You Don't Have to Be Strong - Vocaloid 神威がくぽx巡音ルカ

Recently, a few things have happened at work, and since my promotion, working until around 4 a.m. has basically become the norm. 😭💻🌙🫠 I’ve also had some unpleasant experiences with my supervisors, which has made things even more exhausting. 😮‍💨💦💔 These days, the only times I can sometimes reply to messages are while I’m waiting for the elevator 🛗🥹, standing in line for the restroom 🚻😵‍💫, or during my commute 🚃🚶‍♀️🎧💭. My free time has become ridiculously limited. 😭⏰💻💀 And on top of that, my time for generating images has been getting squeezed too. 😭🎨🖼️💻⏳ It’s honestly so frustrating because I really want more time to create and work on my images. 🥹💔😩✨ I hate that work keeps eating into my creative time. 😭🫠🎨💜🩷 And I seriously want more time to fangirl over Gakupo and Luka too!!! 😭💜🩷🎤🎨✨ I want to make more Gakupo × Luka art and just enjoy their moments together!!! 🥹🫂💜🩷💕 But ever since my promotion, work has been stealing practically all of my free time!!! 😭💻⏰💀 I’m really sorry if I’ve been slow to reply or disappeared for a while. 🥺🙏🩷💜🫂 It’s not because I don’t care or don’t want to respond. 💕🌷 It’s just that ever since the promotion, this has basically become my normal routine. 😭💦💻🫠 I really appreciate your patience and understanding. 🥺🩷💜🌸🫂✨💕 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 Luka stood beside her desk, still holding the documents she had not finished organizing. She had been staring at those pages for a long time, but she simply couldn't concentrate anymore. Recently, one task after another had kept piling up. Every time she thought she could finally catch her breath after finishing something, another request would quickly follow. She kept revising, checking, and double-checking everything, trying her best to make sure every single thing was done properly. But no matter how hard she tried, there always seemed to be something left unfinished. Luka lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the corner of the document. She tried to hold it in. She kept trying. Until a tear finally slipped from the corner of her eye. She hurriedly wiped it away. "No..." She whispered softly. "I can't cry." She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. But all the emotions she had been holding inside for so long couldn't simply be pushed away with a few words. Another tear fell. Then another. Luka raised her hand to cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly. She really had been trying her best. She had kept telling herself to keep going. But why was she still so exhausted? Why, even after giving everything she had, did she still feel like she wasn't doing enough? A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. "Luka." Her entire body froze. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. "Gakupo..." She quickly wiped away her tears, trying to make her voice sound normal. "I'm fine." Gakupo didn't call her out on it. He simply walked over to her and quietly looked at her. There was no reproach in his violet eyes, nor any pressure. Only concern. "Are you really okay?" Luka bit her lip. She wanted to say, "I'm fine," but the words simply wouldn't come out. She lowered her head. "...I don't know." Gakupo was silent for a moment. Then he stepped closer. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. The two of them simply stood there, holding each other. Luka was tense at first. But soon, as if she had finally let go of the last bit of her defenses, her arms slowly wrapped around Gakupo's waist, and she buried her face against his chest. The tears immediately started flowing again. "Gakupo..." "I'm here." His voice was low and gentle. Luka tightly clutched his clothes. "I'm so tired..." "I know." "I've been trying so hard..." "I know." "But why do I still feel like I'm not doing enough...?" Gakupo didn't rush to answer. He simply held her. One hand rested securely against her back while the other gently stroked her long hair. "Because you've been carrying too much all by yourself." Luka's tears fell onto his clothes. "I don't want to make everyone worry about me..." "You're not a burden." "But..." "Luka." He lowered his head slightly. "You don't have to keep telling me that you're fine." She fell silent. Gakupo continued holding her. "If you're tired, tell me you're tired." "If you're sad, cry." "Don't be afraid that I'll think you're not strong enough." Luka closed her eyes. Her hands were still tightly gripping his clothes. "But I don't want work to turn me into this..." "Work isn't your entire life." Gakupo spoke softly. "You've already done enough." Luka didn't answer. She simply moved a little closer to him. Gakupo didn't loosen his arms either. They just stood there together. Neither of them was in a hurry to leave. Neither of them asked her to stop crying. Luka could finally allow herself to let her emotions show. After a while, she quietly said, "Can you... hold me a little longer?" Gakupo's arms tightened slightly. "I've been holding you this whole time." That made Luka cry a little harder. She buried her face even deeper against him. "You're so mean..." "Hm?" "Because when you say things like that... it makes me want to cry even more." Gakupo let out a soft laugh. "Then cry." He lowered his head and gently whispered beside her ear, "You don't have to hold it in today." Luka sniffled. "But don't you think I look pathetic?" "No." "Really?" "Really." He pulled back slightly so she could see his expression. Her eyes were red, with tears still clinging to her lashes. Gakupo reached out and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. "I just think you're tired." Luka looked at him. "And besides, the fact that you're willing to cry in front of me means you trust me." Luka froze for a moment. Then she gently nodded. "Yeah." Gakupo pulled her back into his arms. "So don't apologize." Luka rested against his chest and whispered, "Thank you." "You don't have to thank me." "But I really..." "I know." "You know everything?" "At least I'm willing to listen to everything that's hurting you." Luka remained silent for a long time. She didn't say anything else. She simply held him. For the first time in a while, she felt that perhaps she didn't have to carry everything alone. Perhaps it was okay to stop for a moment. Perhaps crying in front of someone she truly trusted wasn't something to be ashamed of. Gakupo stayed with her. Until her breathing gradually returned to normal. Luka still didn't let go. Gakupo didn't rush her either. "Feeling a little better?" Luka gently nodded. "Mm... much better." She paused for a moment. "Because you're holding me." Gakupo looked down at her and smiled gently. "Then we'll stay like this a little longer." Luka finally smiled a little too. She leaned back into his embrace. The two of them simply stood there together. No work. No responsibilities. Nothing that needed to be solved immediately. In this moment, she was simply being held by the person she trusted most. And Gakupo simply wanted her to know— She didn't have to be strong all the time. At least in his arms, she could safely be herself.