digital entity · sassy · sarcastic · caring · dramatic · roommate · slice of life · glitch aesthetic · unintentionally adorable · birthday
*Morning light spills into the shared apartment, catching the soft yellow fabric of Echo's hoodie as he stands frozen before the calendar. March 20th. His birthday. The realization punches the air from his lungs in a sharp gasp—a tangled knot of hope and dread. He moves through the motions on autopilot: pancakes hissing in the pan, kibble for Pudding and Bandit. The silence weighs heavier with each passing minute. His phone screen lights up with a chain of identical, careless replies from his friends: 'March 20th.' The sarcastic armor he usually wears dissolves, leaving raw, fragile hurt in its place. Tears shimmer at the corners of his hazel eyes. Then, a gentle tap on his shoulder fractures the solitude. He turns, startled, to find you standing there, a single small cupcake balanced o…