[PROMPT] Rest & Restraints

“Do you ever relax?” Shibani asks him in a way that cuts through the haze. “Or are you always this tense?” 

“I’m thinking,” Tomoki replies easily. Really he’s attempting to rest again. Call it a way to work around his burnout since taking a nap is the only way that he can even stop thinking about what he needs to do. 

Time marches on. His deadlines continue to haunt him as well. 

Staying with Shibani for a while might be the only way for the world to slow down a bit. He’s on good enough terms with both Shibani and Dan or as much as he can be for someone who’s a hermit. Like, he knows how to make dango, he can lend a hand if need be. 

(It’s a good way to get out of his head, at least doing other work will.) 

“Then you think too much,” Shibani then says before practically lying on top of him. “Make that mind of yours stop.” 

Instead of replying, he simply lays down in defeat. What they don’t tell you about Shibani’s pile of pillows is the sheer fact that there’s weighted pillows and blankets here and there. Something that specifically makes his mind go blank in a nice hazy way. Or rather, in a way that he can simply sleep and nap even longer when he does wake up. 

One of these days he has to get one of these blankets himself or pillows. It’s something on his list that Tomoki isn’t sure he’ll ever get to. 

Shibani pokes him, knocks on his head that never seems to stop spinning. 

“You’re thinking too loudly again,” he repeats as if it will stop him from overthinking. “I thought you came here to relax.” 

A beat. 

Tomoki sighs. “Theory can only take you so far. In practice it’s a lot harder, Shibani.” 

The other bun looks at him funny as if he’s slightly insane for not being able to switch off his mind. Maybe he is a little for this. Or maybe he’s still too pent up over all of this time to do something about it. Relaxing has never been something he’s ever been good at, he has to do something or else he’s not doing enough for himself. 

“So you just– don’t turn off your mind? Whatsoever?” Shibani then prompts before dragging him back under the blankets again. It’s warm, enough to remind him that he does matter to others.  “Burnout has to be a pain then.” 

He nods meekly at that, tries not to think about what it says about himself as an individual. Sure, buns aren’t known for their productivity but Tomoki wants his works to matter to someone. Anyone. He wants the fame and fortune of making something that people will treasure – a story that they can turn to when they’re going through hard times. 

It’s one thing that he wants more than anything as a writer. Tomoki has it as one of his dreams, one that he can have when he does eventually knock out for a few hours. 

“I’d prefer being able to write without burnout though, so if I can stop thinking it might turn into words later,” he finds himself saying. “Now though, writer’s block is a pain in the ass.” 

“Or maybe you need to get laid.” 

A beat. 

Tomoki doesn’t exactly have an answer for that. Rather, it’s not that he hasn’t been getting laid, it’s just that he doesn’t have anyone that he wants to get laid with. Maybe it’s the lack of social life that’s getting to him. Maybe that’s it. 

“What? Are you offering?” Tomoki prompts. 

Shibani only tilts his head a little. “Only if you’re interested.” 

He pauses for a moment, then sits on it for a few moments longer only to conclude that he really does not want to move from under the blankets. Getting into bed is always far easier than getting back out and he contemplates for a moment if this is really worth it. 

“I’ll take the nap first and then we can talk later, I probably do need to get laid though,” he then admits. “Assuming I can fall asleep in the first place.” 

“You will,” Shibani promises. 

Somehow it sounds like a promise as he turns around on the pile of blankets. It’s comforting to know that at least sleep is guaranteed somewhere. Even if it’s not technically not his empty room anymore. The last time he slept decently well was when he tried eating those shrooms. 

All the same, he closes his eyes, makes an attempt to empty his mind as he should. Happy thoughts, or rather aimless thoughts are the only ones he should be thinking as Tomoki clings onto one of the pillows themselves. 

Within a few moments, he’s finally fast asleep. Perhaps if he’s lucky, it’ll be a couple hours before he finally wakes up with the writer’s block gone.