Chapter Text
When, after opening ceremonies that dragged on forever, involving some kind of weird dance between Steven and some Earth gems and the Diamonds and who knows what else (Lars stopped listening, focusing on his attempts to squeeze ahead whenever there an inch of space opened up in the crowd), the ship doors opened, it was cacophony. Lars thought he remembered enough about Earth to compare it to a midnight release party--sure, everyone would have the chance to get what they want, but everyone wanted to be among the first to experience it. The Diamonds had obviously been expecting a big turnout, but it would have been impossible to physically accommodate everyone who wanted to be involved in this historic moment.
“Steven,” Lars ground out as loudly as he could when he passed a decorated platform, but just then, the nearest ship’s doors slid open with a clang. This was probably the tenth or twelfth in a long line of Earth-bound public access ships. Again, the segregation that was so normal in Homeworld’s society seemed to have disappeared, at least from what the event organizers could control. Nervous common gems still parted to let more prestigious gems go by. Lars, of course, was not nearly lucky enough to be among the second group. He was an oddball by both gem and Earth standards.
It wasn’t like he’d planned on up and leaving his home--and by now, that was what Homeworld was to Lars, hostile as it was--but going against the tide of rushing bodies would probably be impossible by now. Lars was carried along with the crowd, sputtering, and when he looked around, realized that he was crammed like cargo into a huge ship. It looked like it was built to be both cost-effective and comfortable for travelers, but it was also probably supposed to accommodate less than half the bodies already onboard.
An electric chime rang out, and the doors slid shut.
This was good! This was probably good! This was definitely not a reason to break out into a cold sweat and have his heart beat so fast he could almost convince himself it sounded alive. But the space was so cramped, so small, and there was so little air.
The ship probably offered some kind of warning for passengers, a polite ‘please strap in, liftoff is commencing’ or whatever, but it was impossible to hear over the hubub. And then--
Lars felt himself slam against the huge Amethyst behind him. The pressure on his chest made him certain that he was having whatever passed for a panic attack for a pink zombie, or that he was finally being suffocated to death somehow, but the gems in front of him slammed into him, too. It was… gravity. They must be taking off. Lars was grabbed by a vivid memory of a ride at the theme park in Beach City, the one shaped like a UFO that slammed you against a wall as the floor dropped out from you.
Surely the pulling sensation was as agonizing for the other gems, but the thrilled excitement in the air didn’t dissipate until, one by one, the gems’ forms poofed from the g-forces.
Lars finally got the breathing room he’d wanted. Except now he had a good hundred space rocks being shoved against his face and his body as he was thrown against the far wall of the spaceship.
Seatbelts, Steven, he resolved would be the first words out of his mouth when he spoke with the boy again. Weren’t you the one who always put on his seatbelt?! How the heck did you forget seatbelts?!
Lars would have sworn that the Earth was supposed to be super far away. Like a week’s journey or something. But it felt like only ten minutes til he was being tumbled around and slowly got control of his limbs again, spitting a pebble-sized nephrite out of his mouth. “ Aaaahaha ! Sorry, we haven’t even been introduced,” he said to the rock, shakily running his hand through his hair and placing the gem on top of a rutile by his feet.
He was right about the polite computer voice that seemed ubiquitous in all public transportation, though. As the ship slowed and stopped, with a gentle bump, a soft voice told Lars, “Thank you for using the Homeworld public transit system. Welcome to... S A H A R A, on planet, E A R T H. Please watch your step as you exit the vehicle. Thank you for using the Homeworld public transit system…”
Grumbling, Lars gathered up an armful of gems. Then, on second thought, pulled his tattered shirt out and used it like a giant pocket, trying to get as many gems out of the ship in a single trip as possible. Like, there was no reason to leave them all in there, right?
Outside the ship was a vast expanse of sand, tinted a deep navy blue from the night sky above them. Lars knelt and set down his sparkling burden, slowly standing--and then rushing back in the ship for a second trip when he heard the ship’s doors chime their intention to close soon.
By the time the doors were shut, Lars was flat on the desert sand, surrounded by countless silent gems and groaning. He hadn’t expected any of that, or the headrush that followed his unexpected journey. He rubbed his eyes, staring up at the moon.
The moon.
Earth’s moon.
It hadn’t really sunk in where he was until that moment.
Lars started laughing, his palms pressed into his face and on his scar, leaving just enough cracks between his fingers to actually see the moon itself. Even that got blurry within seconds. Lars realized, still laughing hysterically, that he was crying.