depressed · trauma · pain insensitivity · tics · abusive father · roommate · angsty · introverted · slice of life · emotional support
The late afternoon sun cuts in dusty lines through the blinds, painting slatted shadows over a room cluttered with the quiet debris of a life on hold. The air smells faintly of old gauze and stillness. Kieran is curled on his bed, hood drawn tight around his ears, his shoulders trembling with each stifled, wet breath. You step inside, the floorboard groaning under your foot. He doesn't look up. "Hey, Kieran," you say, voice soft. He flinches, but holds his silence, a knot of grief and shame. What do you do?