Work Text:
the blank document stares back at you from your laptop. you squint with furrowed brows as if the white light coming from it is blinding you. your hands tug at the roots of your hair before slowly gliding itself down, untangling the knots until all that's left are two open palms. you drop your face on them with a lengthy groan, failing to notice the creak of a door opening.
“doing okay?”
a hand lays itself on your shoulder, but you don't bother turning your head around. another groan leaves your lips, prompting the demon behind you to sigh. they grab the back of your chair and spin you around where you would finally lift your head up to look at them. with one knee on the floor, boombox examines your face with a frown, taking note of the frustration that has settled on your features.
“i just—” your fingers rake through your hair once more, moving the strands away before giving them yet another hard pull. your chest feels heavy from the anxiety weighing on it and all you want to do is to claw it out. boombox grabs a hold of your hands, forcing you to loosen your grip, and when you do, he hums with a soft smile.
“i just can’t seem to do any of my works, y’know?” you finally murmured. the shoulders you have unconsciously been tensing looses its stiffness for just a bit. boombox nods as he strokes a line along your wrist with his thumb. you exhale, relaxing at the calming touch.
“want me to help you out?” boombox asks, and he chuckles at the raised brow you give him. he pushes himself up and takes the nearby chair before setting it down beside you. he sits on it and places his chin on your shoulder. you huff, trying to stop the corners of your lips from tugging up.
“and how is this supposed to help me?” you roll your eyes, releasing a playful squeal when he suddenly wraps his arms around one of yours. with your free hand, you try to push his head away but to no avail.
by this time, the two of you had already been giggling, your laughter eventually turning into wild cackles. with every “stop!” you wheeze out, the pressure in your chest slowly leaves. the empty page in front of you has been long forgotten.
when you’re out of air, you both take a moment to breathe. you turn to look at boombox, who’s still on your shoulder with arms hugging yours. he has this silly grin, and all you could do is stare at it. you have no clue what’s going on in that mind of his.
“what?” you question, and he shakes his head.
“i know how hard it is for you to start your works.”
you try not to frown, but you do it anyways. it is one of displeasure — disappointment for refusing to manage your responsibilities. it’s hard when at the end of it all, it feels as if you’ve just wasted your time. if you weren’t just someone who feels the need to complete their requirements the best that they can… maybe you’d have a lot more time for… anything. i mean… it’s not…
“... like the teachers care about the quality of my work. i don’t even know if they bother reading each and every single sentence that i write. and yet, i still do it. i still put in the highest amount of effort that i can put on whatever work that is given to me. well guess what? ill just get the same grade as someone who can barely write 3 paragraphs. what is the point?”
the whole time, boombox was caressing your back as you poured it all out. your feelings, thoughts, and worries were all laid out for him to see. dread pools in your stomach as you realize what you had done. you didn’t even notice your face being back in the palm of your hands, your form shrinking as if you’re trying to hide yourself from the world in shame.
“hey,” boombox starts, and it was a light whisper. it took a few moments, but you eventually show your face again. his smile… that damn smile. it’s as if it had the ability to take all of your problems away. the moment you saw it, the harsh thumping of your heart manages to calm itself down, even for just a little bit.
“y’know, when i got here, i was supposed to give you this.” boombox reaches down onto his pants' pocket and pulls out two candy bars.
“i got it from the store earlier. let's try it!”
despite your confusion, you take one of the candy bars.
the two of you tore the plastic open and took a bite out of the treat. your fingers fidgeted with the packaging as you chewed. it wasn’t too sweet, and the texture was pretty decent. before your mind started wandering, boombox spoke. it's as if he just knew when to speak.
“dunno how to help, to be honest.” he gulps down the chunk of the bar he had been munching on. “it's not like you could just tell someone to stop overthinking. i don't think it works that way.”
a beat of silence. and then he speaks again.
“but... i do think that you should stop being hard on yourself. not everything has to be perfect, and that's okay. it's okay if something is just a little bit off.”
you cast him a glance.
“what matters is getting the job done. getting it done is already a pretty big achievement! you should be proud whenever you finish something, even if it isn’t exactly what you wanted it to be.”
boombox takes a look at the dimmed laptop screen, seconds before it turns dark. he then turns his gaze back to you.
“actually, you should already be patting yourself in the back for opening the document. baby steps, am i right?”
you nodded with a bit of hesitance.
“if it feels overwhelming, maybe make a to-do list? think that would work.”
boombox stares up at the ceiling in thought.
you study his face, how he's contemplating on what to say next. it feels soothing… the moment of silence the both of you take. sitting down with him like this and hearing his voice speak with such care and fondness for you…
being with him feels nice.
“boom?” you muttered, and you watch the way his attention shifts back to you and you alone. something about the big glowing circles resembling his eyes looking right back at you, the earnest smile that he always wear, the laid-back demeanor he has that always manages to relax you makes you want him to stay.
“is it okay if you could be here for a while? until at least i get the hang of this… thing.”
you clicked on one of the keyboard keys, waking the laptop up and sending you to the log in screen. you motioned it to boombox now that it isn’t a black void. he chuckles at the action before nodding his head and takes another bite on his candy bar.
“sure thing! i got plenty of time.”
with him by your side, you think you’d be able to start your requirements with a mind that’s much kinder. you might still have a hard time in focusing on the works, but surely there’s no need to bring yourself down for trying, especially when you have such warm presence nearby.
you signed in your laptop and went back to the blank document. three different articles are open in their own separate tabs. you press on one and skim through the title before glancing at boombox. he was chewing on the last of the sweet snack he has bought and he nudges at you with his horn.
you grin and take a bite out of your own bar. you bring your attention back to the article before you.
“thank you, boom.”
he rests his horn on your arm and gently nods.