Take care of yourself!

In Prompts ・ By joanna

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Smith doesn't know how he ended up here. One moment, he's at his desk as per usual, answering emails and going over the list of projects for this week and the next moment, he's lounging in a luxurious pile of pillows next to Shibani.

...What the hell?

No, he can't be here. He needs to finish sending out emails! He needs to finish going over which projects are due by the end of the week to make sure his team will meet their deadlines... Sure, the work day is long over, but work never really ends. And after work, he needs to pick his suit up from the dry cleaners and... Ah, what to do about dinner?

"Relax," Shibani interrupts him as if the tied up rope bunny (literally) can read his mind. "I invited you here to rest and chill. Work's not going anywhere, I promise."

Genuinely unable to remember leaving his office, Smith frowns, about to open his mouth to reply, but Shibani answers for him.

"See? You can't even remember how you got here in the first place," he answers again, "that's definitely a sign that you need a break, man. When's the last time you took one anyway?"

Smith wonders how the hell Shibani seems to know exactly what he's thinking about, but some secrets will always remain secrets. Half-buried in the pillows, Smith sighs, "forget the break, I haven't even slept in four days..."

"Four days!?" Shibani exclaims, understandably shocked.

"Four days..." mutters Smith. He's not proud. He knows taking it easy is something he struggles with and knows his doctor certainly wouldn't approve, but now that he's laying down in the soft nest, the corners of his vision start to grow dark.

On the verge of a great big yawn, his eyes water a little as Smith rubs the sleepy tears away. "I've been busy at work," he tries to explain, stretching out comfortably, "our company's going through a merger and it's been complicated..."

Shibani yawns too. Possibly because Smith said the word, 'merger', and then used a whole bunch of other boring business lingo afterwards. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're busy," he sighs, "but if you don't sleep, you're gonna burn out from exhaustion or worse, you know?"

Smith knows. After all, it wouldn't be the first time, but maybe just this once, he can give in to slumber. Shifting his body to get more comfortable, he lays on his back with one hand underneath another pillow and closes his eyes. "Yeah, you're right..." he mumbles, voice barely audible, "I'll just... close my eyes for... 15 minutes..."

"That's the spirit," Shibani smiles, satisfied with himself for helping Smith. Let's be honest, nobody can win against the pillow pile. "Well, good night, Smith. Sleep well."

"...Good night," Smith exhales, low and breathy, finally letting go of everything that's on his mind. Who knew it could be so easy? "Oh, and thank you..."

"Haha, don't mention it... Sweet dreams."

And they're both out like a light.