Title: A Fresh Idea
Fandom: Blood Blockade Battlefront
Rating: G
Length: 1,472 Words
Content notes: No pairings, just gen.
Author notes: This was inspired by some official art I found inside of my DVD/Blu-Ray case, wherein Steven has that dorky straw hat of his on.
Summary: They all can feel the stress rolling off of Steven in waves and Klaus decides that he's had enough of watching his friend suffer in silence. Getting together with Leo, he devises a scheme to resolve Steven's 'all work and no play' problem for good.

Something hits the floor with a loud shattering sound and breaks Klaus's concentration, pulling his attention away from the online chess game he's currently engrossed in. His head snaps up like an attentive meerkat's and he scans the office until his eyes land on the least likely cause.

Steven is bent over in his chair and reaching down at his feet to collect what shards remain of his broken coffee mug.

"Do you need some help, Mr. Steven?" asks Leo from across the room, good-natured as ever. "I'll get a broom and some paper towels."

Klaus forfeits the match, apologizing to his opponent and citing an emergency as an excuse to leave. He stands from his own swivel chair and walks over to his friend and partner, clapping him on the shoulder. "Is everything all right?"

"I was careless," explains Steven, straightening his posture to flop back against his chair in defeat. The dark circles underneath his eyes and the rough stubble gathering around his chin don't help to plead his case, either. "It was just an accident."

"That may be, but perhaps you should take the rest of the day off? You look more exhausted than usual," Klaus notes, frowning and fidgeting with his fingers.

Leo returns with a broom and paper towels as promised a minute later, and Gilbert is also following suit with a cup of fresh coffee for Steven.

Steven laughs a little. "Klaus, even if I were to go home right now, I wouldn't be able to sleep until the Anuual Budget is finished. You know that."

Klaus's huge shoulders slump. "But --"

"I appreciate the the thought," Steven reassures him, turning back to his open laptop. "I'll be fine."

Leo gathers the remainder of broken ceramic into the dustpan and hops up with a chirp, "All cleaned up."

"Thanks, kiddo," Steven murmurs, not taking his eyes from the screen in front of him. "Oh, and thank you, Gilbert, for the fresh coffee." He raises his mug before taking a sip and getting back to work.

Sulking back to his own desk, Klaus plops down in his chair and causes the floor to reverberate with the sheer force of his own mass. Leo takes notice of his chagrin from across the room, but he makes no move to discuss it because of Steven being the touchy subject.

Once Steven finally finishes the report and faxes it to the necessary parties, he leaves for the night. Only Klaus and Leo remain in the office afterwards, and that's when Leo decides it's high time he try to wipe that frown from his boss's face before he became a perpetual mope.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Klaus looks up from the stack of papers clutched in his hand, sighing. "Am I that transparent?"

Leo snorts, "Sorry, Mr. Klaus, but you're about as subtle as a hand grenade."

"Steven is the one who's better at concealing his emotions and exhaustion," Klaus relents, "but I think it's gone too far because we're seeing the effects of it on him. I am worried about him, Leonardo, and I don't know what to do."

Perching atop the corner of Klaus's desk, Leo hums as he thinks, "Does he have a hobby? You know the saying, 'all work and no play,' right? If he had a hobby or a specific interest to distract himself with then maybe he'd look forward to his time off."

Klaus drums his fingers against the desk and bounces his left leg nervously, shaking the floor again. "Well, from what I can recall, Steven does love to cook and entertain."

"Cooking, huh?" Leo muses and looks over his shoulder at Klaus. "I guess that can be therapeutic for some people."

"Very much so," Klaus says excitedly, raising his voice unintentionally. "Now if we could just correlate that with something else to distract him, then we may have a winning idea."

Leo kicks his legs back and forth. "I'm not one to talk, but he does eat out way too much."

"Perhaps if his food was freshly made, you mean?" Klaus follows him mentally, tapping his chin. "I've got it!"

His exclamation is so loud that Leo almost falls off the desk.

"Y-Yeah?" he asks, staggering as he catches his balance again.

"Gardening!" Klaus says with a clap of his hands, leaping up from his seat. "I wanted to suggest flowers, but they're impractical to Steven and he won't pursue something unless it can be of some use to him later."

Leo tilts his head, trying to follow his train of thought. "And?"

"Herbs!" Klaus suggests, lighting up like a neon sign. "We could purchase him some starter kits from the florist I get my seeds from and he could grow them right on his balcony! When he goes to cook then he has fresh ingredients at his fingertips! What do you think?"

Smiling, Leo nods. "That's a pretty good idea, actually. Gardening would be a nice distraction for him."

Klaus fumbles around his person until he finds his wallet and then he calls for Gilbert to ready the car downstairs. "In fact, I think I'll get them right now! Will you join me, Leonardo?"

That adorkable excitement is contagious and it's not like Leo had plans tonight, so he grins at him. "Sure."

Steven walks into the office the next day a little more refreshed than the night before, suit pressed and face shaven. As the elevator doors open and he walks in, he spots Klaus and Leo standing on either side of his desk with mischievous smiles.

"What's going on?" he asks with his eyebrows raised.

Leo looks up at his boss and nods his head in Steven's direction. "It was your idea, Mr. Klaus, so take it away."

Klaus wrings his fingers again.

"Go on," Leo urges him. "It's okay."

"Well, Steven," Klaus begins in a shaky voice, "I know I have no right to butt into your personal affairs, but Leonardo and I have conspired to help relieve some of the stress you face daily at the office."

Chuckling, Steven stays where he is so as not to make his friend any more nervous than he already is. "And what does this 'conspiracy' of yours entail?"

Klaus pushes a brightly-wrapped box towards Steven, sitting atop the desk. "We bought you a little something last night. I hope you enjoy it."

Steven approaches slowly and takes the box into both hands, turning it over curiously. Klaus moves to one side and gestures for him to sit while he opens it, which he does. Untying the ribbon and tearing away the colored paper, Steven stares at a cardboard box with the insignia of Klaus's favorite floral shop.

"Flowers?" he asks, puzzled.

"Look at what's inside," Leo presses, circling the desk to stand beside Klaus. "Mr. Klaus put a lot of thought into it."

Using a letter opener to cut the tape, Steven opens the box and pulls out a starter kit for thyme and basil. He continues to dig through the box and reveals more seeds and miniature pots, a bright blue watering can, and even a few tools and a pair of gloves.

"I thought that since you like to cook that you'd appreciate having a few fresh herbs on hand," Klaus says, leaning over to catch the surprised expression on his face. "You could grow them on your balcony, maybe?"

Steven blinks a few times in disbelief. "Well, I do enjoy cooking."

"You could make something for us with it!" Leo offers, trying to put a little motivation behind Steven taking up his new hobby. "Mr. Klaus says that you're an amazing chef, almost as good as Mr. Gilbert!"

"I don't know about that," Steven admits, smiling. "This is...I don't know what to say."

Klaus pops the question that's been lingering in the back of his mind, "Do you like it?"

Nodding slowly, Steven looks into the box again with a wider smile warming his features. "I do, actually. This is really nice."

"Gardening relieves stress, too!" Klaus adds, laying his hand on Steven's shoulder.

Leo grins sympathetically. "We were just worried about you, is all."

"How does that old adage go?" Steven muses, looking up with a hum. "All work and no play..."

"Makes Steven a dull boy," Klaus finishes for him, cheery as a lark in spring. "So, will you take up gardening?"

Steven laughs harder this time. "I may need some help setting all of this up and you are the resident expert on all things green, Klaus." He looks to his left and says to Leo, "We could also use some of that boundless, youthful energy of yours, hm? You two up for it?"

Both Klaus and Leo look at each other and grin, turning back to Steven with buoyant nods.

"Definitely!"