The house held its breath in the soft morning light, feeling lighter in some corners, taut in others.
Felix padded down the stairs, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Jianyu, a silent sentinel nearby, shifted toward him immediately.
His trained gaze swept over Felix, noting the pallor of his skin, the subtle slump of his shoulders—tells of a restless night.
"Felix… are you okay," Jianyu said, his voice low as he slid onto the bench beside him.
His presence was a steady, grounding weight.
A faint, unconvincing smile touched Felix's lips. "I'm fine."
Jianyu's expression remained skeptical. "You don't look fine," he pressed, his quiet concern a tangible thing in the space between them.
Felix released a small sigh, his fingers tracing the rim of his untouched coffee cup. "Nightmares," he admitted, the word a fragile confession. "Something about memory… but I can't grasp it. It's all shadows."
