Work Text:
How was this even possible, she thought. There is absolutely no way that a human could possibly be expected to juggle fourteen school assignments, rehearsals, vocal training, interviews, and countless other responsibilities in one singular week. Arashi thinks it’s impossible—no, preposterous, even!
She sighs as she places her pencil down on the desk next to her paper. Her grades have been significantly decreasing the past few weeks. Maybe it’s the fact that Knights is steadily cruising up the popularity charts. Rehearsals have been getting longer; work related responsibilities have been getting frequenter, and stress has been getting higher. She can barely remember if she ate breakfast that morning, after filming an advertisement for a cosmetic company. Every day seemed like it was blurring into one. And the second she finished a load of work, more and more began to pile up. It was neverending; almodt exhausting—no, it WAS exhausting. She could feel her eyebags every time she rubbed her face in exhaustion, which almost never happened! Not only did Arashi not like feeling eyebags on her face, but she wouldn’t dare touch it with a full-face of makeup on. But as sleep haunts her conscience, she can’t help but rub her eyes, her cheeks and her forehead in a desperate attempt to keep herself focused and awake.
“Naru-chan?” A familiar voice graces Arashi’s ears.
“Yes? Oh, I’m so sorry Mika-chan. My mind just wandered off. Here, here, take another bite of your food! You need the energy.” With a haphazard smile, Arashi lifted Mika’s fork to his hand.
They always met at Café Cinnamon to chat, laugh, and have a sweet meal. It became a necessary experience that interweaved itself into their lives. This was their safe space, where it was only them. Not any stressors from work, school, or friends. Just them.
“Mmm, Naru-chan! Don’t be gettin’ so worried ‘bout zonin’ out n’ stuff. I do it allll the time. Say, what’s got ya so distracted?” Mika takes the fork so graciously handed to him by Arashi and takes a bite of his food. A strawberry tart, to be exact.
“Mmm. I’ve just been very busy lately, Mika-chan. But don’t worry about it! Please, keep eating.” She smiles. The first thing she always thinks about is Mika’s feelings. The last this she wants is for him to be bent over backwards stressed about her.
“Hmmm. Been workin’ hard, ya say?” Mika takes another piece of his tart onto his fork, and moves it to Arashi’s mouth.
She instinctually opens her mouth and takes the bite. “See! Ya never let me do that. Yer always grabbin’ the fork n’ puttin’ it in my mouth instead!” Mika pokes at her face innocently. “What’s goin’ on?”
Arashi is silent for a moment. If just for a moment, the world stops. She bites her lip to hold back tears that threaten to tear through the strength she built up. She holds words at the tip on her tongue back furiously, clutching on with every nerve in her body. But then she remembers who’s next to her.
“God, Mika-chan. I’ve just been incredibly stressed. Work has been far too much for me, especially being mixed with school… Extracurriculars… It’s like a constant weight on my chest and it feels terrible. I would just like a little break…” Arashi rubs her hands over her face, head leaning down onto the table in front of her.
Mika is silent for a second, before his hands land on Arashi’s shoulders and pull her backwards. He positions her head comfortably on his lap, fingers running through her locks.
“That sounds like a lot of work… But yer doin’ such a good job! Ya have to focus on yerself more, Naru-chan. It’s okay t’ feel burnt out. I feel like that a lot, I’ve realized! I used to work so many jobs at once, including Valkyrie and goin’ to school! There isn’t any shame in bein’ tired…” Mika comforts softly, still running his deft, soft fingers through her hair. Arashi just smiles, nuzzling her face into his lap.
“Thank you, Mika-chan. I love you so much.” She wraps her arms around his waist and buried her face in his stomach. He smiles, giggling softly, content that his Arashi was in his arms.
“I love ya too! ‘M always here for ya, okay? Yer so strong… Super pretty too!” He giggles again, and she laughs into his stomach. “Also, ya ain’t workin’ today, okay? It’s just gonna be me n’ you!”
Arashi hesitates, but soon nods. She knew she needed the break. She just needed that one extra push.
Mika continued to hold her, feed her his tart, and talk about pretty much anything under the sun. He adored her, and it always hurt him to know she wasn’t feeling good. Thankfully, he would be there for her through thick and thin, just as she would for him.