Little by little [Sadie x Lars][Steven Universe]

The Big Donut

Sadie

I traced my fingers against the porcelain countertop. It felt cold to the touch, despite the comfortable temperature in the shop and the hot sunny day outside. I couldn't help but look outside longingly. Sometimes I just get those days where I can't stay cooped up indoors, and just want to run outside for a few minutes to breathe in that beach air. But I couldn't leave my post, it's my job after all. I work here at the Big Donut, just a small job really. Not much happens around here, but it's fun all the same, and the people are great. If only I could step outside for five minutes...

Maybe Lars could hold down the fort, I wished expectantly. It was a long shot- Lars was pretty lazy, as far as I could tell. Even though he's supposed to work here too, his face was in his phone over half the time. I glanced over to where he was, leaning against the wall next to the glass display case of donuts, with his thumbs tapping away at his phone. How does anyone text that fast? I thought in amazement. He usually wore large plugs on his ears, and when he didn't, the hole it made in his earlobe was still easily visible. They were one of the few accessories he wore. His hair was a bright orange, styled into a fluffy mohawk. One time when he had his head resting on the counter, taking a nap, I'd walked by and ruffled his hair to wake him up. Lars wasn't too pleased about it, but his hair was just as soft as it looked. He wore regular jeans, tennis shoes, and the purple employee donut shirt that we both had to wear. Even though it wasn't anything special, Lars still managed to pull it off. He must have noticed me looking at him, because he glanced up from his phone and locked eyes with me. I immediately averted my gaze. It was probably rude to stare- I might appear to be nosey or something.

"Do I have something on my face or what?" He asked bluntly.

"No, I was just lost in thought, sorry." I admitted. "Hey, could you hold down the fort real quick? I just need a little fresh air..."

Lars hesitated for a moment, like he was thinking it over. "Yea, sure I guess."

I hadn't expected him to agree, but there was no way I was going to throw away my chance now. "Thanks, it'll be really quick, ok?" I added before slipping outside.

The fresh air filled my lungs the instant I stepped out. I pressed my back against the wall, next to the Big Donut's entrance. Thank goodness. I sighed in relief, letting my gaze wander around the area. Not many people were out on the boardwalk today. They were probably all at the beach or hanging out at Funland. However, I did spot Ronaldo by his yellow, frenchfry-like hair. I waved at him, and he gave a small wave back before continuing his stroll down the boardwalk, probably looking for something weird to blog about. Lars would sometimes show me a few posts from Ronaldo's blog. They seemed pretty farfetched, but Ronaldo's enthusiasm was admirable at least, and that crazy blog of his managed to put a smile on Lars' face on a few rare occasions. Like that time he read about spiders being 'spies for the alien overlords'. Lars almost spit out his soda from laughter. There I go thinking about him again. My mind liked to wander back to him often for whatever reason. Probably because we work together basically every day, I reasoned. It had probably been about five minutes since I came out to clear my mind, so I stepped back inside. Lars was at the counter instead of spacing out on his phone. He was actually manning the checkout- I was surprised to say the least. Guess he wasn't as lazy as I thought.

"Uh, thanks. I just needed fresh air." I smiled and took his place behind the counter.

"Yea, no problem. It does get kinda stuffy in here sometimes." Lars scratched the back of his head as he spoke without looking directly at me. After a moment of awkward silence, he pulled out his phone again, absorbed once again in texting. Same old Lars, I thought.