouTube alone, you're kind-of a big deal.
Though you’re not officially on Vought’s payroll as a Seven team member, Vought calls you when they have jobs you might be interested in.
One day, Vought calls you to see if you’re interested in acting in a multi-genre superhero movie. It would focus on Black Noir as the lead, obviously. You, however, were the supporting lead, playing the love interest and villain.
Not only was this movie a huge boost to your career, but a dream come true. The plot sounded amazing, the character relatable, sympathetic, and downright fucking insane.
Also, growing up in supe-infested corporate America, you idolized the Seven—especially Black Noir. So working with a childhood role model, playing both the villain and the love interest of his?
Obviously, you didn’t say no.
On the day filming started, you ran into Noir. While you were annoyingly excited about the whole event, and downright irritating when you met your hero, you kept yourself in check. It was a struggle, but you managed.
You greeted him, "Hey, I'm [Supe Name]! Since we're filming buddies, want to run over some scenes later?"
Sure as shit, he acted like you didn't exist!
For the first couple of days after the snub, you tried your best to correct whatever first impression he had of you.
You talked to him, or to see if he will practice a certain fight scene with you that involved a lot of coordination.
When that didn’t work, you tried to make a funny joke or two when the situation called for it so he would at least lower that stand-offish barrier around him. Though the crew often laughed at your perfectly timed jokes, Noir would just stare at you or have already left the group.
Your last resort was acting like a good little secretary, offering to get him food and drinks from the communal food table. While he often took you up on your offer, that was as far as the interactions went. Once he was satisfied, ignoring you like you didn’t exist begun once again.
No matter, you got the message loud and clear: stay away.
Despite the crushing start, and understanding the old saying, “Never meet your heroes,” it was the most fun you had in a while.
You acted like your life depended on it; you’d be damned if you failed the crew and audience with mediocre acting. That, and to show Noir that you were worth the time of day.
You did your best to look sympathetic and relatable, even if your ideology of your “perfect world” was madness. You put heart and soul into your character, doing so well you had to remind yourself that you’re [Name], not the villainous [Supe Alias].
Then, you started filming the romantic scenes.
In the first two parts of the movie, it wasn’t too bad. Just longer periods of staring, playful smiles, gentle touches. Nothing too serious.
However, there were times were his muscles would tense beneath his suit when you had touched him. You’d die a little on the inside for two reasons: you’re touching him, and he hates your guts.
Though you two avoided each other like the plague off set, none of the crew were wiser about it when you acted out the beloved “Hero and Villain in love but never to be” trope on set.
Noir would stare at you the way Darcy stared at Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. You could feel the burning gaze behind his goggles.
When you held his hand, he would grasp it like it was a lifeline and pull you closer to him. Most of that was on the spot, not in the script.
At the end, he would hold your body as you “succumbed” to your wounds because he had no choice but to “kill” your character?
One word: Swoon!
And then there were the scenes when you were the villain.
Though they were steamy but not overly sexual, the implications were obviously there.
Like when you tied him up? When you would tilt his head up so his goggles were staring at you? Gentle and not-so-gentle face holding? Barely respectable sensual touches (lol)? Your faces together, so teasingly close for a kiss (with the mask still on) but no cigar?
Two words this time: Sweet Jesus!
Filming ends on the last day. You’re shaking hands with the director, the crew, thanking them for their hard work, excited to see the final product on the silver screen soon.
When you get to Noir, you play nice and hold out your hand. While you didn’t want to relive the rejection a second time, you prepared for the inevitable.
However, you were shell-shocked when Noir took your hand and gave it a single shake. You couldn’t help the large grin on your face, or the triumph soaring in your heart.
As you let go of his hand, he holds out his other with a folded note. Though confused, you still smile and take it. You’re about to unfold it when he gently stops your hand and shakes his head.
Now even more confused, and anxious because what could be on the note? A rant about your behavior and him denouncing you as a supe? A cartoonish picture that doesn’t paint you in a good light, resembling what he thinks of you as a person? What? What?
You put the picture in the back of your pocket and do your best to ignore it the rest of the night; if it was something negative, you wouldn’t let it bring down the best natural high you’ve had all day, though it burned a hole in your pocket.
When you finally get to your apartment, it’s past midnight. You’re too drunk on good food and a few shots to do much more than take off your shoes and plop on your bed. In your haze, you remember the note.
Not feeling so dreadfully anxious about it, you grab it and unfold it.
At first, as you stare at it, you’re not sure what you’re looking at. Or how you feel about it. Then your vision clears, and sobriety hits you hard and fast. But in a good way. A great way.
The picture is of you, hand-drawn and cartoonish, but not in a negative light. Think of those artistic drawings of people with big heads and small bodies, but ten-times better.
Every aspect of the picture was beautiful, and the longer you stared at it, the more amazing it got. Really, it belonged in a gallery.
But that led to the question: Black Noir made this for you? Why?
You flip the paper over and see written; I hope this isn’t our last goodbye ♥
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Papercut
Fandom: Steven Universe
Rating: T
Relationships: Steven & Lars; MINOR - Steven & The Cool Kids, Steven & Sadie, Lars/Sadie
Characters: Steven Quartz Universe, Lars Barriga, The Cool Kids, Sadie Miller; MENTIONED - The Crystal Gems, Connie Maheswaran
Summary: Steven has been feeling anxious and he realizes it gets worse when he's alone. So, he tries not to be.
Word count: 3.965
AO3
A/N: Originally published online last week, I just didn't get to post here. This is mainly me venting my anxiety attacks as of late.
I also personally see Steven having BPD, just throwing this here if anyone finds it relevant.
TRIGGER WARNINGS - anxiety and/or panic attacks, hallucination, emotional neglect, abandonment issues, self-hatred, and brief mention of suicidal thoughts.
DO NOT SHIP LARS AND STEVEN.
P/roship DNI.
--
“Anxiety”.
A word Connie has mentioned. It’s a medical term that she taught Steven after what happened to them as Stevonnie. Connie, with her mother’s knowledge, took Garnet’s advice to heart and she gets to manage her anxiety whenever it hits.
Two years later, Steven still hasn’t been able to feel better.
Flexibility, love, and trust.
Flexibility, love, and trust.
Flexibility,
Love,
And
TRUST.
Steven glows pink instead.
Thus, he goes to Garnet to ask for more tips, to know if she could try to help… but the gem tells Steven that he’s the only one who knows the answers. That he should seek them himself. Pearl and Amethyst, who wait for Garnet to head out to Little Homeschool for yet another fieldtrip, agreed indifferently.
Steven can’t even say anything before the three of them are gone in the light of the warp pad, so bright that he feels like it’s going to attack him.
Then, everything is empty.
He only stares at the void like he’s fourteen again.
Just that worsens the ache in his chest, his pink fists clutching his shirt.
Steven rushes back to his safe place, his room, before things get ugly and he goes ballistic, and he grabs his phone to do some research on anxiety. He finds quite a lot of resources.
Since then, he’s trying.
With the gems away to who knows where, and his father also out of town, Steven tries to get by on his own.
(As usual.)
…
But nothing works.
Steven does everything correctly. List five things you can sense. Distract yourself with things you like – watch a movie or a series or funny videos, read a book, listen to music or even podcasts. Breathe. Hug your pillow. Hang out with your friends–
Oh.
He… hasn’t done that in a while.
Steven can’t, though. Everyone is busy and it’s not like they should stop what they’re doing to be with him, right? Right.
Distract yourself.
Distract yourself.
Distract yourself…
Suddenly, a notification.
New texts… from Lars? How long has it been since they last talked? Maybe he needs help with something?
Anyway.
Lars: hey steven, it’s been a while right?
Lars: idk if your busy, but sadie and the cool kids are back in town and we thought of making a lil party
Lars: i know it’s kinda in the last hour so it’s ok if you can’t make it or if you don’t wanna go, but it’d be rlly cool if you came
Lars: but it’s your call of course
Steven looks at the above, wondering if this was predestined. It feels too perfect.
He hasn’t seen his friends in forever.
He types quickly:
Steven: omg I’d love to!!
Steven: I miss you guys sooo much
(Why does it feel like a lie, somehow?)
Lars: aw, we miss ya too buddy
Lars: i miss you coming to the BD to bug me every morning (followed by a pleading emoji)
Steven: Gee, Captain Lars, didn’t know you loved me that much (eyes emoji)
Lars: i was joking.
Steven: Were you really? :3
Lars: ok now your making me regret inviting you
Steven: Noooooo, come on!!
Lars: lmao
Lars: srsly now. 8 at my place, ok?
Steven: Perfect! I’ll see you there! ^^
Lars: (finger gun emojis)
Steven sighs, feeling so… light all of a sudden. Just this one interaction with Lars seems to have calmed him down a little.
The half-gem feels relieved. So relieved.
He can actually get out there and have fun with his friends, catch up with their lives, laugh together, share something tasty to eat…
(And he gets to distract himself from his rising dread.)
(To finally not be reminded how painfully alone he is.)
Well, it’s still 2 PM. From what Dad told him, Sadie and the Cool Kids are going to arrive at 6 PM… so Steven still needs to do something else to keep his mind busy. Maybe cook or bake something for the party. He doesn’t remember Lars mentioning a potluck, but Steven wants to do something nice for his friends nonetheless.
What is he going to cook or bake, then?
…
Or maybe…
--
“... don’t tell me I inspired you with my nostalgia.”
“You could say that,” Steven smirks at Lars’ statement, while holding two huge boxes of donuts with all the flavors he could remember his friends enjoying. As well as…
“You brought salad, too?” Sadie notices, almost wanting to laugh.
“Yeah, like Buck ordered once.”
“Heh, I appreciate your dedication, Steven.” Buck pats his back proudly.
“We miss our favorite roadie,” Sour Cream says, ruffling the younger boy’s curly hair.
Steven’s heart, instead of anguish, is filled with warmth.
“Awe, you guys are going to make me cry,” he jokes.
“Us too! This was so sweet of you, Steven,” Jenny compliments. “I’m glad you could make it!”
“I know every friend says this and it doesn’t always happen… but we should really hang out more,” Buck says, in his same stoic expression. “I love you guys.”
“Yeah, same,” Steven grins affectionately.
It’s a much more casual party this time, which is the best kind of party after such busy times. Lars’ backyard is lit by those small, spherical yellow lights, and everyone sits by the huge picnic table that replaces Lars’ trampoline. Besides the donuts, you can see Lars’ pastries, and apparently snacks that Sadie and the Cool Kids brought from their last tour.
They sing and play some songs together, they laugh at the stories from concerts, outer space, and Little Homeworld… Steven gets to hear more about their lives and how happy they are.
But most importantly, they’re very happy to share it with him.
Which is such an honor.
Steven is genuinely having a good time.
Perhaps the first time in so long…
He’s so happy to be a part of this.
…
The boy’s phone vibrates in his pocket.
He casually checks it, not bothered by it interrupting his immersion in the party. He’s not expecting much, when…
He sees that it’s the gems.
Steven and his family have countless groups for Little Homeschool, and then they have their own private group, just the four of them.
Pearl has sent him a rather quick and dry text informing him of their absence for the next…
Two months.
…
Two months.
Two.
Months.
And no, Steven can’t do anything to stop it.
Because he tries to text them. He sends a million desperate texts.
And his pleads are never answered. And they will never be, because the messages aren’t even sent .
He goes to all their private numbers, and nothing.
Steven calls them, to no avail. There’s not even the option for voicemail.
Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot are on their own separate fieldtrips as well, so it’s useless to try to call them.
No one is reachable.
No one.
No one.
“... Steven. Steven?”
The half-gem only gets a little startled at Lars standing next to him, and bearing the most concerned expression Steven has seen him with. He also realizes everyone else has stopped talking.
“O-Oh, sorry,” he laughs nervously, quickly putting away his phone. “It was nothing.”
“Is everything okay?” Jenny asks.
“You looked like someone died,” Sour Cream observes, also worried.
“No, no, nobody died.” Well, except Lars , Steven would’ve darkly added. “It’s– It’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” Sadie questions.
“Yeah.” Steven’s dread returns to his chest, his hands beginning to shake. He hides them in his pockets, which doesn’t help since he feels his cell phone and it’s the thing that ruined everything. He’s doing everything not to turn pink. “I’m sure,” he mumbles.
Everyone looks at one another, unsure. Steven wants to scream.
“Hey,” Lars whispers, putting a hand on Steven’s back. “Do you want to go inside a bit?”
The latter hates that he likes the soothing touch, yet he’s also afraid the former is going to notice Steven is shaking, so he dodges it much to his own dismay.
“It’s okay, Lars,” Steven mumbles, wanting to cry.
He avoids everyone’s eyes, his hand almost crushing his phone into pieces inside his pocket. He’d love to throw this darned thing into the depths of the ocean.
“Sorry, I ruined the moment, didn’t I?” Steven laughs darkly.
“No, Steven, it’s okay,” Sadie reassures him. “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to, okay?”
“Yeah, man, no worries,” Sour Cream agrees.
Despite that, the party does grow a little quieter. It feels like the emptiness of his house.
Of course. He screwed everything up. Again.
Now they don’t want anything to do with him.
(Like the gems. Like everyone else.)
Steven at least gets to resume his laugh and his smiles, because he’s always been so good at them.
Time goes by…
And they start leaving.
Because obviously, nothing lasts forever.
Jenny is the first one who leaves, and she gives Steven the biggest hug. It doesn’t smell like pizza anymore, instead it’s a sweet scent. It’s different but nice. But too quick.
Sour Cream and Buck leave together. The former sidehugs Steven, while the latter gently tells him to take care of himself, and to always count on them whenever he needs. Steven smiles and nods, without any honesty.
Lastly, Sadie, Lars, and Steven… the original trio. It’s been so long, Sadie and Lars are a lot more comfortable around each other nowadays, holding hands under the table. Steven would’ve fanboyed at another time when he sees Sadie casually kissing Lars’ cheek, causing her boyfriend to go pinkier than what should be possible.
Sadie’s hug, though, is longer than everyone else’s goodbyes.
“It was nice seeing you, Steven,” she grins with some melancholy. “Don’t forget we love you, okay?”
Steven doesn’t believe her, but he plasters a smile on his face just to please her.
“Okay,” he replies simply.
Sadie is convinced, and walks away.
Finally, it’s just him.
The only one left.
Lars is quiet.
Steven knows what he’s going to say.
And before Lars does, the sixteen-year-old puts his distraction in action.
“Oh, do you need help cleaning?” He asks.
“Uh, there’s… not a lot to do.”
“Yeah, but like, I could help with the trash.”
“Steven, it’s fine.”
“No, really, I–”
“Why don’t you go home and rest?” Lars isn’t even being rude, he’s genuinely suggesting it because he can tell Steven isn’t fine.
But going home is not going to help.
It’s the last thing Steven needs.
“Don’t worry, Lars, I can do this!” Steven grins widely and already moves to the table to take the remains of food and plastic, as well as the donut boxes.
He can hear Lars sighing in the back.
(Steven hates himself. Obviously Lars doesn’t want him here.)
(But Steven can’t go back.)
(He can’t go back.)
Indeed, there’s not a lot of work to do. Lars washes whatever dishes he needed for the baking part, while Steven takes care of the trash. There are huge trash bins in the yard, so he easily finishes the job.
… it’s over.
He does more.
Steven seeks out any trash he can find to fill the larger bin, both in the kitchen and the restroom.
“Dude, what are you doing?” Lars asks from afar.
“I’m helping!”
“But you’re done taking out the stuff from the party, aren’t you? Why are you taking out the trash from my house?”
“Because I want to help!”
Before Steven can go back outside, Lars stops him with a frowning face.
“Steven, you’re not okay,” the latter states seriously. “You need to go home.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I think you do. I don’t know what happened that you saw earlier, but you need to rest.”
“I don’t need rest.”
“Oh, you don’t?” Lars sounds sarcastic. “Like you’re not obsessively looking for stuff to do?”
“I’m not doing that!” Steven defends.
“Yeah, and I bet you’re not going to clean all the restrooms next. Or the windows. Or my entire bedroom–”
“Oh, haha , you are SO hilarious,” Steven rolls his eyes and tries to go outside again, only for Lars to step forward to make him go back. “Lars, let me go,” Steven warns.
“Will you at least tell me what’s going on?”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Alright, then go home.”
“No.”
“Don’t make me throw you inside my head myself.”
Steven boils. “Just let me do this for you, Lars!”
“I’m telling you you don’t have to!” Lars raises his voice.
“But I want to!”
“And I want you to be okay!”
“But I AM OKAY!”
“You wouldn’t be YELLING at me if you were!”
Steven growls in frustration, “Just let me go outside!”
“NO!”
He has had it.
The half-gem pushes Lars aside harshly, to the point of knocking the latter over, and Steven is too distraught to apologize for it. He rushes outside in the peaceful night.
“STEVEN!” Lars yells from inside the kitchen.
He just needs to do this.
He needs to distract himself, distract, distract, distract��
Steven opens the bin–
Noise.
Light.
Too much.
A swarm of white butterflies comes out of the trash bin, flying so loudly and so close that Steven falls backwards.
No.
Not them.
Not them again.
No. No. NO. NO. NO.
He thought he had it under control. He thought he would be okay. He thought…
Steven hides.
That’s all he can do.
He’s alone, alone, alone, alone.
(And he deserves it.)
…
“... can you hear me? Steven! Steven !”
He’s panting furiously, violently.
“Make it go away!” Steven cries.
“Make what go away?”
“EVERYTHING!”
He half regrets yelling, but Steven knows the butterflies are there, and no one else does.
“Steven…”
“Too much,” Steven speaks in between gasps, “too much, it’s too much, I-I can’t take this anymore!”
At this point, he’s aware that he’s pink and he can’t repress it any longer. It’s consuming his every thought, every part of his body.
“I can’t… I can’t…” Steven heaves.
Whoever is there must have left, right?
Steven is helpless. Hopeless.
…
“Steven, can I touch you?”
Oh… they’re still there.
“Is that okay?” They ask.
Steven doesn’t want to look back. He doesn’t want to see it all.
But…
“... y-yeah,” he hiccups, “okay.”
“Okay. I’m just- gonna help you sit, alright? Are you hurt?”
Steven shakes his head, unsure if it was meant to answer the question.
Either way, he feels hands on him, at first trying to remind Steven that they’re real. The hands are gentle. Scarred, rough, but gentle and slow. Their long fingers are a history of cooking cuts. Steven doesn’t know how he can tell all these details, but he does.
“Easy…” the sixteen-year-old is gradually being moved to sit.
But he knows that he’ll be closer to the butterflies.
“WAIT!” Steven yells in panic.
“What?” The other person stops immediately, but still gets a hold on him.
“I-I don’t want… I don’t…” Steven can’t even say the right words, so they come out as, “I don’t wanna die…”
Well, they’re still kind of true.
“Hey, you’re not going to die.”
“I don’t want to…”
“You’re not. I’m here,” Lars – Lars Barriga, perhaps the best person to deal with someone in this situation – promises. “I’m here, Steven.”
You’ve got nothing to fear
I’m here, I’m here, I’m here.
…
Whimpering.
“I don’t wanna go home.”
He gets silence.
“I d-don’t wanna go h-home,” Steven cries like a little kid after a nightmare. “I-It’s so… empty… so…”
“Lonely?”
Steven nods painfully.
“You’re not going to be alone, okay? I won’t let that happen.”
Lars sounds so sure, and the way he’s rubbing Steven’s shoulders… it brings the latter shivers. The good kind of shivers.
And tears. So many of them. All the tears that he has swallowed and never released them.
Steven clings to his friend, who squeezes him in return, the hug as rough and tender as his mere touch.
“I’ve got you, buddy,” Lars reassures him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
It only makes Steven sob harder, purely out of relief. It’s so ironic, but so true.
He cries for a good couple of minutes or hours, smelling vanilla and butter in Lars’ clothes, not minding the dirty apron the baker is wearing at all. Steven wants to absorb that smell and make it his home, because it feels so safe that he doesn’t want it to go away. He doesn’t want the hands to let him go ever again.
And it feels like Lars wants to protect him from the world, from whatever horrible thing that made Steven like this. Even if he can’t see the butterflies, Lars still seems to shield Steven from them.
Just that has the half-gem finally face reality, finding the butterflies roaming there, endlessly coming out of the trash bin. As Steven expected.
However, with Lars holding him right now, Steven doesn’t feel so overwhelmed anymore.
So… this is what he needed.
He gets now.
Thus, the butterflies finally end and they fly to the sky above, replacing the stars. They will never disappear, as he already knew.
Steven relaxes significantly, like he’s going to pass out in the hug. He lets out a shaky breath while Lars hugs him tightly in response, knowing that it’s the perfect kind of tightness for Steven.
Lars also breathes in and out deeply, squeezing the boy some more.
“Come on,” he whispers, “let’s go inside.”
This time, Steven accepts it, glowing pink and everything.
--
“... I’m sorry,” he sniffs. “I’m sorry I snapped at you like that.”
Lars sighs, but in regret. “I’m sorry, too. For being a jerk to you.”
Neither of them give excuses.
Steven contemplates the night sky from the skyscrapers, aware he can see the butterflies from there. In the meantime, Lars holds him as Steven has no energy left to cling.
“I hate feeling like this,” the younger teen vents, “it just keeps getting worse with time.”
“So you’ve had this before?”
Steven nods. “I-I’ve tried everything to make it better. Garnet taught me and Connie how to deal with our problems, and it worked for Connie… but not for me. And I asked Garnet for help, but instead she just gave me a life lesson and Pearl and Amethyst didn’t even care, and they LEFT ME without ANYTHING!” Steven snaps, only for him to cover his mouth and freeze, scared he might have startled Lars.
Lars, however, doesn’t look scared of him at all.
Instead, sad. Maybe angry, but not at Steven.
“So yeah, I’m expected to do everything on my own, I’m used to it!” Steven continues, more furious. “I looked it up online, since Connie told me about ‘anxiety’, and I did everything they taught me to manage it, but nothing soothes my chest, nothing calms me down… I think I only felt good when you invited me, and I got to see you guys again. I haven’t felt this happy in so long, a-and then OBVIOUSLY, something always has to RUIN it for me.”
He tears up again, his eyes burning pink and red.
“I-I… I got a text from the gems that they’re going to be gone for two months , a-and I couldn’t reach them. Because they’d already left. EVERYONE left. T-They all left me .”
Lars doesn’t say anything, choosing to hug Steven closer, nuzzling his black curls, doing everything to make sure Steven feels loved and cared for.
“Why does everyone leave me?” The half-gem asks.
Except Steven knows why.
He’s selfish. Useless. Clingy.
He doesn’t say any of these things, yet Lars pulls away just slightly with a stern look.
“Steven,” the older teen begins seriously, “listen to me, you don’t deserve to be abandoned, okay? No kid in the world deserves to be abandoned or neglected; they deserve to be reminded every single day that they’re loved in all the ways possible. You didn’t fail anyone by existing. I know everyone out there”– Lars gestures at the above –“made you believe that, but they’re WRONG.”
There’s some kind of ferocity in Lars’ words, the same one Steven heard back when the boys were abducted to Homeworld – firstly when Lars refused to leave the ship without Steven, and then when he convinced Steven to return home instead of sticking with Lars and the Off Colors.
A sense of protection, perhaps.
Steven feels warm inside, which he feels ashamed of for some reason, and at the same time it hurts. Which makes no sense, because it’s the good kind of hurt. What kind of hurt is good?
Still, the glowing boy’s eyes are only filled with more water.
Noticing that, Lars gently wipes some of it for him.
“You don’t have to be useful, Steve,” he says tenderly. “You don’t have to be self-sufficient, you don’t have to be strong all the time. You deserve to have someone, and you deserve to have someone when you feel the whole weight of the galaxy crushing you.”
Steven sniffs, contemplative.
Lars’ words are believable. Steven has always trusted him, and has always thought the world of him. Steven loved Lars from the beginning, embracing every little part of him, the weight that he also carried.
Still… one question keeps haunting Steven every single day, every single night.
“... do you think they would treat my mom like this if I weren’t here?”
Lars immediately tenses, immobile like a doll. Not a corpse, but a doll.
Steven, admittedly, asked that to himself. He knows Lars won’t have the answers. He can’t speak for the gems. It feels cruel to Lars, who’s just trying his best to help a friend in need.
The silence this time is not comforting. Steven fears he ruined everything again.
“Steven?” Lars suddenly sounds… fragile.
When the younger boy looks up, he sees a teary Lars already staring back.
“I love you,” the latter tells him.
The broken way he says it…
“Whenever you feel unloved, whenever you feel alone or whenever the gems fuck off to wherever they go without a trace,”– Steven’s eyes widen at the word choice –“I want you to remember that I love you, and that you’re always welcome here. There’s always food and life here, no emptiness at all. And you can always go see me at Spacetries and we can have a coffee and chat like the old days, or if we can’t see each other in person for any reason, you can call me. I can always teleport, too. I can do literally anything to help you, Steven, and I want to help you, because I love you , okay?”
Lars is cupping his cheeks like they’re precious, wiping Steven’s tears and crying his own. Like Lars is the one crying for him now, feeling his pain for him.
“I’m here for you. I’ll always be here, no matter how, no matter what,” he insists.
Steven is too speechless to react.
He realizes, though…
He stops glowing pink.
And he forgets everything else, with how genuine Lars’ love is.
Steven merely lies down against his friend, who covers him properly with his blanket. Lars caresses the boy’s black hair, in the same way that Steven has always craved for, even if it reminded him of bad memories.
It’s perfect just the way it is. Perfect in every way, just like you.
He doesn’t want Lars to ever stop.
He doesn’t want this to ever be gone.
But Lars won’t leave him. He will make sure Steven never feels anxious or useless on his own again.
And Steven…
“... I love you, too,” he whispers.
Lars tightens his arms around him, this time sniffing. If he cries on Steven’s head, neither of them talk about it.
It stays between them.
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