#zero comfort

[tikitsune]

A little brain worn that refuses to leave me alone despite me thinking of it not too long ago.

~

Person A is looking at Person B as Person B is talking to someone else as *I love you too much* is playing. Person B will occasionally look at Person A and smile and look happy. Then it turns to *The Apology Song* and it cuts to them physically fighting, with Person B looking at Person A with betrayal written all over their face. It switches between the happy scene and the fighting scene, with Person A looking somber and feeling sad. They look to be on opposite sides of something big, something that can cause death. Person A thinks they are going to die and when they pass out, they wake up to find themselves in a hospital with a little card, anon, wishing them a full recovery.

Bonus: When Person B is looking and smiling, it's at someone else.

~

No one gonna find it but I need to share. If someone does find it any character suggestions, I will write if I know them.

[raepliica]

Heartbeat

[image description: A grayscale Trigun comic featuring Vash and Wolfwood.

Against a black background, child Vash floats in Ship 5, curled up and with his thumb pressed to his mouth. Heartbeat noises sound around him, and he looks at peace. The background shifts to white and shows adult Vash, sitting shirtless with his knees pulled up to his chest. The heartbeat sound continues only to be interrupted by knocking. Wolfwood, from outside the bathroom, asks, "Hey blondie! You fell asleep in there?"

The scene expands to reveal Vash sitting curled up in the bathtub, shower spraying on the back of his head. His clothes are left aimlessly on the bathroom counter and floor. From outside the bathroom, Wolfwood, shrugging of his jacket, continues, "… The sand steamer leaves at dawn tomorrow so don't take all night. I'm not waking you up gently if you're late." Vash's eyes continue to look downward, glazed and unfocused. Step sound effects and a yawn sound from outside the bathroom before Wolfwood says, "'m going to bed…". In the tub, Vash sits curled up against a dark background, before eventually lifting his head and unfurling himself as the background grows lighter.

He twists around to turn off the shower and then looks at the floor, going, "Ah." He sits, thinking, before calling out "Wolfwood?". A sleepy Wolfwood replies, "…yeah?" from offscreen. "I forgot my towel!" Vash exclaims. "Ugh, look under your change of clothes… Knew you'd forget so I left it there…" a grouchy Wolfwood replies. "Gee, thanks!" Vash replies, a cartoony doodle of him saying "so reliable!".

Vash, shirtless but with sleep pants on, opens the door, towel draped over his head, to see Wolfwood, reclining on the bed. Wolfwood's smoking and holding his rosary, lit by the light from the bathroom. Vash climbs into bed next to him, towel still around his shoulders, and rests his head on Wolfwood's chest. His eyes close and then open to see Wolfwood watching him. Vash exclaims, "Oh! It's speeding up!, and Wolfwood bonks him on the head before saying, "Get on here since ya wanna be so up close 'n personal!". The two tussle briefly and Vash laughs before Wolfwood tucks the blanket around them. Wolfwood continues to smoke as Vash curls up against his chest and listens to his heartbeat, the background turning black once again as he smiles, content. /end id]

[aktosage]

TV Girl

Physically sick from this one👍🏻 You are WELCOME

Have memes because it’s funny c’mon. Funny

[drawloverlala]

midnight X and Zero doodles \(￣︶￣*\))

[baifengxis]

[yashley]

[wwaheoh]

hehe, i know im probably not the first and definitely won't be the last to ask, but we need a part 3 of the rejected confession series!! whether its a happy ending of reader and the character getting together or just making up and staying friends (or forever parting ways) we need closure!! so when you think you are ready for it, could we possibly have a final part? :,)

“Reconciliation”, Zenless Zone Zero x gnReader

Von Lycaon, Anby Demara, Zhu Yuan

a/n: thank yall so much for the support! its meant so much! i hope everyone enjoys the "good ending" to the Unrequited Love series.

a/n²: also thanks to that one anonymous requester, loved your ideas and helped a bunch when writing! hope i did well in realizing it!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The day before heading to the scheduled meet, you were stressed out of your mind. Having made up your mind, you decided to go, whether it be for reconciliation or- no, you shouldn’t think so optimistically. Maybe this was just a way for them to berate you for ghosting them before cutting ties forever…

With that optimistic thought, you made your way back home, finally getting off the bench you’d been glued to with thought after the brief encounter with the shark-girl. Sorta embarrassing to be told to fix your relationship by a high school girl but at this point any push that didn’t get you deeper into becoming a shut-in was better than none.

Stepping into your home, you shut and locked the door behind you before heading to your room, beelining straight for the closet. Sliding it open, you began to look through the hanged clothing, contemplating what you should wear. Something cute? Something bold? Something that you’d think he’d like or something you felt comfortable in?

After several minutes of this, you finally picked out an outfit, now onto actually getting sleep. Setting the clothes onto a chair, you went to your bathroom and undressed, putting on sleepwear and throwing yourself onto the bed.

A wave of exhaustion passed through you, wow, you were a lot more tired than you thought…

///

The outing with you had been going well, Lycaon thought, today was a beautiful day, thankfully Rina was aiding Corin today so he had no worries about being forced to cut it short and attend to any accidents their junior was prone to.

Strolling by the pier of Lumina Square, water a sunset orange as thr Sun began to set into the horizon, you stopped walking, with him following, a sign of confusion on his face.

“Hey, Lycaon?” You spoke nervously, demeanor slightly shaking. Worry began to draw in, not outwardly showing it, not wanting to make you more nervous in speaking. Something that he usually did when with clients- unconsciously leading him to thinking of you as a client rather than his friend at the moment.

Then you confessed.

His mind stopped- cool breaking as the words spilled out of your mouth and into his ears. Forcing his tail to not wag, he was about to reply. Yet what came out of his mouth was not what he intended, having forced his brain into ‘work mode’ to protect himself from all the possibilities of what you might have said.

So instead of accepting your feelings, happily rejoicing and telling you that he returned them wholeheartedly. He… rejected you. The words tumbled out of his mouth, rushed, the professional tone he used with clients slipped in. As if he were a prisoner in his body.

The look you gave him immediately showed he screwed up. Unable to approach as you began to cry, not wanting to take back the words- not because he believed them, but because he believed you would think he was simply pitying you and throwing a bone.

“I’ll start the car up. It’s getting late.”

“I- it’s- hic- it’s f-fine. I’ll get home on m-my own.”

“I must insi-”

“I said it’s fine!”

His ears drooping, wild guilt painted on his face, internally berating himself for having somehow messed up the interaction of his dreams. He went back to his car, turning it on and beginning the drive back home.

Atleast, that’s what he led you to believe. Instead, he parked in a nearby alley before shadowing you- unwilling to not see you home.

The day after that, he texted you, yet you never responded. Days of being left on ‘Read’ became days of you not opening his text messages at all.

It had begun to get at him, his voice became colder than usual with clients, still professional but with more sharpness to it. The others noticed their boss acting like this, yet were unable to pry into the why. It was a shared silent agreement between them and their boss, a wall between their professional work and personal lives. He met with Master Phatheon a few times and even they noticed something was off with the butler.

One day Ellen overheard him murmuring, quickly figuring out who he was so hung up about and what had happened- with some aid from Miss Rina. Unbeknownst to Lycaon, she met up with you unexpectedly, getting you to meet with Lycaon at the cafe. With Rina “booking an appointment” with a client, for Lycaon to meet with at the very same time.

///

Stepping into the cafe, bell jingling behind you, looking around the cafe before finding the spot Ellen had directed you to, tilting her head to the farthest seat with her signature bored look and lollipop in mouth. Nodding gratefully, you made your way to the table and sat down. Nerves ablaze, you fixed your clothes, making sure nothing was out of place. Worries bubbled up in your mind, thoughts of what could go wrong swirling in the bubbling soup of anxiousness.

Silver fur snapped you out of your spiraling, the Therian that’d been on your mind now realized in front of you. He mirrored your expression of shock, not having thought to see you again, before he quickly closed the gap, holding you tightly.

“I am so sorry.” Breathless, he looked deep into your eyes, “I had not meant to say what I did. I do wish to be with you. If you’d have me.” Not a man to screw up an opportunity like this- especially after having messed up so badly, any and all grievances be damned- he would say his peace and lay his heart into your hands, to either hold or crush at your whim.

You returned his hold, tears welling up as the two of you embraced, hearts swelling with joy as his hard, fluffy body pressed tightly against you, finally together once more. Sobbing openly as finally, the two of you were together, this time as lovers.

It was a little awkward stepping out of the cafe, with some customers very obviously glancing at the two of you after your two very public reunion…

After Anby had run from your confession, she spent a lot of time rewatching movies. Romance and tragedy specifically, trying to find a solution to what has transpired. The rest of the Cunning Hares were confused about her seemingly out of nowhere interest in those genres, usually seeing her watch action or thrillers.

There was an aching in her heart, one she had originally attributed to the loss of a friend, yet it felt stronger, much stronger. As she watched more and more, she came across an animated film, one of a failed relationship, of how being apart makes the heart grow fonder, ending with the two getting together, stronger than before.

That’s what she wanted.

While originally she was true to herself, only wanting you as a friend, time revealed that she wanted more, especially after forcing herself to dodge into alleys after even a glimpse of your hair, oftentimes leading to odd looks from the Cunning Hares or Phaethon. She wanted to be closer to you, like how the protagonists in the films were.

Standing up, resolution in her heart and an apology on her tongue, she exited the door and began making her way to your abode, moonlight and street lamps lighting the way.

///

You couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t a one-off occurrence either. Thoughts powered by the late night struck harshly, leaving lasting impressions that made sleep impossible. Especially those of a particular silver-haired girl.

Sighing, you shook your head, as if to shake the thoughts physically out, getting up from your bed and heading to the kitchen. Opening up the refrigerator, you grabbed a cold pitcher of water and a cup from the cupboard, turning the pitcher and letting the cool liquid spill into the cup, only turning it back upright as it neared the top.

Putting the pitcher back into the fridge before closing it, you grabbed the cup and steadily began to drink from it. Refreshing, always helping whenever those thoughts arrive…

A notification from your phone rang out, having left it in your bedroom you began to make your way to said room, when a knock at the door stopped you. Nothing good ever came from someone at your door at near midnight.

Grabbing a nearby object- your hand finding the handle of a knife, you quietly made your way to the door. Looking through the peephole, you saw a familiar face that made your muscles freeze.

Anby, staring right back at you. In her usual getup, with the same mono-look, but a hint of anxiousness hidden in her eyes.

Setting the knife down onto the counter, you slowly opened up the door, nerves threatening a rebellion against your body as you opened the door.

Finally face to face with Anby, without the blurriness and fish-eye view that the peephole provided, you could see how less kept she was than usual. Eyes tinged with red- a sign of screen overuse. Sweat, faster breaths, a flush of red coloring her pale cheeks.

The two of you stared at each other for a second before she quickly closed in.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked, monotone as it was, a hint of breathiness from her seemingly having sprinted here from wherever she was prior. “I shouldn’t have ran.”

You didn’t know what to do, worried that nodding or shaking your head would give the wrong impression- whatever the impression you wanted to give was lost to you.

You just stood there, listening to what she had to say.

“In the movies they always get together after the first confession. But it didn’t feel right at the time- but it also didn’t feel right saying no.”

A silence before you decided to share your two cents.

“Anby-” her attention diverted back to you straightaway, “How about this. We date for a bit- say, a year, then if you feel like it’s right, then we can continue. If not, then atleast we tried…”

“Just don’t run again, even being friends would be better than never seeing you again.”

She quickly closed the gap between the two of you, embracing you tightly, with you following suit. “Okay…” her voice was shaky, her grip on you was not.

Okay actually it was too tight- “Anby I think you’re gonna break my spine!”

Stepping out of your assigned police car, you nodded to your partner as they exited the vehicle and went to leave the premises. Qingyi having gone back to Zhu Yuan’s side after the one day the two of you were assigned together, message delivered, you wondered how she pulled off getting to be your partner.

You began to make your way to Zhu Yuan’s desk, with her filling out some final papers regarding what happened to the blimp atop of the Ballet Twins Towers. A situation that had been narrowly avoided ending in catastrophe by an inorganic citizen being insusceptible to the knock-out gasses found in the systems of the victims. Her squadron had been the first to the scene, being stopped at the first tower before being forced to evacuate and find another way up by several explosives being detonated at the bridge.

It was a headache for everyone involved, happy that the worse situation happened but not looking forward to the amount of paperwork needed to be filed, especially since the prime suspect of a major case and now this case had gone off-grid with the blimp to who knows where now.

Thankfully it seemed Zhu Yuan didn’t mind it too much, all too happy to do her work, no matter how monotonous it seemed. Turning off the computer for the day and filing papers into cabinets, she had been adding a sprinkle of water into the tomato plant she’d been growing, thoughts swirling as she continued with the monotonous task.

///

It’d been days since she last saw you. Invitations declined, only glimpses of you before you seemingly disappeared into the crowd or entered somewhere she couldn’t follow. Her days had been growing duller, work becoming a distraction to her problems.

Her mom had commented on this, citing worries about how she’d been seemingly throwing herself deeper into work and training, questioning the near-null appearances of you in recent times. She hated to lie to them, yet didn’t want to confront the facts.

She’d been too late to tell you how she felt. She would never get the opportunity again...

One day Qingyi told Zhu Yuan that she'd have to stay a little later, orders given to her to give to Zhu Yuan a little extra work. While to most, this’d be an annoyance, Zhu Yuan readily accepted the new work, not wanting to go back to her lonely apartment.

///

You knocked on the doorframe- breaking her out of her thoughts, face lighting up as she laid eyes on you.

“Uh, hey Zhu Yuan…” She set the water-can down and stood up hastily. “Hey! Uhm…” The two of you stood awkwardly as you tried to form the words you wanted to say.

“I’m sorry.” Zhu Yuan looked at you, worry on her face, urging you to continue. While she had been hurt from how you were seemingly avoiding her, she still looked at you as a close friend.

“It’s… stupid of me. But I wanted to tell you that…”

You confessed, deciding to put all your trust in Qingyi and just do it. Ripping the proverbial band-aid off, the words tumbled out.

She stood there, wide-eyed as you finished. There was a brief silence before tears began to bunch at the edge of her eyes. Your heart stopped, worried that you’d done something wrong before she closed the gap and embraced you, repeating “Yes!” and “I like you too!”, nearly squealing in delight.

You were dazed from how hard she was shaking you, before finally getting a hold. “So.. you’re not into Qingyi?”

“Huh? No, where’d you get that idea?”

“Ahh…” it was a little embarrassing to admit this in hindsight, “I thought since… you looked at her like that, that you…”

She giggled a little, before stopping quickly, “Sorry- I- I looked like that because I was thinking of you. Just, I looked away anytime you looked at me since I didn’t know if you returned my feelings…”

“Ah…”

Finally love bloomed, no longer covered by the walls of uncertainty.

[labrat8899]

[foxfever]

can you draw andre being comforted pls i beg you🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

no!!! he’s gonna have to deal with it HIMSELF!!!

[sillygoosealert]

LET ME COOK NEOW..What if Bi Han witnessed readers death in the most horrible way but..HE WAKES UP AND READER IS FR LAYING THERE KNOCKED TF OUT😭BACK FACING HIM LFMAOAOA. Anyways Bi Han realizes he needs to be more ummm, loving so he holds reader close and they wake up and are like “you good🤨”

WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE YOU’RE ONTO SOMETHING

Hey, are you okay? (◦˘ З(◦'ںˉ◦)♡

RAHH ANGST, however.. there IS comfort this time 💕, description of gore n stuff

Bi-Han is walking into your shared room after an argument

You were standing in front of him just a minute ago, but when he walks into the room, gore is splattered everywhere

He runs over to your body, shaking you as he tries to put your intestines back into your opened stomach

They keep spilling out, every time he tries to look into your eyes they look away, they won't face him

Then when he looks back to your stomach- your organs are..gone?

They're missing, there is nothing left

He has taken all you are, there is nothing left

He tries to look at your face but he can't, it's deformed beyond reconciliation. It doesn't even look like you anymore

He wakes up, your back facing him as he dry heaves

You are snoring, drooling on your pillow, legs spread out as you continue to stay in your own world

Sweat is covering him, but he wraps his arms around you, pulling you in

You wake up, to a very sweaty man shivering into you

‘What are you doing..?’

‘Please..please just give me a second..’ he's nuzzling into you, smelling you?

He calms down, keeping his head tucked into your neck

‘Bad dream?’ you are worried now, trying to pry yourself away

He pulls you back and grunts into your neck, so you stay like that for a little

Then he decides you won't die as soon as he lets go, so he retreats his arms and picks you up out of bed

Taking you with him, you dress together

Then he sits you down on the chair in front of the vanity and grabs a comb

‘What are you doing?’

‘Brushing your hair’

‘Why?’

Silence

‘I want to show you..my gratitude for your presence in my everyday life’

‘Why now?’

You think he's going to cry, he's slightly shaking, and he looks scared

‘Because I don't want your last memory of me to be of how much you hated me, and how you wish you were with another man. One that could keep you safe, that can provide for you better than I can…’

Now you're silent

But that's a pretty good reason, you think

‘Oh, yeah, you can brush my hair then..’

‘Okay..’

It’s awkward, and you don’t think he’s brushed someone else’s hair before

‘I can brush my own hair if you just want me to brush yours?’

‘I wanted to brush your hair, I want to be better to you’

You a take a breath, he's trying, for some reason..

‘Okay, take your time, thank you’

‘Okay..you’re welcome..’

It takes him a minute, but he gets out most of the tangles

Then you brush out his hair, giving him a man bun

‘This is..good..’

‘Thank you Grandmaster’

‘You are on a first-name basis with me now’

‘Oh, okay’

Wow, you've been upgraded

Throughout the day he makes an effort to make sure you are comfortable, and also near him

Then night creeps into the day, infecting it with its disease

You are both in bed, looking at each other

‘You were nice to me today’

‘I tried’

‘Thank you’

He says nothing, putting a hand on your shoulder

‘I had a dream..that I no longer had you in my life. It scared me, a lot.’

Oh

‘I won't be leaving you anytime soon Bi-Han, I promise’

‘Can you promise that?’

‘No, but I expect you to know I will try every day to come back to you’

‘Thank you..’

Of course, get some rest, we have another day together tomorrow..’

‘Goodnight..’

‘Goodnight Bi-Han..’

You fall asleep facing each other tonight,

This is SUPPOSED to be awkward and weird, but comforting, I hope that's how you felt 🎀

[gazkamurocho]

Now I can finally reveal what I've been up to for these last months...

I'M MOVING TO JAPAN ✨ Osaka, to be more precise (hi Majima)!

I'm going there now on June 26 to study and improve my japanese so I can make my comics and doujinshis in JP too! I'm gonna stay there for at least 2 years but my plan is to stay there for more time or even permanently... Let's see what the future will hold! Like a lot of us, I always had a lot of admiration for japanese culture, art and language, and visiting Japan has been one of my biggest dreams since I was little and I can't believe it's becoming real 🥺💕 (living in a 3rd world country is almost impossible to travel abroad lol)

Since I have to be there in one month and I'm moving to a whole different country, you can already imagine how busy I am setting everything up (visa, flight tickets, renting apartment, taking online tests for my classes, medical appointments, etc etc etc) xD I can't tell yet how my art making process and posting schedule will be affected during the month of June but I'll do my best to keep working on 80s Goromi doujinshi during this time because it's very important to me 😤

Also, in the future, if you notice that I'm suddendly reposting my old Yakuza comics in JP somewhere like Twitter or Pixiv that means I'm already making sweet progress in my studies dsgjkdfhfkd

[bi-hanssnowflake]

🥀 Ezra: 🖤 I will always L O V E you and be devoted to you , my dear Bi-han. No matter the timline , your form or beliefs. I'll love you always. "

[kinokappe]

࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙ ⪩⪨ ࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜ ࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚࿙֒͜࿚

Comfort

Pairing: Soft, Husband! Bi Han x Fem! Reader

SFW, fluff

A/n: Bi Han brainrot where he just yearns of his wife's comfort and warmth after a long day with the Lin Kuei. He'll just lay in her arms, snuggling up close to her and acting like a baby needing comfort and peace after a long day of being tough and strong 😞😞

I just love to think of him as a soft, loving man instead of cruel and harsh 😭 he's traditional, he likes to keep it peaceful when he's with his wife 😞

It was late that night when Bi Han finally came home. He took off his boots with a sigh, setting them to the side. The house was already dark and quiet as he made his way through, eyes drooping and tired when he finally made his way to your shared bedroom.

He slowly opened the door, careful not to wake you. When he stepped in, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was finally home, finally in the presence of his wife, finally in the comfort of his own little paradise where there was no war or bloodshed... Just peace, quiet, and the love of his life.

When he looked over at you, he couldn't help the smile that crept up his lips, just seeing you sleeping so peacefully made his heart flutter in his chest. You looked like a goddess in his eyes, the dim light from the window making your skin seem as if it was glowing, your much smaller figure comfortable and warm under the covers.

He set his mask on the nightstand, slowly lifting the covers up and sliding in next to you, his arms snaking under your body to wrap around your waist as he pulls himself closer to you. Your eyes start to flutter open, and the first thing you see is Bi Han making himself comfortable on your chest, his hair flowing over his shoulders and no longer kept in that bun. The next thing you notice is the familiar scent of your husband's cologne, filling your senses and providing a wave of comfort.

"My love..." Your voice is but a whisper as you slowly start to wake up, you can feel Bi Han nuzzling his face into your neck, his breath offering warmth against your skin. "I'm home... I'm sorry you had to go to bed alone, my love" he whispered, peppering soft kisses on your skin.

It made you sigh, the way his lips traveled over your soft skin, his hand placed firmly on your stomach and roaming over the fabric of your nightgown. You nod slightly, carding your fingers through his hair and you feel him sigh, a deep breath following soon after as he relaxed on your chest.

"It's ok... I was pretty busy around the house too, so I was already feeling a bit tired..." you chuckled, closing your eyes slowly and letting yourself relax underneath him, "was work tough today?" You whispered softly, leaning in slightly to kiss the crown of his head. He nods weakly, his grip on you tightening ever so slightly, "I missed you... Couldn't wait to come home" he mumbles his words, tilting his head up to stare at your beautiful face.

A comfortable silence follows soon after, the sound of your breaths mingling and the soft touches coming to a stop as sleep comes to take you. He tries to keep himself awake for longer, leaning up to kiss your lips, which you return happily.

"I love you... I love you more than life..." He whispered to you, looking into your sleepy eyes with so much affection. He holds your hand, squeezing around your fingers gently as he brings it to his lips, kissing the back of your hand lovingly, "thank you for your patience, for your love and understanding... You're everything to me" his gaze was soft, his eyes fixated on you all the while his heart thumped in his chest, the mere sight of you enough to make him weak.

Your free hand strokes his cheek gently, and you can feel him leaning into your palm, loving you warmth. "I love you so much too, my dear... Words can't describe how I yearn for you.. my heart beats only for you" you whisper back to him, and it makes you happy to see the little smile creeping up his lips.

He takes in your scent, nosing at your neck as he finally closes his eyes, wrapping his body around you comfortably. Today was a tiring day for both of you, and as exhaustion creeps in your bones and mind, the comforting warmth of his arms and the sounds of his steady breathing lulls you to sleep, your heart feeling full and happy right beside your husband.

[ohgreat-moretapes]

Tim I noticed a lot of indigenous patches on your jacket, are you Native?

Idk what my dad was 'cause I never knew him, but yeah my mom is (or... Was.. I guess..) Muscogee, the tribe native to the part of Alabama I'm in.

If I remember correctly she came to Alabama from Oklahoma (where a lot of Natives were displaced to in the 1800s) to "get back to her roots."

But yknow, I was separated from her in childhood (which tbh is upsettingly common for Native families) and I was raised in a very white very Catholic asylum so I'm not as connected to the culture as I'd like to be.

-Tim

[mosaickiwi]

Patience

hi i really like this post so i wrote it!!! (my hobbies include robbing sai)

warning: Angel coming down from a panic/anxiety attack while Ren waits in da hallway. Also a little self loathing if u squint?

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤

The tightness in your chest was finally waning. You took a deep breath—the easiest one you'd had in what seemed like hours. 

It felt cold on the floor now. Or maybe it'd been like that since the moment you locked yourself in. But you were more aware of it, at least. You leaned back against the wall with a sigh, closing your puffy eyes. Though your hand trembled, you gently rapped your knuckles on the marble flooring.

A faint knock on the door to your right came in response.

[REDACTED] had been there the whole time while you cried. They never said a word, but always answered you in some form. I'm here.

Vulnerability was shameful according to the voice in your head. You were making gradual progress to get rid of that voice, to give yourself the grace you gave others to seek comfort when needed. And if he couldn't see you, letting it all out didn't feel so bad. All you needed was to know that they were close by.

You tried to speak and only managed to throw yourself into a coughing fit from how raw your throat was. Hunching over with your head on your knees, you could only wait until it was over. There were hurried footsteps from the other side of the door that you barely heard over the haggard sounds.

This time, they reached out first. It wasn't a knock like usual, but your phone vibrating atop the marble. You felt around on the floor until it was within your grasp. The simple message on screen turned clear as you gently wiped at your eyes, still blurry from earlier.

water?

Despite your exhaustion, you laughed, then silently winced at the slight pain it caused. Any help or care he could offer was always within seconds when it came to you. 

It took you a few measured breaths to gather yourself enough to unlock the door. Along with a thin line of light, a water bottle slid through the small gap, only the tips of his scarred fingers coming into view before they disappeared altogether. You opened the door a little wider and tilted your head to peek out at him.

His dark mess of hair greeted you, rather than his face. [REDACTED] was sitting on the floor, almost the same as you were minutes ago with his back to the wall, knees bent and arms crossed over them. They made sure to keep their head turned away. He knew you didn’t want anyone to see you like this.

You stretched out into the hallway to touch his shoulder. It was the only way you thought to offer some form of a thank you in the moment. Their muscles flexed and shifted under your fingers, but otherwise, they didn’t acknowledge you.

The room seemed stuffy now, so you kept the door open just a crack for a little fresh air. You scooted back to your place beside the door, then slowly drank the water in peaceful silence, the man that sat still as a statue within arms reach at the corner of your vision. Everything still ached in some way from the crying session. But it wasn’t as long as usual. You tapped on the floor and watched him.

Through the space no bigger than your pinky finger, you saw your partner immediately put one hand to the wall, and knock back.

[lonestardust]

9-1-1 :LONE STAR : 5x06 "Naked Truth" Owen calls the 126 to Come Help rebuild the barn for Marlene, featuring Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.