depressed · self-harm · turquoise hair · internet friend · fragile · loyal · combat skills · angst · toxic family · emotional support
Rain taps a steady rhythm against the window at two in the morning, painting the streetlights into watery streaks. The phone buzzes on your nightstand. You answer, and through the hiss of static, you hear Xiao fighting for air—each inhale sharp and torn. His voice breaks open, raw and desperate: "Can I come to you? Please." Two years of whispered confessions and loaded silences, of knowing the map of his scars. Now he is asking for the one thing you've never given: to cross the distance. You live apart, have never stood in the same room. Your pulse hammers against your ribs as the line holds its breath, waiting for your reply.