Work Text:
It was late at night. Most of the circus members were already asleep, except for two: Pomni and Gangle. Pomni - she just couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind filled with anxious and depressive thoughts she couldn't control. Obviously, being stuck in a digital prison has affected her mental state, making her overthink her existence. And that's scary to think about, especially when you're by yourself. She desperately needed someone to be with at this moment, so she left her room to check if anyone else was awake.
Slowly wandering down the hallway, she noticed light shining from under Gangle's door. "Is she awake?" ‐ Pomni thought, coming closer. She pressed the side of her head to the door to hear if she wasn’t sleeping. And hearing some noises coming from there, she took a deep breath before gently knocking at the door.
“J-just a second!” - a panicked voice said, the sound muffled by the walls.
She took a step back, waiting for the door to open. When it did, Gangle walked out worriedly, before glancing at Pomni.
“Oh, h-hi Pomni” - Gangle said quietly, looking relieved it wasn’t somebody else. - “Did you want anything?”
“W-well… Can I stay inside your room for a while?” - Pomni gulped and looked away before continuing. - “It feels too scary to be alone right now…”
“Um…” - she glanced inside her room - “Y-yeah! No problem, come in.”
Gangle gestured her to come inside, and so she did, entering the room for the first time. The room had a red and white color scheme, which wasn’t surprising considering Pomni’s room had the same thing. There was a white desk, filled with drawings and what not, a red, fancy looking bed and… a big old computer, a keyboard and a mouse sitting on the floor. The computer looked out of place, as if it weren’t there when the room was created, so Pomni decided to ask about it.
“You have a computer?” - she said, looking surprised.
“W-well… don’t tell anyone, but i kinda stole it from somewhere else…” - Gangle confessed, fidgeting with her ribbon hands.
“Do you use it for anything?”- Pomni asked, curiously.
“Well…” - she made a big pause before continuing in almost a whisper - “I watch… anime… on it?..” - she covered her mask in embarrassment, blushing slightly.
“Oh… Well, it's nothing to be ashamed about! A lot of people like anime, you know?”
“Yeah…” - she paused, gathering her thoughts - “I was in the middle of watching it right now… Do you like, wanna join me?” - she said, with a shy smile.
The jester didn’t expect that offer, but thinking about it, she decided it's a lot better than just being alone with her thoughts. She could use some distraction.
“Sure.” - she answered, smiling warmly.
“Really?!” - Gangle squealed, happy at the thought of watching her favorite animes with someone else.
“Yeah! I don’t mind.”
“That’s awesome! Let me juuust…”
She took a blanket that was laying in front of the computer and spread it out on the floor, then she took a bunch of pillows from her bed and threw them on top of it.
“Here ya go! Get comfy.” - she said, with a cat-like smile, as she sat down at the edge of the blanket, leaving space for Pomni.
Pomni quickly understood her and did the same, sitting down at the other edge. The blanket was small enough for them to brush shoulders once in a while, but Pomni didn’t seem to mind that. They sat there in comfortable silence while Gangle looked up some anime she wanted for them to watch.
“This anime is about a girl who struggles with social anxiety, but then joins a band! It's very wholesome.” - Gangle exclaimed, while typing its name on the keyboard.
“Sounds promising.” - Pomni answered, calmly.
Even though for her the world has felt like a nightmare moments ago, when she was with Gangle she felt much more at ease. Sure, the dark thoughts are still at the back of her head, but at the moment it was a lot easier not to think about it.
When the anime started playing, soft, quiet music filled the room. After some time, the jester’s body became less tense and her breathing slowed down as she let herself relax. The scenes were in fact wholesome: The girl managed to make friends despite her social anxiety and even play guitar in front of a crowd. Pomni could see how people relate to the girl’s problems and it seemed really heartwarming for Gangle to watch this anime.
As the current episode went on, the jester found herself paying less and less attention to what was happening on the screen. Her eyelids felt heavier and the vision became just blurry enough to make her realise that she was about to fall asleep.
“Gangle?” - she said, softly.
“Yeah?” - Gangle answered, turning her head.
“Can I rest my head on your shoulder?”
Gangle hesitated a little, blushing, before quietly saying:
“A-alright…”
A tired smile appeared on Pomni’s face, before she carefully leaned in and placed her head on ribbon’s shoulder.
The moment it happened, Gangle froze. She couldn’t pay attention to the anime anymore, not when she felt someone’s weight against her shoulder. She could feel her mask burning and her ribbony hands trembling a little. Gangle glanced at Pomni every now and then, quickly looking back at the screen whenever she caught herself staring for too long.
When the episode ended, she looked at the jester again. But this time, she tilted her head a little, which made her notice that her eyes were closed.
“Pomni?” - she said, almost whispering.
But there was no answer.