Work Text:
“Another love song about s***, and I'll be rich if I get another diss. Well, maybe Cupid won't miss.”
“So, tell me more about that boy you mentioned in our last session.”
_____________________________________________
Slingshot sat at a table, the lights were still off and she hadn’t opened up the cafe yet. She tapped her foot sporadically, leaning down as she clutched her head in her hands. Slingshot asked herself why she was panicking, nothing had happened yet. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from gradually melting down into a sobbing mess. This had been happening frequently, each time worse than the last, a slippery slope she couldn’t save herself from. She’d always been the strong type, she had to be, being an owner of a business and caring for Vinestaff and Shuriken back home, all while participating in Phights weekly. Normally, she could handle the stress, but recently, a certain feeling tugged violently at her heart and mind. She could barely think, her cries and mumbles echoing through the empty cafe. In a futile effort, she tried calming herself, but it only ended in her panicking even more. Everyone was worried for her, Boombox had tried checking up on her, Hyperlaser wanted to help her, but he wasn't good with words, and Katana had given her good advice, but she didn’t listen. She knew she had to pull herself out of this hole, but she didn’t, sinking even deeper and deeper as her mental state degraded by the day.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
She looked up at the cafe's glass front door, rubbing her eyes to clear her teary eyesight. It was Skateboard.
SK: “Hey, Sling, are you okay? I can see you in there!”
Slingshot got up rapidly, scrambling to grab a paper towel and dry her tear-stained face as she stumbled to the door. Trembling, she slowly unlocked the door, weakly opening it and letting Skateboard in.
SK: “What happened? I saw you crying, is everything okay, dude?
Skateboard asked with concern in his voice, dropping his board to hold her hands. He was worried for her. Slingshot tried taking deep breaths, croaking between her held-back sobs as she tried to stabilize herself for him. She looked up at him weakly, his face was as beautiful as she remembered. It felt soothing to be in his presence, but at the same time, so heavy on her. Suddenly, Skateboard pulled her close, catching Slingshot off guard as he hugged her tightly.
SK: “You don’t… have to tell me. Just… just know I care for you, man. A lot.”
Slingshot’s breath was shaky, his embrace was all she wanted, for him to hold her and comfort her, and here he was, doing just that. She wanted to tell him, confess her infinite love for him, tell him she wanted to be his forever. That was all she wanted.
But, she was scared. Scared of rejection. He was perfect, everything about him enamored Slingshot, from his silly grin to his sparky personality, even his clumsiness. But… it was so hard to read him, she could never tell how he felt, and the feeling was unbearable. The idea of risking it all and losing him tormented her every night, she contemplated if she could live without him, along with this pain for the rest of her life. He was her best friend for so long, and if he didn’t like her in the same way, she didn’t know if she could handle it, let alone what she would do after. Her thoughts swirled around in her head, what could she do?
Maybe, she could make him love her. She could try flirting with him subtly, ask him out somewhere, or shower him with nice gifts. Maybe, she could bribe him, at the very least have him next to her as he spends all her money. Maybe, she could force him to love her. Put a gun up to his head and throw him in her basement; keep him there so no one can wonder where his helmet went. Play with his hair and touch his flawless face as he cries and pleads for freedom. Kiss him whenever she wanted, whether he liked it or not. Oh, how she always craved tasting him, she could never get over him. Or maybe, if he didn’t want her, she’d just kill him. Strangle him, so she could be the one to find air for him to breathe. Cut herself so she could let her blood mix with his, then eat his heart so that they could both be united as one.
Forever.
_____________________________________________
SL: “I just want to die.”
“Is that really what you want?”
Slingshot lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Her exhaustion was noticeable, her voice was sore, she had dark eye bags, and she had a gloomy expression stuck on her face.
SL: ”No.”
“...”
SL: “I just want to stop… thinking. I want to stop doing anything… I want to stop craving, feeling, worrying. I want to not.. want.
“Hey, just breathe.”
SL: “I-Its just so unfair, why… why does it have to be me? Why do I have to deal with this pain every day…?”
“The grass is always greener on the other side, I promise. Just breathe.”
SL: “I know… I know, I know a-and…”
Slingshot began choking on her words, she started hyperventilating and tearing up as her tone became more frantic.
SL: “He d-doesn’t deserve… to-to be treated like this, and I don’t want to h-have these thoughts, I know… I know they're bad… b-but every day, I feel like I’m constantly drowning a-and… the loneliness gets to me, every night I’m alone with my thoughts and I just want… I want to rest... for once.”
“You can’t give up hope so easily, just breathe.”
She held her face in her hands, struggling to stay calm; her ears had been ringing. It intensified gradually, torturing Slingshot, and eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore. She screamed, letting out all her frustration, and kept going until her throat gave out. She panted, catching her breath, her therapist looking at her with sympathy in his eye.
“...It's okay.”
SL:
“I’m… *swallow* I-I’m so…”
_____________________________________________
SL:
“I’m so sorry… Skate… I’m sorry…”
She sobbed on his shoulder, his hold on her firm throughout it all. He didn’t seem to care if she was getting snot and tears all over him, he refused to let go. They stayed there for what felt like forever, but slowly, the sounds of Slingshots sobbing died down, reduced to sniffles and whines, until she eventually fell asleep on him.
_____________________________________________
Skateboard carefully picked her up and carried her to the back room, setting her down on the floor as he sat down and rested her head on his lap. Pulling out his phone, he texted Vinestaff, urging her to come to the cafe quickly, choosing not to elaborate on what happened. Turning his phone off, he looked back at his sleeping best friend, her cheeks red and wet. He caressed her face, rubbing the tears off gently, then moving his hand to her hair as he stroked it gently. It was strange, he’d never done something like this before, but with Slingshot, something was different, but he couldn’t tell what. He kept stroking her hair, careful with her horns, waiting patiently for Vinestaff as he let Slingshot rest, just for a moment.