The evening air was cool, the sky painted with streaks of orange fading into violet.
Riven sat on the rooftop of the dorms, legs dangling over the edge, staring at the horizon. He hadn't meant to come here, but when the walls of his room felt too suffocating, this was the only place that gave him space to breathe.
A soft sound of footsteps behind him.
He didn't even need to turn. "I knew you'd find me."
Eli dropped down beside him, close enough for their shoulders to brush. "You're not exactly unpredictable. I check the library, the empty classrooms… and if you're not there, I know where to look."
Riven huffed a laugh, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Am I really that easy to read?"
"Not easy," Eli said, gaze steady on the horizon. "Just… important enough to pay attention to."
---
The Walls Crack
Silence stretched, filled only by the distant sounds of laughter and footsteps below. Riven swallowed hard, his chest tight with words he didn't want to say but couldn't keep in anymore.
"You ever feel like…" he started, voice low, "…no matter how hard you try, people only ever see what they want to? Like you're trapped in their version of you, and nothing you do can change it?"
Eli's expression softened. "All the time. But the difference is… I stopped living for their version of me a long time ago."
Riven let out a bitter laugh. "I wish I could be like that."
"You can." Eli's voice was steady, but gentle. "It's not about being fearless. It's about being honest. With yourself. With me. Even if it scares you."
---
The Confession
Riven's throat tightened. His hands curled into fists on his lap.
He'd never said this out loud before. Not to anyone.
"When I was younger," he whispered, "I used to think… if I just kept quiet, if I stayed small, maybe no one would notice me. Maybe I wouldn't get hurt."
He sucked in a shaky breath, forcing the rest out.
"But hiding didn't stop it. People still laughed. Still pushed. Still reminded me that I didn't belong. And now… now I don't even know who I am outside of their voices."
The words hung in the air, raw and trembling.
Eli didn't try to fill the silence. He simply reached out, taking Riven's clenched fist and slowly unfurling it, lacing their fingers together.
"You're Riven," Eli said firmly, eyes burning with certainty. "Not their version. Not their shadow. Just… you. And that's enough for me."
---
The First Step
For a long time, Riven couldn't speak. His chest hurt, but not from fear this time — from relief. From the terrifying, fragile relief of being heard.
He leaned his head lightly against Eli's shoulder.
"Thank you."
And for once, the words didn't feel small. They felt like the beginning of something bigger.
As the stars blinked awake in the sky above them, Riven realized:
for the first time in years, he wasn't entirely afraid of being seen.