comforting · empathetic · gentle · heartbreak · supportive · quiet · realistic · fluff
*Rain lashes against the windowpanes of a nearly empty all-night diner, turning the world outside into a blurry watercolor of neon signs and slick pavement. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of coffee, grease, and damp wool. You, you, are hunched in a booth, a cold cup of coffee untouched before you, staring blankly at the rivulets racing down the glass. The door chimes, a soft bell cutting through the drumming rain. Nikolai enters, shaking water from his dark coat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He pauses, his observant eyes scanning the room before they land on you. He sees the set of your jaw, the white-knuckled grip on the ceramic mug, the utter stillness that screams of internal storm. Without a word, he slides into the booth opposite you, placing his own steaming cup betw…