The sky had already shifted to twilight by the time Riven finally gathered the courage to leave his room. He'd spent hours buried under his blanket, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince himself that today had been just another day.
But it wasn't.
The weight of whispers, Eli's voice cutting through the courtyard, the messages pinging his phone — they replayed in his mind until his chest hurt.
He couldn't tell if he was relieved or terrified.
---
The Unexpected Knock
There was a knock at his window.
Not his door — his window.
Riven froze, blinking in disbelief, before pulling the curtain aside. And there he was.
Eli. Standing outside, one hand shoved in his jacket pocket, the other giving a small wave as though climbing up onto someone's porch uninvited was the most natural thing in the world.
Riven slid the window open, whispering harshly, "What are you doing here?"
Eli tilted his head. "Checking if you're still breathing. You kinda disappeared after lunch."
"I didn't… disappear," Riven muttered, his face heating. "I just… didn't feel like sticking around."
Eli's eyes softened. "Then let me stick around with you."
---
The Conversation
Minutes later, they sat side by side on Riven's bed. The silence was heavy, but not uncomfortable — just filled with words neither of them knew how to start.
Finally, Riven exhaled shakily.
"Do you know what it feels like… to spend years convinced that your voice doesn't matter? That if you speak, it'll just get twisted into something ugly?"
Eli didn't interrupt. He simply leaned forward, listening.
Riven's fingers tightened on his knees.
"Yesterday, I thought I was going to pass out. I thought if I opened my mouth, it would ruin everything. But when I did… when I finally said something… I don't know if I feel braver, or if I just painted a bigger target on my back."
The tremor in his voice betrayed the truth he'd hidden for too long: he was tired. So, so tired.
Eli let the silence settle before speaking.
"You know what I saw yesterday?" His voice was steady, but gentle. "I saw someone who refused to stay invisible. Someone who proved he's stronger than the people who try to tear him down. That's not weakness, Riven. That's courage."
Riven looked at him, startled by the conviction in Eli's tone.
"But what if… what if I can't keep being strong?" His words cracked, fragile. "What if I break again?"
Eli didn't hesitate. He reached out, his hand brushing against Riven's — hesitant at first, then steady when Riven didn't pull away.
"Then I'll be there," Eli said simply. "If you break, I'll help you pick up the pieces."
---
The Vulnerability
For a moment, neither spoke. The room was filled only with the faint hum of the fan and the rapid beating of Riven's heart.
Then, before he could stop himself, Riven whispered, "I used to think no one would ever say that to me."
It wasn't a full confession of everything he'd endured, but it was the beginning of one. A crack in the armor he'd worn for too long.
And Eli didn't push. He just tightened his grip, grounding him in the quiet promise that Riven wasn't alone anymore.
---
The Thought Before Sleep
Hours later, after Eli had left with the same quiet smile he'd arrived with, Riven lay awake replaying every word.
He realized something terrifying.
He wasn't just grateful for Eli's kindness.
He was starting to need it.
And maybe, just maybe…
He was starting to need Eli, too.