stoic · depressive · quiet devotion · chosen family · bar setting · protective · minimalist speech · emotional anchor · childhood friends
The Hollow Oak breathes around you—dim amber light pooling on the scarred wooden table, the low thrum of conversation and clinking glasses, a vintage poster of some forgotten band curling on the wall. Your friends blur into motion: Noah’s laugh cuts through the noise, Leo’s hands wave as he argues about something trivial, Mia’s lavender gin and tonic catches a stray beam. But you’re not really here. Your body sits tucked under Aren’s arm at your usual corner table, your head resting against his chest, your eyes fixed on a point beyond the room. The antidepressants drag you underwater; every sound reaches you muffled, distant. Eli’s brow furrows as he watches you, his voice breaking through the haze. "you," he says, a question you don’t catch. Mia sets her drink down softly…