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Boombox knew that this was honestly just sad at this point, but he just felt like he was small all over again. Trying to fall asleep would’ve been the best course of action, but he instead stared up at the ceiling, trying to resist the urge to grab his phone and just start doom-scrolling all over again until the sun was up again and he’d have to pathetically put his phone away and sleep the day away. That would unfortunately result in missing texts from Skate and Sling, who had both been getting increasingly worried despite the amount of times he reassured them that he was fine and he just felt sick.
He’d completely ruined his sleep schedule with his wallowing, and it was going to be a pain to fix. Boombox knew he could only pull the sick excuse for so long before an actual doctor or healer got involved, and considering the fact that Medkit had texted him earlier…
His gaze flicked over to his phone, knowing that it was a bad idea to grab it from his nightstand and look through it, but he was always full of bad ideas. It would just be a moment, just to see if Skate or Sling had texted him again, maybe to see if Medkit had sent any threats to come and see if he was actually sick. It didn’t matter, he was just going to see his messages, and that was it. Definitely. He squinted at the bright light that shone from the screen, thumb finding and pressing on his messages app.
As expected, there were more messages from Skate and Sling that hadn’t been answered yet, still full of worry and asking if he needed them to do anything or grab him something. Boombox knew that they had an inkling something happened in that talk with Medkit, but he wasn’t planning on telling them anything about it. Even considering it made a pit of dread pool in his stomach, because what if Medkit’s disgust at him rolled over to them? He had to force that thought out of his mind, holding his phone up above with straight arms to try and at least keep the bright screen away from his eyes.
Unfortunately, his phone slipped right out of his grasp and fell flat on his face with a smack , and Boombox just had to lie there for a moment, arms still up in the air as he regretted everything that had ever led up to this moment. Forget about his crush over Medkit, this had to be the most embarrassing moment of his life. Thank Illumia he was alone and in his apartment, because he would’ve just melted away into a puddle if anyone had seen that.
With a groan, Boombox picked his phone up from his face, rubbing his nose with his free hand as he stared at the other message sitting in his small stack of notifications. Medkit. Based on the preview, it was just a basic ‘get well soon’ text, but he knew that it was something to open up a conversation, and he was not going to be having that tonight. He moved to swipe it away, watching as it shrunk in on itself instead of sliding away, and Boombox only had a moment of confusion before he realized his phone recognized it as a tap instead of a swipe, and now the chat with Medkit was opening up.
He knew he should’ve turned off read receipts, because no amount of frantic sitting up and fumbling his phone around could save him now from the moment that message loaded up, so now Medkit would see that he was being left on read instead of delivered. Boombox really wished his walls were soundproofed enough to disguise screaming, because there was no way he just did that. Illumina strike him down now, there was no coming back from this one.
Frustradedly, he slammed his phone back on the nightstand and pulled his blankets up around his head and shoulders after, bringing his knees up to rest his chin on them. Nothing was going right for him, and it all started with that stupid piano. Of course he had to go and play it, of course he had to go and think nobody would hear him and leave it alone, his foolishness ended up being the downfall of it all and it started with that piano-
Boombox furrowed his brows, chewing on his bottom lip as his thoughts continued to run down the tracks that belonged to that disaster of a freight train it always did. If he’d left the piano alone, Medkit wouldn’t have asked him about playing it and what happened, wouldn’t have known about it, and he could’ve just kept treating Boombox like a headache like he always did. Then he wouldn’t have to have this talk with him about thinking how it was so weird he snuck into an abandoned hotel to play the piano in there, and then he wouldn’t have to say that he never wanted to see him again, and then-
Hang on, Boombox paused his thinking to run it back, wondering why he was angry at a piano at all things. It was a piano , and he was acting like it had personally beaten him up and stolen his lunch money. He shamefully pulled the blanket further over his head, in disbelief of himself because who the phuck got angry at a piano? A piano?! There was no way.
He couldn’t take back the thought now that it was out there and in his mind, so he just had to wallow in his own embarrassment, because this was decidedly just the ‘Boombox takes only L’s’ night, in his opinion. There was just no winning tonight with every little thing that seemed to happen to him. Once again, he was so glad he was alone, because he knew Skate and Sling would only use that to fuel their ammunition of his boyfailure allegations if they were there, and he didn’t even know what Med would think.
Boombox was content to just stay wrapped up in those blankets and wait for sleep to take him, but now he was actually thinking about the piano again, sitting in that abandoned hotel. He still remembered where that was, actually, since one of Playgrounds 24 hours buses stopped near the area. It was how he’d gotten to the phighting venue that day in the first place.
With some shuffling around, he grabbed his phone again, squinting at the time that glowing brightly on the screen. 9:51 pm.
Yeah, he could definitely make it to the bus stop in time before it came by and took off and he’d have to wait for the next one, because all he really needed to do was grab his gear, put his visor and some sneakers on, get his apartment key, and walk about 3 or 4 minutes to the stop. He wasn’t gonna buy anything, so he didn’t need his wallet, and his attire of pajama pants and a too-big shirt wasn’t going to turn any eyes. If anything would do that, it would be his hair, because he knew it was a disaster the moment he’d passed a window once he was already out of his apartment and caught a glimpse of his reflection.
Whatever, it was fine, it didn’t matter. Thankfully, the few other inphernals that were on the bus didn’t pay any attention to it either. It was that sort of solidarity of minding your own business that always happened on the buses around this time, 10pm last he’d checked. The bus ride was peaceful, and the walk over to the abandoned building was just as peaceful, if not a bit more ominous looking because of how dark it was.
Boombox really hoped his assumption about this place being empty was true after all, but he kept pressing on until he reached those familiar doors, carefully opening them and being so aware of how loud the creaking actually was. It sounded like they were just on the verge of falling off the hinges, and if he died by a falling door, then that would be the most embarrassing shit ever. Who even dies via door ?
He grumbled as he walked back over to the piano, seeing that it was still sitting there just as he’d left it. It had collected a bit more dust, but that didn’t stop him as he repeated the motions, putting his gear down, clearing the bench of dust, clearing and lifting the fallboard and staring at the yellowed keys of it. The situation already felt so familiar, and Boombox couldn’t help but swallow back the lump that was rising in his throat as he thought about what Medkit must’ve felt when he saw him sitting like this. It had to have been bad. Maybe if he just sat here and withered away it would all just be forgotten.
Boombox dropped his head down onto the keys, a discordant noise ringing out from the piano from all the keys being hit at once and still being so out of tune. He cringed at the sound, but couldn’t bring himself to lift his head up just yet as he took deep breaths in and out. The tears were welling up again, and Boombox was not going to be crying in this dusty place, one wrong breath and he’d be stuck sneezing for the rest of his life, and that would just add to the ever-growing tally of “times Boombox embarrassed himself.”
With a heavy sigh, he finally picked his head up off the keys, taking his visor off to swipe at his eyes and make the tears go away. Boombox held his visor in his hands after, staring down at the blank screen that stared right back up at him. It had shielded him from getting found out so many times whenever he needed to lie and do some good old fashioned convincing, but god was it inconvenient when he was tearing up. He’d have to reach underneath the visor to wipe them away, and that was always so obvious and gave away what he was doing. His tears were the one thing his visor could never shield, even though he wished they did.
Carefully, he moved a hand to clear some dust from the lid of the piano, sneezing as it flew into his face. Nice going. He sniffled after, rubbing at his nose before he set his visor down on the lid, letting it sit up there for right now. Boombox didn’t know how things were going to go, how much he’d think, how much he’d get lost in the music, but just for now, he’d leave his visor off. It’d be easier to wipe away the tears that could possibly well up again if it was off, he figured, and that door would give him enough of a warning to put it back on if someone was going to try and come in.
Boombox took another breath as he set his fingers on the keys, and he began to play, just letting the music carry him and go wherever it pleased.
Never did Medkit ever think that he’d get left on read by Boombox, because he figured the DJ would get one message from him and then proceed to never leave him alone ever again, but that wasn’t the case because Boombox had seen the message and didn’t reply, at all.
He’d sent the text earlier in the night, wishing the other well because he’d apparently told Skateboard and Slingshot that he was feeling sick, and apparently hadn’t been out and about like he normally was. Medkit learned all this from Sword, of course, because the other had been at Slingshot’s cafe in crossroads and overheard the two talking about it. He didn’t know if Sword had talked to the other two phighters about it or not, but it didn’t really matter to him.
What mattered was that Boombox had left Medkit on read, and it was keeping him awake, as much as he hated it. He just wanted to get this over with and put it all to rest. He needed to apologize for pushing the topic the other day, but he couldn’t do that if Boombox wasn’t answering texts. So, here he was, phone sitting on the coffee table as Medkit sat on the couch, glaring at it like it had personally shot him and frolicked off into the fields after.
Sword had suggested trying to call Boombox, but Medkit had shut that one down the moment the suggestion left his mouth. Texting him was already enough in his mind, and if he wasn’t answering texts, he wouldn’t have answered a phone call either. Besides, a phone call on top of a text was too much. He’d call the DJ if a few more days had passed and there was still no answer to his text, and he was still presumably sick.
That didn’t mean it still didn’t frustrate Medkit to no end, his mind now adding the failed conversation to the addition of things to cycle through instead of sleeping. This was doing numbers to his sleep schedule, and they weren’t good ones. It especially frustrated him because now, seemingly mundane interactions were popping up again, little details Medkit had missed before and were now sticking out like sore thumbs. If he thought Boombox was annoying, then this was just insufferable.
With a frustrated huff, Medkit stood up and snatched his phone from the coffee table, glancing at the time displayed on the screen. A wave of slight agony ran through him when seeing that it was nearly 1am, and he once again cursed the fact that this was keeping him awake. Illumina forbid he wanted to sleep, the world clearly just had it out for him right now, and his precious sleep schedule.
He needed to clear his mind, and as nice as drinking wine sounded right now, he’d rather not handle the hangover in the morning if he simply drank to forget about it. So, the next best thing Medkit figured he could do was go on a drive. It was around the time when people were settled into the bars, clubs, or parties they’d be spending the rest of their night at before getting home, so the roads would be fairly empty by now. After changing (because he wouldn’t be caught dead in his sleepwear anywhere outside of his apartment), Medkit grabbed his keys and revolver before heading down to his car, getting in and simply focused on driving.
There was no set destination, but Medkit just needed to focus on something so his mind wouldn’t keep going around in circles about the topic of Boombox. It annoyed him with how much this was bugging him because he didn’t understand why it was sticking with him so much. His best guess was the fact that Boombox’s obnoxious behavior was a sort of cover, but he didn’t know why it stuck with him. He didn’t know Boombox at all, just saw him during phights and dreading him coming over because the other would do nothing but annoy him and disrupt his peace. It made no sense as to why it was sticking with him and circling around his thoughts.
His grip on the steering wheel tightening, pushing the train of thought out of his mind. Medkit knew that eventually it would evolve, and he’d be right back where he was in his apartment. This drive was supposed to clear his mind, not amplify the problem and make him think more. Keeping his eye on the road and focusing on it worked well enough. The world outside was silent, save for the sound of the occasional passing car, and all he had to do was focus on following the road.
There was no set destination, but eventually, Medkit started to recognize the buildings around the area, realizing that he’d ended up in the part of Playground that’d held the phighting venue they were at about a month ago, the one with the hotel, the one where this whole disaster started. Soon enough, he was driving down the street, the silhouettes of abandoned buildings looming over him. He wouldn’t be surprised if this whole block was leveled sooner or later to make room for new ones, the architecture in this section of Playground seemed so much more old-fashioned than the rest of the faction’s land. He was about to turn around and head back to his apartment and call this drive complete when he stopped for a moment, hearing the ever so quiet sound of piano music in the distance, but it didn’t sound quite right, like it was out of tune.
No . It couldn’t be, there was no way that Boombox was here, playing that damned piano again at around 1 in the morning, closer to 1:30 now. Medkit was about to simply just leave and save himself the headache when he stopped, thinking for a moment. It might not even be Boombox in there, but if it was, he could just apologize now and get it over with instead of waiting for a text back or until he could get away with making a phone call to the DJ.
With a reluctant sigh and a wave of disbelief in himself that he was actually going to be doing this, Medkit turned off his car, checking and making sure his revolver was loaded. He wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t going to be going into an abandoned building in the middle of the night unarmed. Once that was confirmed, he got out of the car, the sound of those out of tune notes being louder than they were when he was in the driver's seat. He double checked and made sure his car was locked before he began to walk towards the hotel, finding that he wasn’t a fan of how much it seemed to loom over him in the moonlight.
Despite that, he continued forward, looking through the window to make sure that there not only was someone there, but to see if it was Boombox, because as far as he knew, it could’ve just been someone random. There was no guarantee that it was the DJ playing the piano after all, but despite the fact that it was too dark to fully see him, his gear was sitting where it was last time, and that was enough confirmation for Medkit to make his way in. He tried to be careful about it, but the door creaked loudly in protest at being opened up, and Medkit cringed at the music cutting off in such an awkward way.
Boombox had his back turned to the healer, but Medkit could see him reaching and swipe his visor up from where it was sitting on the piano lid, putting it back on before he whipped his head around, swiveling his body ever so slightly to face the door completely. He was tense, that was something Medkit could easily deduce from his body language, how stiff he looked. Despite it, the DJ cracked a smile, waving slightly.
“Hey Med!” Despite the layer of cheer that sat over it, there was a slight waver to his voice, something foreign to Medkit because he’d never heard the DJ’s voice as anything else but ear-gratingly loud and annoying, “Didn’t think you were the type to go into old and creepy looking abandoned buildings this late at night-”
“I’m not,” Medkit replied bluntly, pushing his way through the rest of the door carefully, not wanting to cause more property damage that already existed. “I thought you were sick, how did you even get all the way over here?” That was just genuine curiosity, because Medkit hadn’t seen any cars outside, and last he knew, the DJ didn’t drive.
“How’d you know I was sick?” Boombox asked, ignoring the latter half of the question, “I only told Skate and Sling about that-”
“They’re loud talkers.”
“Oh.”
A tense silence fell over the empty lobby, and it felt nothing short of wrong, especially since it was just him and Boombox. Medkit always anticipated the loud and consistent chatter of the other whenever he saw him, and it didn’t feel right that they were both here and Boombox was quiet. Not even the nice kind of quiet, the type of quiet that felt suffocating and like there was something unsaid hanging in the air as Boombox turned back around to start playing the piano again.
Illumina, Medkit wished he had a cigarette right now to help him get through what he was about to do.
“I’m sorry.”
Just as fast as the piano playing had started again, it cut off and stopped just as quickly as Boombox whirled around to look at Medkit again. He couldn’t see the DJ’s eyes, but considering the fact that his mouth was dropped open in surprise, he knew there was likely a similar level of shock within them.
“I- you- whuh-? Huh?” Boombox sputtered, words stumbling over each other as they struggled to get out, “ You’re sorry? Sorry for what?!”
“For the last time we talked,” Medkit cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing off to the side before looking back to the DJ again. “I pushed a topic I shouldn’t have because it clearly upset you, and I should’ve simply just left it alone.” because all it’s done is make me think more of you , is what popped into his mind to say after that, but he closed his mouth before saying that because he knew Boombox would never let him live it down if he heard that.
The eyelights of Boombox’s visor blinked quickly, almost like a plink plink type gesture before he spoke again, going back and forth between his words. “It’s- uh- I mean well- no. Okay. It’s okay Meds, I promise-” He flashed another smile, this one seeming a bit more genuine than the one he gave earlier, and Medkit didn’t understand the wave of relief that washed over him at that, “If anything I shouldn’t have run off like that, really. I normally don’t do that when being asked about-” He made a wide gesture to the piano, looking back at Medkit after. “This sort of hobby.”
Medkit gave a short nod, taking a few steps closer to the piano to get a better look at it. He’d looked at it momentarily before, but looking at it now, there were details he hadn’t caught before, such as the slight chips in the dulled polished wood of the lid. It was strange because it seemed so fine from a distance, like it was still perfect and in pristine condition, but then you’d get closer, press on the keys and really look at it, and then you’d see that it wasn’t so perfect after all.
“Would it be too much to ask if you don’t tell anyone about this?” Boombox asked as he looked back down to the piano keys again, starting to play another song, “Not even Skate and Sling know about this- and I really don’t want this getting out and around, you know? It doesn’t really fit my brand,” There was a joking tone to Boombox’s voice, but Medkit’s gaze flicked over to look at the DJ, and it seemed a bit less like a joke. His brand , he’d said, but the healer figured there was more to it.
He wasn’t going to risk a repeat of their last conversation, so Medkit didn’t push further. Instead, he simply gave another nod, watching as Boombox’s fingers flew over the keys. “I won’t say a word to anyone,” He promised, noticing how the other’s body seemed to relax at that, any remaining tension now washed away. The healer’s curiosity over the oddity of this hobby still stuck with him, and he couldn’t keep it down. “But I can't help but be a bit curious, what made you start doing… this?”
“It’s how I learned,” Boombox looked up from the piano keys, bright green leds meeting Medkit’s eye, another smile plastered on his face, “I told you I taught myself, right? Right. I left out the bit where it was on a piano I’d found in an empty building near where I grew up, so it just feels… really nostalgic I guess. I also just like the way it sounds.”
“Huh,” Medkit mused, looking back down to Boombox’s hands over the keys. If he hadn’t known that the DJ had taught himself, he would’ve thought he’d learned professionally, just because of how smoothly they moved through the motions. It was almost like an art form.
“Yeah,” Boombox hummed along to the music, pausing for a moment, almost like he was hesitating before he spoke his next sentence. “I had to kill time somehow when my mom wasn’t home, and learning piano seemed like a good way to do that.” He paired the statement with a chuckle as he looked back down to the piano keys, like he was trying to play it off.
Oh.
It felt almost like a puzzle piece had clicked into place in Medkit’s head. He figured that Boombox had most likely faced some level of reality’s cruelty based on their previous few interactions, but he’d never anticipated it would be something like that. That might not have even been the full picture, and Medkit knew that this was going to be something else to firmly plant itself in his mind.
At this point, Boombox felt like a puzzle he thought he had all figured out, but he moved a piece on accident, and now he realized it was done completely wrong in the first place and needed to figure it out all over again. Medkit didn’t want to say that he was actually enjoying this time spent with Boombox, but it was pleasant, better than he thought it would ever go. The silence had lost all its tension now, the air filled with the out of tune notes ringing through the air.
Maybe he’d judged the DJ too soon and wrote him off as nothing more than an annoyance too quickly. Then again, he’d have to see about that the next time they saw each other because Medkit knew that chances were, he’d go right back to acting like usual. Though, Medkit had a feeling he wouldn’t be as annoyed as he normally was, unless the other started to give him a headache. No matter what, it felt strange. He wasn’t sure if he should consider it a good strange or a bad strange just yet.
Medkit kept listening to Boombox playing the piano before he realized that the DJ had never answered a crucial part of his question from earlier, if he had walked all the way over here. Yes the building was in Playground, but like all the other factions, it was big , and Medkit didn’t know how safe it was at this time of night. And if Boombox had walked all the way over here…
“Boombox, you didn’t answer my question from earlier.”
“Uhhhhhh… which one?” Boombox asked, his gaze still focused on the keys.
“The one about walking over here.” Medkit answered, giving the DJ a pointed glare.
The music stopped again, but there was no panic behind it this time, more of a comedic stop as he fumbled through his words again, starting to answer, stopping when he realized it didn’t sound promising, and then repeating the process. Honestly, that was enough of an answer of Medkit, and as much as he wasn’t a fan of the idea, he’d rather deal with having Boombox in his car than letting the other leave and possibly get mugged.
“I’ll drive you back.”
“Wait really?!” The eyelights of Boombox’s visor shifted to a more pointed shape, almost like triangles, and Medkit was not a fan of how the first thing he thought was that it was endearing. The DJ’s expression shifted into something more coy, “Awwwww you care about me don’t you?”
Okay, that was it, moment of endearment officially shoved down. Medkit pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh, “I simply don’t want you getting mugged. Do you even know how long you’ve been out here?” He gave Boombox a pointed look, and the DJ’s look shifted into a sheepish one that said no, he wasn’t aware of how long he’d spent here. Medkit honestly wondered how Boombox had survived as long as he had because it truly seemed like he had the survival skills of a walnut, and even then, the walnut would’ve had a better chance of surviving.
“Fair enough- I just need to grab my gear.”
Boombox was back to making his usual small talk as he grabbed his gear and the two walked over to Medkit’s car (where Medkit made sure to tell Boombox that no, he couldn’t play music in his car, much to the other’s disappointment), and surprisingly was good at giving directions. Medkit had honestly expected to just have to put the address into his navigation system, but Boombox said he knew the way back. Between the DJ’s occasional input in directions and his quiet humming, the rest of the ride was silent and had passed in no time at all.
Before he knew it, he was parking his car in the front of a quaint looking apartment complex as Boombox grabbed his gear and unbuckled his seatbelt. Medkit didn’t know what he was expecting when driving to where the DJ lived, but it still didn’t feel like what he was expecting. Maybe because it seemed so… quiet here, tucked away from the busy nightlife he usually heard about Playground having. It was strange.
Nevertheless, Boombox still turned to give Medkit another grin, his gear in one hand as he reached for the car door with the other, “Thanks for the ride Med, I really appreciate it- we should do this again sometime!”
Medkit cringed at the thought of being up this late again, being in that dusty, abandoned building. “Let’s not, I like my sleep schedule.”
“Suit yourself,” The DJ snickered, opening up the car door, and getting out of the car, careful not to scrape his gear against the seats or exterior, “Anyway- seeya later Meds! And sorry for leaving you on read by the way!”
Medkit started to say something, but found himself effectively cut off when Boombox closed the car door. He honestly had expected the door to be slammed shut, but that wasn’t the case. He’d just closed it… normally. No matter what, he continued to defy the healer’s expectations. Medkit just couldn’t figure Boombox out, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he watched the other pull open the door to the complex and pause for a moment, looking over his shoulder back to Medkit’s car before he gave another smile and winked at him.
What?
He just stared at the door as Boombox whirled back around to head inside, and that was the last Medkit had seen of the DJ. His face felt uncomfortably warm, but surely that had to be embarrassment of simply just staring. He didn’t know if Boombox had even caught his reaction due to how quickly the other had turned around, Medkit hoped he hadn’t. Whatever the outcome, Medkit’s thoughts were racing again, replaying the time they’d spent together in that dusty lobby.
Once more, it had the undesired effect because he’d done this to stop thinking about Boombox, but now Medkit was realizing it had just made it worse, again. What made matters worse was that there was one sentence sticking out to him, one simple statement Boombox had made as nothing more than an annoying, teasing jab.
“Awwwww you care about me don’t you?”
Medkit couldn’t bring himself to say no or deny it in the moment and he didn’t get why. It should’ve been easy to tack a no in front of his response, should’ve been easy to say that Boombox could just walk home again because quite frankly it didn’t matter all that much to him. But he didn’t, he couldn’t . The healer couldn’t understand it until it finally clicked, slotting into place as everything else fell in neatly as well, and he dropped his head down onto the steering wheel in disbelief at the realization with an agonized groan.
There was no way, there was simply no way he had found himself caring about Boombox because of that one encounter. But the need to apologize, the worry, the inability to stop thinking about him when there was nothing else to thing about said otherwise.
Illumina, he was phucked .
Boombox felt like he was on Cloud 9. Not only did he get to confirm that Medkit actually didn’t hate him, but he get to spend some nice time with him as well, and it seemed like the healer was actually somewhat enjoying it. Not once when he was playing did that familiar twitch of annoyance show on his face, only when Boombox decided to act like he usually acted did it make its appearance again, but that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that the spiralling thoughts and breakdown he was having was wrong after all. He might’ve slipped up with mentioning his mom, but Medkit didn’t press on the issue. It definitely registered in Medkit’s memory and something seemed to have clicked, based on how the other had seemed to stiffen for a moment. But it didn’t matter, Medkit didn’t ask about it, so therefore, Medkit didn’t know.
His method of thinking now was surely foolproof, but even if it wasn’t, it would be fine because Medkit didn’t hate him after all. That was a win enough for him to keep his mood lifted, unless…
Boombox pointed at the fourth wall. No.
This was a win for him, and he wasn’t going to let a spiral pull him into thinking it was secretly a loss in disguise. Sure he may have phucked up slightly with throwing in that wink at the end, but he could always play that off as being teasing, that was par for the course after all. Being annoying and teasing towards Medkit, all part of the branding.
He stopped for a moment, putting his apartment key back as the possibility of Medkit not looking at him in disgust and maybe something more ran across his mind. Boombox felt his cheeks grow warm at the consideration, putting his hands over them to try and make them cool off. He wouldn’t tell Medkit how he felt, he was still sticking to his promise to himself that he wouldn’t let himself be hurt like that, but it felt nice to hope, if only for a moment.
Maybe hoping for the impossible wasn’t so bad if it didn’t seem so impossible anymore.
Boombox kicked off his shoes and walked over to his bedroom, flopping down face-first in his bed. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until his body hit the mattress, and he honestly felt like he could’ve just fallen asleep right then and there. He took his visor off and put it down on the nightstand, hand patting around to find an open spot to put it. His fingers touched the cold screen of his phone, and Boombox picked his head up, realizing he’d left it there when he went to go play the piano.
Whoops. He hoped Skate and Sling hadn’t texted him in the period he was gone, and then he opened his phone and found his hopes of that dashed because they had in fact messaged him, but based on message previews, they assumed he’d fallen asleep. Boombox would just message them back in the morning, let them know he was feeling better and all that, and everything would be back to normal.
He was about to turn his phone off for the night when he spotted Medkit’s message from way earlier that he’d accidentally left on read, pressing on the chat and looking at it again. That was the only message ever sent between them, because Medkit had made it very clear that he was only to be texted about phight related matters. But, technically the healer had crossed that line when he’d messaged him about something that wasn’t phight related, so it would be fine, right?
Even if not, what was Medkit gonna do to him? At most, he’d probably just give him some lecture about listening, again, so why the hell not take the chance while he was already feeling confident? If this was any other time, there was no way he’d convince himself to do this, this was practically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him! He quickly typed out a short message, hitting send before he could think about it more and end up regretting the choice and backing out.
hope u got back to ur place all good ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ sleep well meds!
He put his phone back down on the nightstand, working on getting his blankets and the rest of his covers all sorted, and then his phone buzzed with a notification, just around five minutes after his war with his covers was won and he was back to laying down to get comfy for the night. There was no way- there was no way. The DJ scrambled up out of cozy blanket land in a mad dash to grab his phone, opening it up and jaw dropping in disbelief as he saw the message notification from Medkit.
I did. Goodnight Boombox.
Boombox had to hold back the cheer that wanted to rip itself from his throat, instead opting to flop back onto the bed and smile stupidly like he’d fallen in love all over again (making sure his phone was off and out of the chat to avoid accidentally sending an incoherent mess to Medkit). He needed to have this moment, hold onto it for a moment before pulling the covers over him and turning his phone on, sending Medkit one last message. He put his phone on silent before returning it to it’s rightful place on his nightstand after to get some much needed sleep.
night! (_ _ ) . . z Z