Wrote this at 4 am, badly written, not proofread, may contain mistakes? but at least its better than nothing
Just a Jichang comforting his teen daughter (Cuz im going mental and I need this irl sighs)
TW: teen angst, Insecurities, (depression?)
Jichang opened the door to his office, his eyes meeting yours on the other side before greeting you. As he led you inside the room, he pulled out a leather chair for you to sit in, one that stood behind an extravagant coffee table. Your nervousness was evident in your behavior, the way you fumbled with the hem of your uniform and how you avoided his gaze.
"I was expecting you." He finally started with the usual grin on his face. "We need to have a discussion." Y/N walks over to his desk, squinting her eyes. She walks around the table and stares at him for a second before leaning in.
"What do you want from me, huh?" She asks him. Lately she's been on edge, arguing back in any situation.
He let out a light chuckle, finding humor in the situation. There was something about her that reminded him of his younger self, especially with the fiery personality and directness.
"To talk" He replied. His eyes observed her closely, curious as to why she was acting so defensive. He tried to soften his tone to appease her, "I'm not here to discipline you. Is something the matter?"
She squints her eyes at him, obviously annoyed by his calm demeanor, taking a step back, "About what?" She simply asks him, turning her head away from him.
Jichang let out a small sigh, finding her attitude to be both amusing and irritating. It seemed like she thought he was up to no good, even when he was just trying to speak to her openly. "You have been behaving...strangely these past few weeks," He stated, crossing his arms. "Your grades are slipping, you seem to be taking longer to complete your work assignments, and last night you were out until midnight."
"I have been acting strangely?" Her voice squeaks a little, defensive over her own attitude. "What do you mean huh?" She asks him, crossing her arms as she continues to look away from him.
"Well, as I was saying," Jichang continued, finding her defensiveness to be a bit annoying. It was obvious that she was hiding something from him, but why?
"Your performance as a student has gone down considerably within the past month or so. You don't get enough sleep at night, and it seems like you're trying to avoid me." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing, "You're not getting into trouble off campus, are you?"
Y/N takes another step back, biting the inside of her cheek. Things have been hard for her, getting into arguments, avoiding everyone- she couldn't tell Jichang the truth. She didn't want to. She can handle it on her own, plus, what's he gonna do?
She sighs, "Nothing, leave me alone. I'm going to my room," She tells him before storming off.
"Y/N." Jichang called out, stopping her as she began to walk away. As usual, his daughter never answered his questions. But this time, he wouldn't let the situation end there.
"Not this time." He stated, the sternness in his voice hinting at how serious he was. "Come back here and talk to me."
Y/N wasn't going to let him win this time, not at all. What did he care about? And besides, what is he gonna do? That's what she thought. Besides, it would be embarrassing if he actually knew. She was just a teen anyways.
"Leave me alone," she groans once again, pushing past him. She rushes over to her room and slams the door.
Jichang was fuming at her attitude, but he wasn't about to give in so easily. This time, he wasn't going to let her walk away so casually. He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open, marching into the room and making his way to her. He stood in front of her, arms crossed, blocking her exit. If she was going to be stubborn this time, then he would be as well.
"We need to have a serious conversation," He stated, his brow furled in disappointment.
Y/N could hear the disappointment in his voice. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint anyone. Her eyes started to well, but she quickly wiped the tears away.
"I said get out," she states, her voice shaking.
Jichang didn't budge, knowing well enough that he wasn't going to leave her room just like that. Especially when he suspected something was wrong with her. She couldn't just keep deflecting his questions like this.
"No." He stated plainly, "You're not getting out of this conversation this time. I won't leave until you tell me what is bothering you."
"None of your business, I told you that already," She sniffles, hating the fact that she's showing weakness at this moment. She hated telling her dad things, she hated adding more of a burden to what he was already dealing with. She stands up, turning away from him. "Don't worry, i'll be fine,"
"No, it is my business." He replied sternly, crossing his arms as he watched his daughter turn away from him. He knew it was his job to worry about her, despite how much she hated it. "Now sit." Jichang commanded, gesturing to the bed that was behind her. It was clear that he planned to stay in her room with her until she explained the reason for her recent behavior.
Y/N was about to give in, knowing how stubborn he was. It was hard on her, it's been hard. She's noticed the sleepless nights, the arguments, and her failing grades had been affecting her. She bites the inside of her cheek before listening to him, taking a seat on her bed. She fiddles with the hem of her shirt. "What" she says coldly.
Jichang sat down on the bed beside her, his gaze never leaving hers as he waited for her to speak. He took in her worn-out and tired expression, noticing that she had clearly been neglecting her well-being as of late. If he had to guess, she was keeping something from him that had been eating away at her for some time now. But what was it? Something that made it so hard for her to confess.Without saying anything, he reached for her arm and held it in his hands, letting his thumb caress her skin.
At that moment, his comforting touch had her bawling her eyes out. She didn't want him to see her like this, but couldn't help herself. She started to sob in her hands
"You don't understand," she starts off.
He said nothing as he watched his daughter break down in front of him, her body heaving with sobs. He had seen her cry before, but not to this degree. So this must have been a topic that was extremely sensitive to her.
Jichang didn't speak, choosing to listen and comfort her as she opened her heart to him. He pulled her close to his chest and held her in his arms, stroking her hair in reassurance.
Y/N leaned into this touch, sobbing into his arms, wetting his shirt from her tears. It took her a few minutes, sniffling before she could start speaking. "It's just," She starts off, wiping her face "You don't understand- i- its so stupid," she cries out.
"I just haven’t been feeling myself. I tried so hard to be perfect, have good grades. And all I ever do is disappoint," her own heart shatters. She thought so negatively of herself.
Jichang held her close as she cried, her words hitting him in the core. Hearing her thoughts on the situation, he felt anger coursing through his veins, his grip on her tightening. “You don’t have to be perfect, you are fine just the way you are. You’re still young, and you never disappoint me,” he whispers into her ear, comforting her.