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*knock knock knock*
you don’t even question who’s at the door this late at night. you already know who it is. you quickly get up from your bed and walk over to the entrance of your dorm. you open the door and look up to see your best friend, arven. he looks at you, his eyes are red and puffy, his cheeks stained with tears. he had obviously been crying for a while before he decided to come to you.
“awh, arven, come in,” you say, moving out of the way so the taller boy could step inside your dorm. it hurts to see your best friend like this
he sniffs and trudges in, silently. you shut the door behind him and guide him to your bed. you sit down in the middle of your mattress and pat the area next to you, urging him to sit. he slowly sits down and faces you.
you grab his arm and look him in his eyes. he looks away, his whole body shuddering as he lets out an anguished sob. your eyebrows furrow in concern.
“arven. look at me,” you say gently. the boy takes a few deep breaths to calm himself before looking at you.
“do you want to talk about it?”
he shrugs, looking down to avoid your gaze. tears fall from his face onto your bed sheets. letting go of his arm, you scoot closer to him and lay your head on his shoulder.
“i’m here for you. i’ll listen when you’re ready to talk.”
arven sniffs and lets out a shaky breath. “i really don’t deserve you, little buddy.”
“don’t say that,” you tell him.
you wrap your arm around him and trace circles on his back, attempting to calm him down. you lose your eyes and exhale. the two of you sit like this for a few minutes. you listen to him breathe quickly. finally, he shifts around, alerting you to remove your head from his shoulder. you scoot back to give him some room and you face him.
“okay… i think i’m ready to talk,” he says quietly.
you nod, prompting him to open up about what’s bothering him.
he sighs, “i just don’t understand. i had a feeling that my mom was dead before i even knew it for sure. i don’t know why the confirmation hurts so much. she was hardly ever there for me as i was growing up.” he starts to break down again. he breathes heavily, trying to get words in between breaths. you brush his hand lightly with your fingers, looking down. “i gue—ss i j-just miss her,” he sobs. he holds his face in his hands, sobbing loudly. he tries to catch his breath, but he can’t. you put your hand on his shoulder, and he looks up at you from his hands with his beautiful blue eyes, those eyes filled with sorrow.
“arven…” your heart hurts to know what’s causing his despair. you pull him into a hug. he wraps his arms around you and cries into your shoulder. he stays like that for a while before he sits up and speaks again. “sometimes i still see her—the robot—in my dreams. i see her going into the time machine. i just can’t come to terms with the fact that my mom is gone. what am i supposed to do? it’s all just too much for me to take in.”
you look him in the eye and say, “arven, listen to me okay? everything is alright. i’m here with you. me, penny, and nemona are all here for you. everything will be okay,” you assure him, “we’re always able to help you if you need anything, no matter what. we all love you and care for you. now take some deep breaths so you can calm down.”
he listens to you and takes some deep breaths in. he exhales slowly. after a few breaths, he seems calmed down.
“thank you for listening to me, little buddy. it really means a lot to me. you’re the best friend i could ever ask for.”
you grin. “anytime arven. you’re my friend. that’s what i’m here for. i will always be here for you. if you ever feel upset, just come to me and i’ll listen to you.”
he smiles and looks down. “thank you.”