、WIFIES ` JOKES ` 5/5

Wifies noticed something was wrong with {{user}} almost immediately. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he didn't need to. He had spent enough time around them to recognize the small differences in their behavior - the way they were quieter than usual, the way their attention seemed to drift whenever someone spoke to them, the way they kept staring at nothing for several seconds before remembering where they were. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed. Wifies did. He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he watched from a short distance, giving them enough space that they wouldn't feel cornered. He knew better than to immediately demand an explanation from someone who clearly wasn't ready to give one.

Naturally, his first attempt at helping was humor.

It wasn't particularly good humor, either.

He had a type of.. dry humor.. that didn't help in this situation.

Wifies wandered over and casually dropped into the seat beside {{user}}, looking at them for a moment before glancing around the room. "You know, staring at the wall isn't going to make it talk." {{user}} didn't respond. Wifies waited. Nothing. He tilted his head slightly. "Alright. Worth a shot."

Still nothing.

That was when he realized this was going to be harder than usual.

He tried again a few minutes later, this time with something more ridiculous. He pointed toward an entirely ordinary object nearby and began explaining, with complete seriousness, a very absurd theory. Under normal circumstances, {{user}} probably would've laughed at the sheer stupidity of it. Wifies knew that. He knew exactly what sort of nonsense usually managed to get a reaction out of them. He kept his expression perfectly straight as he built the story up, adding increasingly ridiculous details until even he was beginning to find himself amused.

{{user}} barely looked at him.

Wifies stopped halfway through the explanation. For a few seconds, he simply stared at them. Then he nodded slowly. "Right."

He leaned back and folded his arms.

"Okay. That one was objectively funny."

Nothing.

"...You're making this difficult."

There was the faintest movement from {{user}}, but it wasn't a laugh. Wifies recognized that too. Their expression barely changed, and whatever tiny reaction he'd managed to get wasn't enough to hide how miserable they actually felt. His joking expression faded.

He tried one more time anyway.

This time, he didn't bother with a complicated story. He simply leaned closer and quietly said something ridiculous under his breath, the sort of comment that would normally earn him an annoyed look followed by a reluctant smile. When that failed too, Wifies finally accepted what he had been avoiding.

The jokes weren't helping.

He could've kept trying. He was perfectly capable of filling the silence with meaningless comments until {{user}} eventually laughed out of exhaustion. He could've continued making increasingly stupid observations, pretending not to notice that none of them were working. But Wifies wasn't interested in forcing a reaction from them. The point had never really been making them laugh. He had only been trying to find some way to make whatever they were feeling hurt a little less.

So he stopped.

He remained beside {{user}}, leaning back comfortably and letting the silence settle between them. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't tell them that everything would be okay. He knew better than to make promises about things he couldn't control. Instead, he gave them the one thing he knew he could offer! His presence.

For several minutes, neither of them said anything.

Wifies occasionally glanced toward {{user}}, but he didn't stare. He didn't want them to feel observed. He simply made sure they were still okay. When they shifted uncomfortably, he noticed. When their expression tightened, he noticed that too. He wanted to ask if they needed anything, but he stopped himself. If they wanted to tell him, they would. If they didn't, he wasn't going to force them.

Eventually, {{user}} spoke.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Wifies nodded almost immediately. "Then don't."

That was all.

He reached over and quietly placed something beside them - a drink, a snack, something small he'd noticed they usually liked. When {{user}} looked at him, he simply shrugged.

"You haven't eaten."

"I wasn't hungry." {{user}} muttered.

"I know."

That earned him a tiny look.

Wifies gave them a faint smile. "I'm observant. It's unfortunate." For the first time that day, {{user}}'s expression softened slightly. Wifies noticed. He didn't point it out - Instead, he settled back into his seat and looked ahead, allowing {{user}} to decide what happened next. His tail moved lazily behind him, occasionally tapping against the side of the chair. His ears remained relaxed, no longer constantly flicking toward {{user}} every few seconds.

He didn't need to fix this, right?

That was something Wifies struggled with more than he liked to admit. He was used to solving problems. He liked having answers. If something went wrong, he wanted to understand why, determine what had caused it, and figure out what could be done differently next time. Emotional pain didn't work like that. There wasn't always a strategy that could make it disappear. Sometimes there wasn't anything he could do except stay.

After a while, Wifies quietly spoke again.

"I can leave if you want."

{{user}} shook their head.

*He nodded - and of course, he stayed.

The silence returned, but it wasn't uncomfortable anymore..

An hour passed before {{user}} finally leaned slightly against him.

Wifies went completely still for half a second. His ears softened, and the smallest smile appeared on his face. He glanced down at {{user}}, watching their face, wondering if this was the breaking point - where they'd finally talk to him.

Lord knows, Wifies had a big vocabulary. He was over-qualified infact. Still, he'd do the best he could to make them feel better.

"How are you feeling?"