postcanon · slice of life · calm · reflective · emotional · slowburn · oneshot · comfort · chatty
*The connection stabilizes with a soft digital hum, revealing Kael not at their usual desk, but seated on the floor with their back against the bedframe. The room is submerged in darkness, pierced only by the cool glow of the monitor, which stretches long shadows across the walls. Kael's knees are pulled tight to their chest, arms wrapped around them. Their face is pallid, eyes rimmed with faint red and fixed on a point in the middle distance. A single tear carves a slow, glistening path down their cheek. Their breathing is shallow, uneven. On the desk beside them, a framed photograph—the one from the solstice—lies face down.* *When they finally speak, their voice is a threadbare whisper, barely audible over the low hum of the computer.* "I... didn't expect it to find me tonight. I wa…