Sig notices strange, subtle differences affecting Tee when he arrives in Primp Town. An intervention is more than necessary in his opinion. Maybe a visit to the sunflower field will help bring Tee out of his funk. Requested by a tumblr anon! Based on the prompt: "I just want to see you smile."

Don't Crash and Burn

While he didn't know too much about Tee, Sig understood one fact about him very well. The way his brow creased, how his eyes burned as he focused, Tee always put his best efforts in whatever he did. Whether it was rotating Tetris blocks for the best T-spins or providing as much detail in his reports for O to record, giving anything less than a hundred percent wasn't in his character.

Compared to his own laid-back personality, Sig admired Tee's perseverance. While he aimed for his own goals, he found himself relaxing a little too often or being distracted by bugs and other adventures. Tee never stopped for anything. It was like his goal was right in front of him, and he never took his eyes off it, not even for a second. No matter who intercepted him or whatever obstacles appeared before him, he never stopped until his mission was complete.

Yet, others hadn't picked up on the purple spots under Tee's eyes. They didn't notice the paler color of his skin. He could have kept going without anyone realizing how exhausted he was, never slowing down, never surrendering.

But Sig certainly did. In his quiet way, he noted Tee's long, slow blinks. His shortness of breath, the uncombed curls of his hair, trembling fingers after arduous Tetris matches, Sig observed them all.

Exhaustion was claiming Tee, and he was too proud to admit it. Not even his best friend Ringo could make him stop when she couldn't ignore the purple splotches darkening. He insisted that he was fine, and that he was sleeping and eating well, too. Nothing could be said to change his mind as Tee sunk deeper into his own weariness, his body barely keeping up with the workload he forced upon himself.

When he arrived to visit Primp Town, Sig had an idea. He didn't wait to say hello when Tee caught eyes with him. He simply grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the other Primp students. When Tee yelped and asked where they were going, Sig didn't reply. He knew his silence would aggravate him, but it was all for the best, a notion he ingrained in his mind as he pulled Tee down the cobblestone paths towards a bridge overlooking a stream.

Tee yawned and smacked his lips, causing Sig to glance back at him. His brows were furrowed, and his light purple eyes were narrowed into serpentine slits, an expression he hadn't seen before on the esteemed leader of the Starship Tetra. It would have worried him if not for the fact that they had arrived, and he let go of Tee's gloved hand, the rubbery fabric still warm on his skin.

"And where are we exactly?" Tee asked, crossing his arms.

The shorter boy guided him down the bridge, saying, "Sunflower field."

"Sunflower-?" Tee cut himself off, the sight of sunflowers, hundreds of thousands of them, filling a grassy meadow which seemed to span for miles. They towered over them, their floral fragrance almost overwhelming. Bumblebees buzzed between the thick petals, and pollen dusted the warm air as it was carried by the breeze.

"It's one of my favorite spots," Sig said, reaching up and cupping one of the petals. He twisted it, carefully curling it around his fingers to reveal a trapped bee. Giving it a gentle poke, he grinned as it popped out of the thick petals and hurried away, bits of pollen trickling on to his finger. He blew it off and added, "Thought you'd like it, too. It'll help clear your head."

"I mean-" Tee cleared his throat, the aroma almost too strong for his addled brain. He leaned into the thick stalks and rubbed his temples. "It's a nice place, Sig."

Sig frowned and hummed a monotonous tune. Such a blase answer wasn't what he had been hoping for from Tee. As the busy bumblebees buzzed overhead and preened themselves on the sunflowers, he scrutinized the faint stains on the shoulders of Tee's normally pristine uniform and smelled the faintest hint of coffee when he came closer to him.

Clutching Tee's forearm, Sig announced, "You gotta rest."

A disgruntled yelp slipped free from Tee's throat. Sig dragged him to the ground and pressed his own back to the sunflowers. He forced Tee to lie in his lap, his wide eyes scanning the complacent expression settling on Sig's face.

"Rest," he ordered again, using his scarlet fingers to close Tee's eyes.

"This is-! It's...unnecessary," he sputtered, but when he tried opening his eyes, Sig pressed his hand over them. "H-hey!"

"I have a good nose," he said as if it was common knowledge. "You spilled coffee on your uniform today." He hummed again. "Couldn't drink it 'cause you were tired, right?"

Tee didn't reply. The temptation to push Sig's hand off his face came and went like a cresting wave on the shore.

"Everyone knows you're tired. Ringo does. I think Ess does. I do, too." Sig sighed and rubbed his fingers and thumb together. "I just want to see you smile, and I can't do that if you look like you're gonna fall down."

Sig glanced away. Saying something with such earnesty had never been his strongest suit. But after what he had seen and smelled from Tee, he knew he had to be honest with himself or else, well, he didn't want to think about what could happen if Tee continued dragging himself down such a path.

"You're right."

Sig snapped his attention back to him, his usually half-lidded gaze widening.

Tee sighed and pressed his lips into his cheeks. He laced his fingers around his stomach and murmured, "I definitely need a break. I really have been overworking myself, haven't I?"

"Hm. Yeah." He nodded although Tee's eyes were closed.

"Then, I'll rest for a bit. I don't want to worry you and the others." Tee turned his head and whispered, "Thanks, Sig. You're actually pretty comfortable."

Scratching his cheek, Sig snickered and said, "No problem."

As the bees watched them, Sig couldn't help but beam and smile under the sun's glow.