Disclaimer: all creds go to the artist of this comic- my oneshot is based entirely off it and inspired by it.

Lars looked at himself in the long mirror, frowning. He was going to be late for meeting Sadie, he knew, but he had just pulled on his swimming trunks and then glimpsed how thin he was recently in the full length mirror in his room, and he was instantly selfconscious about going to the beach today.

He had been trying to put on some weight... He had always been unhealthily thin because his metabolism was so stupidly fast. Lars didn't tell people this; it was embarrassing. He didn't want people to think he was ill or something.

He supposed his vigilance in eating right had lapsed, because his ribs and colar bone were clearly visible. If he didn't keep his trunks pulled up high, his pelvis jutted out like a rock in the sea. Lars sighed. He couldn't keep Sadie any longer. Resigning to a day of nervous self awareness at the beach instead of enjoying himself, he grabbed his towel and left, leaving a note for his parents, who were both at work, letting them know he would be at the beach all day.

Sadie was waiting at the bottom of his steps. She wore a full body light blue swimming costume and flip flops- she had her arms crossed across her chest, for some reason.

"Hey," she said as he walked down the steps. "You ready to go?"

"Yep," Lars replied. "Ready to watch some surf and sun. Nice cozzy," he added truthfully, gesturing to her swimming costume.

Sadie blushed and folded her arms tighter across her chest.

"Thanks," she said breathily. "Nice trunks."

"Eh, they'll do," said Lars jokingly, as they set off.

When they arrived at the beach it was packed. Families, teenagers, even the Crystal Gems had come down to the water- Lars could see Steven bodyboarding on the purple one who could shapeshift.

"Wow," Lars said. "Looks like the whole town's here."

"Well, it is the hottest day of the year," Sadie said. "Look, there's even some people from out of town- I've never seen them before."

She was pointing to a group of around twelve men. They looked around early twenties, and judging by the way they were laughing too loudly and stumbling around, they were all drunk out of their heads. They all wore a pair of stag antlers.

"Looks like they're on a stag do," laughed Lars. "Bet they're having a great time."

"Yeah, seems so," Sadie said a little nervously. The men had started yelling at people as they weaved across the golden sand, which they littered with alcohol bottles.

"Check out the legs on that! Alright, love?" They hollered at a passing woman walking with her red haired partner. "Fancy a drink? Ditch Ginger and come and have some of this pink gin!"

The woman put her nose in the air and walked on.

"Urh," Lars said, wrinkling his nose. "That's not cool."

"It's disgusting," Sadie muttered. "Talking to people like they're things, things which you can pick at your own leasure. I hate it when people catcall."

Lars was a little taken aback, but found himself completely agreeing.

"Me too," he said earnestly, earning a winning smile from Sadie and, he knew, some brownie points in the bank.

They walked past the group of men towards the sparkling ocean. Lars instinctively moved so he was between the drunk men and Sadie. Sadie glanced at him as he did so, but said nothing.

Just as they were passed them, one of Sadie's flip flops fell off. She stooped to retrieve it, falling behind Lars. It was then that it happened.

"That one has a nice rack!" One of the drunker men yelled at Sadie. "Too bad she's fat..!" This was met with peels of laughter from his friends.

Sadie bypassed crimson and turned purple in embarrassment. She covered her face in one hand and her bosom in the other, tears leaking down her round face.

Lars turned slowly.

His face, where Sadie's was crumpled in anguish, was pale with rage.

He stormed past Sadie, who looked shocked, and went right up to the guy who had yelled. He shoved a finger in his face as he screamed,

"How dare you talk to Sadie like that, you sniveling, worthless pig! You disgust me! Don't you ever treat anyone, let alone my Sadie, like an object, something you can judge, without even knowing her! How would you feel if I yelled about your body from a mile away, huh? Wouldn't like it, would you? No! So don't do it to other people, you worm! And another thing," and here, Lars got right in the man's face, and hissed,

"Body shape or size makes no difference what so ever to the person, and inconsequentially; Sadie is beautiful. Don't you ever let me hear you treat somene like that again, or I'll wrip your tiny dick off. Got, it, runt?" He raised his voice again. Everyone in the vicinity was listening intently, mouths open. Sadie stood with her hands clapped over her mouth, tears still rolling down her face.

"Now," Lars continued loudly, "it's clear that you're only packing an acorn, but I'm not judging you on that; I'm judging you on how you treat people! Because you're behind the times: nowadays we tent to treat people with common human dignity! So buck up your ideas, sparky."

The drunk guy stumbled away from Lars's finger. He looked wonderfully ashamed.

"Err- sorry-" he muttered, and joined his group of shocked silent friends with his head down.

Lars turned and walked back to Sadie, shaking. The people around them didn't seem to know whether to applaud or not.

"Good on you, Lars!" Someone called, and then some more shouts followed:

"Nice one, Lars!"

"You showed him!"

But Lars didn't look at them.
He only had eyes for one person.

He grabbed Sadie's hand and they walked away from the crowd quickly. Sadie was speechless.

Finally, upon reaching a shaded, secluded part of the beach, behind a large jutting out rock, Lars dropped Sadie's hand and flung himself down on the cool sand, pink in the face.

Sadie sat down nervously beside him.

There was silence for a moment, then Sadie said, in almost a whisper,

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know," muttered Lars, not looking at her.

"Well..." Sadie drew in the sand with her finger. "I mean... Thank you, it was-"

"It was nothing short of what that dickhead deserved, and it was nothing short of the truth," Lars blurted, blushing violently and sitting on his shaking hands.

Sadie looked at him.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" She breathed.

"Well... I dunno... I mean..." Lars mumbled.

"...Even though I'm fat?" Sadie grumbled, looking down at herself and scowling.

"You're not!" Lars exclaimed, turning to her and reaching out. But then he seemed to check himself and recoiled slightly, pulling his hand back. "I mean," he said slowly. "I don't think... You're not." He settled for, looking crossly at his knees.

"Well, thanks," Sadie said, smiling at him. "It was the first time someone has yelled at me like that. It was horrible."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Lars said,

"You know, I'm, like, really self conscious."

Sadie blinked.

"Huh?" She asked, completely nonplussed. "What? You're... Why?"

Lars sighed and gazed out at the ocean.

"My metabolism is like... Crazy fast. I... I've always been worryingly skinny. My parents had to take me to the hospital a bunch of times when I was a kid. When I was born they thought I wasn't going to make it."

Lars looked at his knees.

"I've been trying really hard to eat properly to maintain a healthy body mass recently... but when I put on my swimming trunks this morning, I..." Lars unconsciously put a slim hand to his ribs. Sadie glanced at them and noticed properly for the first time that they were clearly visible. "I almost thought about cancelling on you today, because I didn't want people to see me at the beach... I didn't want you to..."

Sadie put her hand against Lars' at his ribs. Lars looked up at her.

"Lars," she said. "Never be worried about that I'll think of you."

Lars looked up and studied her face intently.

"You're beautiful," he mumbled.

"Huh?" Sadie said.

"You are beautiful, Sadie Miller," he said, clearly, and hugged her.

Sadie hugged him back, whispering into his neck,

"You are beautiful, Laramie Barriga."