The Scrybe of Curiosities (Inscryption, P03 x Reader)

Chapter 9, Strength

-Y/N's point of view

"What if I can't see my friends again?"

There was a long pause, Y/N pulled away to see ellipses across P03's screen.
For a few minutes, it was silent—well, as silent as it could be, as Y/N sobbed for what felt like forever. 'I'll never see them again. I'll never be able to swim all that way..' "Y/N?" P03's voice interrupted their thoughts.

"Are you done breaking? I'm sure it's an easy fix, just, calm down." Y/N could hear the discomfort in their voice, but they were still having trouble calming down. P03 pulled them in once more, laying on its back letting Y/N lay on top of them and rubbing their upper back gently.
P03 gave a soft, soothing "Shhhhhhh... it's okay... just relax..." and soon after, they heard what sounded like a song. It was formulated from various digital tones and beeps as it quietly resonated with the humming of the bot.

After what felt like an hour, Y/N's sobs faded out, replaced by the synthetic tune P03 'hummed'.
A minute passed, and they felt the bot fidget with their hair. As comforting as it was, they couldn't help but wonder how he went from hating them to cuddling them. It's not the first time P03 had been strangely off-and-on, but they'd never seen it go from self-isolation to this.
They took a little while to think, trying to put together the right words, in hopes of not offending the bot.
"P03, what's... what's been happening with you?" Y/N asked, sitting up to look at them as it's claw slipped from their hair, finding a throw blanket to fidget with.
"What? Elaborate." P03 said, looking at the blanket like it was the most interesting thing in the room. 'Poor awkward bot...'
"Just a couple days ago you let me hug you, then a short nap later you kick me out and isolate yourself... and now you're tending to me, acting all cuddly again, like nothing happened. I know you can be a little hot and cold with this kinda thing, but I know you, I know something's wrong. Talk to me."
P03 stared at the blanket, its claw traced the embroidered designs as their screen displayed ellipses.
"...I just repaired you to return the favor." Y/N waited for them to continue, but that didn't happen.
"And...?" Y/N prompted, but P03 remained silent, continuing to fidget.
"P03, you're good with math. You should know that only accounts for one of the things I just mentioned. I get it if you don't want to talk about it but at least acknowledge the rest! I want to help, but I can't help you if you keep-"

"I DON'T KNOW, Y/N!"

Silence.

It seemed like P03 was just as surprised as Y/N.
"I... I don't- I'm so- I-" the bot sputtered, trying their best to say something but clearly struggling.
It was rare, seeing P03 admit they didn't know something. It was always a know-it-all, never admitting defeat or just blaming RNG. Y/N knew that better than anyone, they were on good terms yet still, P03 was always stubborn.
P03 continued to trip over their words, desperate to communicate whatever must be going on in its head.
-Hey, it's okay, take your time. I'm sorry I stressed you out." Y/N said, the bot finally stopped, taking a couple minutes to collect their thoughts before speaking up.

"To be honest, I know as much as you do. All I know is I've just been having this... dysfunction. It makes it hard to work, hard to think. I can't even understand what's wrong! I just feel bad, or good, or... conflicted? I thought maybe if I was alone I could think better, but I just felt worse and worse. I would've gladly sorted this out by now if I knew what I needed, but here I am. It's kinda pathetic, really." At that, Y/N took his claw in their hand, the other gently tilting its screen to look at them.
"P03, nothing, and I mean nothing about that is 'pathetic'. It's normal to not understand, it's okay to ask for help, and it's healthy to express your emotions. As your friend, I want to help you. It's scary, I know, being open and vulnerable with someone else can be stressful, but clearly, you need some help, and that's okay." P03 looked like they could cry, small circles that looked like tears welled up under their eyes.
"It's alright, I'm not gonna judge you for anything. Do what you need." Y/N said, rubbing its claw with their thumb, feeling it shake as the bot gave what seemed like a sob. The displayed tears flowed over in pixelated lines and its mechanisms hitched every now and again. P03 gave Y/N's hand the lightest tug, and Y/N complied, dragging him closer and wrapping their arms around it, rubbing their back and petting their monitor.
"You're doing great, let it out..." Y/N reassured, feeling the bot hug back, still shaking with each sob.
"Thank you- f@$& thank you so much- I- I can't-" "-Shhhhhh... it's alright, just returning the favor." Y/N half-joked, P03 gave a quiet laugh.
"...I can't believe I'm doing this..." P03 started, but Y/N interrupted.
"I know what you're thinking, and I know what you're gonna say," Y/N pulled their head back just enough to look P03 in the screen.
"You're not weak for doing this, in fact...
This is the strongest thing you've done."