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“Mmmmn… No, but that can’t be right…”
A short sigh left Rodger as he stripped the yarn from his corkboard, idly tapping his chin with his index. He began to reach up to restring the pins scattered along its surface, but paused, important details slipping from his overworked mind. Shaking his head, he stepped back with a frustrated huff. Something must be connecting them all, he thought, staring down at the wadded yarn in his palm. There must be a link between it all. Still, there was something missing — something big he wasn’t seeing.
He turned his attention to the clock on his wall. It had passed one in the morning by now, marking the third straight hour he had been at tonight’s theory-crafting. The lights had shut off hours ago now — the marker most toons saw as ‘bed time’ — but he preferred to work after lights-out. With everyone else preoccupied by rest, there was less of a risk of being bothered. After all, there were few other times he could get into a flow-state with his work. Now, though, he decided his flow-state was burnt out, and it was about time for a well-earned break.
Pushing aside the research capsules littering his floor, he collapsed into his desk chair, forsaking his usual stick-straight posture for a much more comfortable slouch. The moment’s rest would have been helpful if not for the wave of sleepiness hitting him with all the force of a bus — exactly the thing he didn’t want right now. Instinctually, he fumbled for the mug of coffee holding down dozens of scattered papers and lifted it to his chin, doing his best to ignore that its contents had long since gone cold. He couldn’t even recall when he had brewed it, but the energy to go make another evaded him. So, he continued to take short-lived sips, seeing it was the only way he could finish the vile excuse for coffee resting in his hands.
The subtle, stumbling pitter-patter of footsteps outside his door cut his grumbling short. Normally, they would slip his thoughts only moments after he heard them — and he at first tried — but the accompaniment of quiet sniffling held his attention. The steps grew closer, and so too did choked whimpers, reaching their crescendo just outside his doorstep. Rubbing his eye, he turned his chest to the sound’s source as concern placated his exhaustion. He blinked back the blurriness and stared out into the dark, adjusting his eyes to the familiar silhouette avoiding his gaze. The figure stood crumpled and gripping the doorway for support, still wobbling from the journey.
“Glisten?” Rodger called, immediately rushing to wrap an arm around Glisten to assist his balance. “Please, come inside,” he murmured, “What’s the matter?”
Glisten held a trembling hand to his cheek, pursing his lips as if bracing for the worst. Rodger’s eye pleaded for insight, only this time it lacked the usual invasive prying that had made him so controversial. No, it was a raw concern this time; that look that made Glisten feel cared for and guilty for even needing care in the first place. He opened his mouth to explain, but the words would not dare leave his lips, lest he be crushed under the weight of imagined scrutiny. Instead, he immediately erupted into sobs, collapsing under Rodger’s grip.
”Hey, hey- It’s okay!” Rodger sputtered. Struggling under Glisten’s deadweight, he opted to help Glisten to the floor, after which Rodger knelt beside him. He had never seen Glisten in such a condition, let alone at this hour. Glisten could only reply in hiccups and sniffles, absolutely inconsolable at the thought of admitting things weren’t okay, no matter how obvious it may already be. Rodger sat patiently at Glisten’s side, rubbing his back in slow, patient circles. Rodger didn’t dare hurry the other — at least not until he noticed the thick, black liquid coating the other’s palm.
”Are you… hurt?” Rodger asked, holding the panic back from his voice. Glisten’s sobbing picked up, all but confirming it. “Ah– It’ll be alright!” Rodger said, lowering himself to sit closer. He knew Glisten better than most other toons, and if he knew anything, it was that this was a big deal for him. Sure, Glisten was confident on the surface, but he knew Glisten’s image of himself was distorted at best. He had seen Glisten work himself sick, constantly moving the goalpost of perfection far past what anyone expected of him. Glisten was already placing all his trust in Rodger by coming here, but any amount of pushing would scare him off. So, with a silent pause, he chose his next words cautiously. “Are you comfortable showing me?”
Glisten finally met the other’s stare like he was searching deep within Rodger’s soul. Their eyes locked for what felt like minutes — frozen in a moment of evaluated trust — until Glisten lowered his quivering fingers from his face. Just upon the mirror’s edge was a sizable chip missing, oozing ichor. As Rodger’s eye locked onto the blemish, regret sat in immediately. Glisten began to feel his stomach sink, but before he could even consider running, Rodger’s hands gripped his. Cold, calloused thumbs rubbed Glisten’s soft palms, and his face fogged, surprised and comforted by the sudden, but tender touch.
“That’s quite fixable,” Rodger chuckled, relieved to see Glisten’s injury was relatively minor. Massaging deeper into those perfect palms, he rested his head on his reflective friend’s shoulder, hoping the comfort would reach through the thick wall Glisten had surrounded himself with. Glisten, surprised to see Rodger was not at all repulsed, slowly leaned into the other, letting the last of his tears fall into the crook of Rodger’s neck. They sat like that for a while, reveling in a comfortable silence for which Rodger never let go of those warm, trembling hands.
”I- I was practicing my mirror trick,” Glisten finally sighed, his voice muffled by stuffy sinuses. “It was going so well, but- but then I lost my balance, and when I looked in the mirror, it was gone.”
Rodger’s gaze softened. Without hesitation, he collected the box of tissues from his dresser, sitting back down to offer it to Glisten. The mirror carefully took the box within his hands, first futilely wiping the mascara-stained tears from his cheeks, then pressing a fresh tissue to his wound. All the while, Rodger watched on, racking his brain for the right thing to say.
”Do you have the piece?” Rodger asked gently.
”That’s just the thing.” Glisten huffed, further shrinking into himself. “I couldn’t find it, so now I’m just going to have a hole in my face forever, and- and I need to be… to be…”
As shame broke the mirror’s train of thought, Rodger had an idea. He rushed to his feet and approached his dresser, rummaging through the already half-open top drawer. Clothes and haphazardly tucked-away tools created a unique cacophony of ruffling and clattering, a mixture often warning toons that Rodger was up to something. Glisten perked up at the sound, his sniffling postponed by curiosity.
”What are you-“
”Aha!” Rodger whipped around, a flashlight and magnifying glass held tightly in each hand. “What do you say we do a little investigating, my perfect paisan?”
After a pause, Glisten’s sniffles turned to a snort, then to full-blown giggles. He shook his head, wiping the leftover tears and snot from his face with another tissue. “That was, like, so corny.”
Rodger chuckled too, placing his tools under his arm so he could outstretch his other. Glisten took him by the hand, carefully pulling himself up onto his feet. Rodger hardly gave time for the other to let go of his hand, dragging him in the direction of the door. The prospect of a new investigation had Rodger giddy — maybe a little too giddy, all things considered — but Glisten didn’t mind. Rodger’s excitement was contagious in its own weird way.
So, the two traversed the hallway, their hands intertwined as if to show mutual support. While Rodger was distracted by the prospects of a new mini-investigation, Glisten was preoccupied with his own thoughts. He stared down at their hands, his face flushing a subtle pink. It started as a one-off thought at first, but it was already beginning to eat away at his chest. Rodger had always been so accomodating, even when others told Glisten his concerns were silly. Rodger was so passionate about his work, but Rodger still managed to make room to spend time with him. Rodger saw him. In Rodger’s company, he felt perfect. Did Rodger feel the same? Was he spending enough time with Rodger? What if he wasn’t doing enough? Perhaps he should–
”Glisten?”
The mirror jumped, his focus snapping back to the current moment. By then, they were standing in Glisten’s room, and in Rodger’s hand sat the elusive mirror fragment. Rodger raised a brow and Glisten chuckled nervously, plucking the fragment from the magnifying glass’s fingers.
”Goodness, you found it so fast!” Glisten shuffled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Now I feel silly…”
Rodger waved his flashlight as if to dismiss the notion. ”Ah, I’ve had to find plenty of glass shards in the dark. I’ve just got experience is all.”
Glisten stared at the missing piece for a second, his cheeks growing hot once more. He could feel tears welling in his eyes again — this time, it was something he couldn’t place. He almost felt… disappointed to see their time together come to an end so quickly, especially after he squandered most of it while he was lost in his own head. He yearned for just one more touch, a little more care… No, no, how embarrassing! Quickly catching himself, he blinked away the tears and gave another awkward giggle. “Umh… Thank you,” he muttered, turning toward his vanity to replace the piece.
”Hey.” Rodger placed a hand on Glisten’s shoulder. He could tell Glisten still felt a bit rocky deep down — truthfully, Glisten was anything but subtle. It would kill him to leave Glisten alone after everything he had seen tonight. So, he took a deep breath, crafting the excuse as he spoke. “Would you mind… ahem… spending the night with me? I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep as of late, and a bit of company could help.”
Glisten’s brows raised, almost caught off guard by the other’s request. A prideful grin crept up his pinkened cheeks, eating away at any remaining doubts he had in his perfect little head. Maybe he was doing enough after all. He turned his head back to face his friend, his bow wiggling with suppressed excitement. “Well,” he hummed, “If a sleepover is what you want, I’d be more than happy to oblige.” He placed the back of his hands against his chin, framing his face and batting his eyelashes. “After all, I know I’m just a delight to have around!”
Rodger laughed, playfully pushing Glisten toward his vanity. “Ouh, just get ready!”
As Glisten sat in front of the mirror adorned with his best moments, Rodger’s eye scrunched as if to smile. To him, Glisten was perfect. Someday, he promised to himself, Glisten would see it too.
Thank you very much for reading! This is my first time writing in quite a long while, so I'm very sorry if this was a little choppy. I'm hoping to get back on the ball though, so hopefully this was a good start!
