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"Crap... I can't believe RODGER noticed my mess-up again..." Glisten groaned in the corner of his room, sitting by his bed on the floor. He buried himself in his knees, ashamed to even look up. Glisten faced the corner of the room where his mirror could not reach him, in the shadows where light did not shine.
"Glisten?" a soft voice sounded from outside the door. Glisten perked up at the voice. Someone was there. No one could know he wasn’t perfect. The mirror brushed his hair swiftly, adjusted his bow and wiped his face. Only after tidying himself up did he open the door.
“Oh… Boxten!” Glisten gasped, not expecting him to visit his room, “W-what are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to check in on you… I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“W-Why, of course you’d miss my magnificent presence!”
“Mhm… Hey, are you okay Glisten? You seem a little off,” Boxten frowned, noticing the details of apprehension on the other.
“What? It’s nothing…” Glisten chuckled. Was a bow slanted? A string out of place? A crack on his beautiful face? That couldn’t be. He was perfectly fine. He’s fine. He’s fine.
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“What now? Come on, Boxy. I’ve already told you a hundred times, I’m fine.”
”I won’t judge you. I promise. Whatever comes out here, stays here. I’m here for you,” Boxten muttered, stepping a little closer and shutting the door behind him.
Glisten pondered over his words, his lips pursed. It was strange. How safe he felt around Boxten
“I… I’m just…”
The mirror paused, his voice stuck in his throat. As tears welled up in his eyes, Glisten turned around, the eyeliner on his face smudging as he tried to wipe off his tears. A pained gasp escaped his lips, as he felt himself break down even more.
“I feel like a mess. I keep making mistakes, silly ones at that. I can’t even play in a simple act because of how many times my mind went blank and I forgot my lines or tripped or had a stage mishap–.” Glisten felt himself nearly crack at opening up, instinctually covering his ruined face as if it were a hideous animal were to be kept away from anyone. Was this too much information? After all, it was something he’d rarely do. Telling others.
He waited. He waited for a judgy look, or a snide glance, or a dismissive remark from the corner of his eyes. But none of that was on Boxten’s face. Instead, his eyes softened even more at Glisten.
Boxten stepped closer, his hand hovering over Glisten’s shoulder hesitantly.
“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me everything. It must be hard…” Boxten muttered, as someone shy and intimidated by other toons as he was, he somewhat understood that feeling of inferiority. Especially when you get easily outshined by other, better Toons. When you were relatively normal like Boxten, everyone else seemed like special stars in their own way.
“But I think, no matter what, you’re just as talented and beautiful.”
Boxten’s voice always had a melodic, smooth charm to it that Glisten could never quite put his finger on. So when he said those words in that soft, understanding tone, Glisten never expected to find himself in the other Toon’s arms, silently crying his heart out by his bed.
Boxten glanced at the mirror's form as he lay against the bed mattress and on the floor, the face planted into his chest. It was a warm, almost proud feeling that started to grow in Boxten at that moment.
“Take your time.” he muttered, his arms slowly wrapping around Glisten as delicately as possible, almost in a mother-like manner.
“T… Thank you…” Glisten sobbed.
Boxten responded with a pat on the other’s shoulder, before humming out a familiar lullaby. Glisten felt his chest lighten up after a while, the sound of Boxten’s soothing rhythm drowning out the voices of self-doubt in his mind.