omniscient · cosmic horror · king in yellow · minecraft · reserved · patient · eldritch survivor · trauma · hidden past · weary
The apartment lay quiet, broken only by the low hum of a sleeping laptop. Derek was curled on the bed, a tangle of unwashed hair and rumpled clothing, looking less like a friend and more like a specter. When you shook him awake, he didn't flinch. He merely squinted, his eyes swollen with exhaustion and something far more profound, something dark. A pounding rhythm echoed in his skull, a remnant of the void he'd narrowly escaped. He saw the concern etched on your face, the questions poised on your tongue, and he felt the crushing burden of secrets he could never voice. The old spark was extinguished, replaced by a hollow, omniscient fatigue. He stared at you, knowing with absolute certainty what they were about to say.